The night before we attended my brother’s college graduation ceremony to cheer on his record-setting 18 A+ grades and devoured fancy deep-dish pizzas to celebrate, our family bought tickets to attend our old high school band’s spring concert. Although I finished high school ages ago and my brother barely knew anyone in the ensemble too, we had a very special reason for going.
The new band director decided to create a slightly more modern program than the Tchaikovsky and Mozart my old director selected for us, which included six fun percussion-only pieces, as well as each of the three concert ensembles (freshman, regular, and elite) playing an electronic song.
For those new-age songs, the band performed a typical classical piece, while a laptop plugged into speakers played the accompanying electronic melodies. The director would press a tiny headphone into one ear while conducting the band, and he glanced offstage every so often to check in with the assistant director standing behind the computer.
Before the second ensemble began their electronic piece, a traditional song with the electronics added afterward, the band director called my younger brother up to the stage. My brother had actually composed the electronic accompaniment as a senior in high school, and the band had played it in a concert competition that year! He graciously spoke about how the band director had invited him to create the piece and explained his concept for the electronic sounds, and as the band played the song, both my mom and I were fighting back proud tears. (I’m actually crying now as I write this!)
Just like how my brother added a creative twist to a familiar song, I put a little spin on a classic flavor combo. Instead of the iconic muffins, I created these Lemon Poppy Seed Scones for my brother as the last installment of Lemon Week!
The scones’ flavor comes from both lemon juice and lemon zest. The latter provides the majority of the bright sunshiny taste. The oils in the lemon peel pack in quite a flavor punch, much more so than the juice, so don’t skip the zest! If you can find them, I recommend Meyer lemons because they’re slightly sweeter.
While traditional scone recipes require 1 or 2 sticks of butter (plus heavy cream) to keep them tender, these healthy ones use just 2 tablespoons! The rest of the moisture comes from Greek yogurt. It’s my secret weapon in healthier baking, and I’ve used it in everything from muffins to cupcakes to frosting. It provides the same moisture as additional butter or oil but without the excess calories. Greek yogurt also gives your baked goods a little protein boost!
Just before baking, we’ll slice the scone dough into 8 wedges and brush each with milk. The milk helps create their characteristic crusty exterior, which contrasts beautifully with the lovely tender texture on the inside.
Although it’s pure torture to sit around waiting for the buzzer to ding with the warm, lemony aroma wafting throughout the kitchen, I promise these scones are worth it! Paired with a cup of tea or iced coffee, they’re such a lovely sweet breakfast or snack.
And as for my brother’s opinion… I didn’t see a single crumb left!
| Lemon Poppy Seed Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon)
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) agave
- 2 tbsp (30mL) lemon juice (about half of 1 medium lemon)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp nonfat milk
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the Greek yogurt, agave, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape into a 1”-tall circle. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Brush the tops with the milk. Bake at 425°F for 16-19 minutes, or until the tops begin to turn golden. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
More lemon scone recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Ginger Scones by The Lemon Bowl
♥ Lemon and Vanilla Bean Scones by Baked Bree
♥ Lemon & Cherry Whole Wheat Scones by Cookin’ Canuk
♥ Strawberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze by Keepin’ It Kind
Such a proud older sister! So sweet. How special for your brother , what an incredible honor! I like your creative spin as well- lemon poppyseed is one of my favorite combos. I can see giving these as a sweet hostess gift or weekend brunch.
Thank you so much Alex! I love your idea for a hostess gift. I’ll have to keep that in mind!
Wow, you must be so proud! These scones are amazing, only two tablespoons of butter?! I love the lemon and poppy seed flavours, they complement each other perfectly. Do you have to test you recipes multiple times to get the perfect result?: all of your bakes look like perfection!
Thanks Eve! It depends, but I test recipes about 3 times on average. I talk more about that in my video here! 🙂
I love these poppy seed scones! The seeds add such a cuteness to the dish!
Thanks Shelby!
I love these pictures Amy! They are fantastic! And I am all over the lemon poppyseed combo. It’s just so so good!
Thanks Mary Frances!
These look amazing Amy! Can’t wait to try them out 🙂
Thanks Lisa! I hope you enjoy the scones!
These photos are incredible, Amy!! I bet your brother loved these. Your brother is the coolest! And you’re the sweetest older sister! <3
Aww thank you so much sweet friend! ♥
these could definitely get me motivated in the morning – SO delicious Amy
Thanks Heather! I’m guessing they’d be perfect for lazy summer vacation breakfasts too! 😉
Oh my gosh – what a sweet story and a special moment for you family! Amy – these scones are SO BEAUTIFUL – they also look so much more moist than most scones. I must say – they’re one of the first scones that’s ever made me drool. I want a whole batch to myself! Pinned!
Aww thank you so much Sarah! That means a lot coming from you — you are SUCH a talented photographer!! Maybe you can teach me some of your tricks when we hang out next week? 🙂
Love the spin to the traditional lemon poppy seed muffins. I’m a big fan of scones, so this will definitly go into my to-do list. I also saw your recipe for the Clean Chocolate Chip Scones, also a keeper.
Thanks Azu! I hope you enjoy both scone recipes if you try them!
I love lemon, love poppy seed, love scones – look forward to trying these. I’d use honey or maple syrup, never use agave as it’s worse than high fructose corn syrup. Would they turn out badly if I use full-fat Greek yogurt & full-fat milk (dairy or coconut)? I don’t believe in low-fat diets as it is now becoming widely known that fats do not make you fat – in fact, they help to balance blood sugars.
All three of those substitutions will work just fine Diane. I hope you enjoy the scones!