Raspberry Lemon Scones

I used to think that scones were on the other side of that line between me and old people food; right up there with liver and onions. But then I tried a good scone (this Raspberry Lemon Scone) and my attitude completely changed! There are a lot of bad scones out there. Or maybe I just got old...

Either way, this recipe for raspberry lemon scones is worth crossing over that line! These tender and flaky raspberry lemon scones are made without buttermilk and with a hint of licorice flavor. They are the perfect balance of sweet and tart, make a great breakfast or brunch dish, and are wonderful for taking along to a potluck! And be sure to check out these other breakfast potluck recipes!

Scones are said to have originated in Scotland sometime in the 1500's. I'm not going to bore you with any more history than that. They have been around for a long time and there are reasons that foods stick around that long! It usually means they are good.

🥘 Ingredients

For this delicious flaky scones recipe, you'll need:

• all-purpose flour 
• white granulated sugar
• baking powder
• lemon zest 
• aniseed
• fennel
• salt
• cold butter *I use unsalted
• heavy cream (whipping cream)
• frozen raspberries (you could use fresh raspberries as well)
• powdered sugar/icing sugar

This soft scone recipe incorporates frozen raspberries (you can pick and freeze or buy frozen) cream and fresh lemon zest into the dough. I also added aniseed and fennel for that delicious hint of licorice. You won't believe how amazing it tastes! I love fennel and aniseed in baking and if you do too, you'll want to check out some of my other recipes that incorporate these spices in baking like my No Bake Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Lasagna and my Butterscotch Toffee Crunch Cookies.

These scones were also the inspiration behind my Apple Cinnamon Scone recipe!

📖Variations

Raspberries are pretty delicate and tend to become messy in baking prep, so using frozen raspberries is sheer brilliance. You could also use other frozen berries if you prefer. I think these scones would be great with Saskatoon berries or blueberries!

🔪Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour a large plate; set aside.
• Combine the dry ingredients ( flour, ¼ cup of sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, anise, fennel, and salt) in a large mixing bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.
• Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or a cheese grater and cut the butter into the flour mixture until small, pea-sized pieces remain.
• Pour in ¾ cup of the cream and, using your finger, mix until just incorporated and a rough, slightly sticky mound has formed (not all of the flour will be incorporated). 

Turn the scone dough and loose flour out onto a lightly floured surface (large cutting board) and knead until most of the flour is incorporated and the dough just holds together (be careful not to overwork it). Lightly flour a rolling pin and the work surface. Using your hands, roughly form the dough into a rectangle, keeping the long edge toward you. Roll the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle (if the dough cracks, push it back together), again keeping the long edge toward you.

Remove the raspberries from the freezer, evenly arrange them in a single layer over the lower two-thirds of the rectangle, and press them into the dough (it’s OK if some break).  

Starting with the top, berryless third, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, 

Press on the layers as you roll up

Fold right over until seam is on the bottom. Use a spatula or bench scraper if the dough sticks to the work surface).

Slice the dough crosswise (do not saw back and forth) with a very sharp knife or pizza cutter, into 4 -6 equal pieces. Cut each piece diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer the scones to the floured plate and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Remove the scones from the freezer and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, setting them 2 inches apart. Pour the remaining heavy cream into a small bowl and brush a little of the remaining 1 tablespoon, over the tops of the scones (a thin layer) and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

⏲️ Baking time

• Bake until golden brown on the top and bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

🌡️Storage

Store scones in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. These scones can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container.

👪 Serving Size

This recipe for homemade lemon raspberry scones makes 12 large scones. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🍽Equipment

You will need a rolling pin, a cutting board, a very sharp knife, a large mixing bowl, baking sheets and a cooling rack for this lemon raspberry scone recipe. A grater also comes in handy for grating cold or frozen butter. *See recipe card for recommended equipment links and photos

Adventures in Raspberry Picking

On our recent family visit to Winnipeg, Manitoba we decided to do some berry picking. Although we were hoping to pick Saskatoons,  they were early this year, and sadly, we just missed them.

So, we did the next best thing and picked the fruit that was in season-raspberries. You can't go wrong with raspberries! We hit Boonstra berry farms just outside of town. What a great place to take your kids - so much fun! An afternoon of berry picking is the perfect family activity and everyone from young to old can participate.

There was a time when berry picking was a lousy chore forced upon kids by their parents. But nowadays we take our kids to do this as an activity and we pay someone to let us do it.

Trying to land berries in your mouth is almost as much fun as picking them!

But the fun didn't end there! There was a corn maze, from which we actually managed to make it out alive (given it's huge, there was no map and I'm navigationally challenged) and there was even a petting zoo with bunnies, kittens, goats and sheep.

In the end, we came home with 5 boxes of juicy raspberries. This doesn't look like a lot, but trust me, it was! Because raspberries go mushy really fast, we froze them right away.

💭 Top Tips

Freeze your raspberries immediately after picking, as they go mushy really quickly. Lay parchment paper over cookie sheet and arrange berries in a single layer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag.  You can defrost them or just use them frozen in recipes (like this one) or have as a snack. They are great straight up and frozen and taste like (nature's) candy.

It's easiest to use frozen butter when making scones. So, freeze your butter and grate it into the recipe with a cheese grater. It is easier and less messy than using a pastry cutter.

Baking these easy homemade lemon raspberry scones was, in a way, as much as an adventure as picking the berries for them. It's challenging enough to cook in someone else's kitchen, even when they have all the supplies you need. But it becomes that much more difficult when you have to improvise.

Seriously, this is what my Mom uses as a rolling pin these days! For those of you that know her, this will come as no surprise. I obviously didn't inherit the baking gene from this side of the pool. 

So I made them again when I got home and took new photos!

This raspberry lemon scone recipe is the perfect scone for taking to a breakfast or bunch potluck! I have made them for Mother's Day potlucks as well.

📋 Raspberry Lemon Scones Recipe

These tender and flaky raspberry lemon scones are made without buttermilk. With a hint of licorice and the perfect balance of sweet and tart, they make a great breakfast or brunch dish and are wonderful for taking along to a potluck!

5 from 8 votes

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Course: Breakfast, brunch, Snack

Cuisine: British, North American

Keyword: lemon, raspberry, scones

Special Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 12 scones

Calories: 222kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

large mixing bowl

baking sheet

Rolling Pin

grater

cooling rack

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour , plus more as needed
• ▢ ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
• ▢ ½ tsp aniseed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fennel
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream/whipping cream
• ▢ 1 ½ cup frozen raspberries , kept in the freezer until ready to use
• ▢ ¼ cup powdered sugar/icing sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour a large plate; set aside.
• Combine the dry ingredients ( flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, the baking powder, lemon zest, anise, fennel and salt) in a large bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.
• Using a pastry blender, 2 knives or cheese grater and cut the butter into the flour mixture until small, pea-sized pieces remain.
• Pour in ¾ cup of the cream and, using your finger, mix until just incorporated and a rough, slightly sticky mound has formed (not all of the flour will be incorporated). 
• Turn the dough and loose flour out onto a work surface and knead until most of the flour is incorporated and the dough just holds together (be careful not to overwork it). Lightly flour a rolling pin and the work surface. Using your hands, roughly form the dough into a rectangle, keeping the long edge toward you. Roll the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle (if the dough cracks, push it back together), again keeping the long edge toward you.
  
• Remove the raspberries from the freezer, evenly arrange them in a single layer over the lower two-thirds of the rectangle, and press them into the dough (it’s OK if some break).  
  
• Starting with the top, berryless third, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, 
  
• Press on the layers as you roll
  
• Fold right over until seam is on the bottom. Use a spatula or pasty scraper if the dough sticks to the work surface).
  
  
• Slice the dough crosswise (do not saw back and forth) into 4-6 equal pieces, depending on how wide you roll the dough and how many scones you want. Cut each piece diagonally to form 2 triangles.Transfer the scones to the floured plate and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.

  *You can see that I made 12 scones with this recipe.
  
• Remove the scones from the freezer and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, setting them 2 inches apart. Brush a thin layer of the remaining 1 tablespoon whipping cream over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
•  Bake until golden brown on the top and bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Garnish:

• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Notes

*Please see post contents for important recipe information and tips!

Nutrition Facts

📋 Raspberry Lemon Scones Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 222 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 40mg13%

Sodium 105mg5%

Potassium 138mg4%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 455IU9%

Vitamin C 0.3mg0%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 23g (8%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 13g (20%) | Saturated Fat: 8g (50%) | Cholesterol: 40mg (13%) | Sodium: 105mg (5%) | Potassium: 138mg (4%) | Sugar: 6g (7%) | Vitamin A: 455IU (9%) | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 60mg (6%) | Iron: 1.1mg (6%)

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