My brother loves anything lemon-flavored, and we were both obsessed with these scones! They’re full of bright sunshiny citrus flavor, and the sweet juicy blueberries are the perfect flavor combination. Leftover scones will keep for at least four days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the lemon zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. (No need to separate them!) Bake at 425°F for 19-22 minutes, or until the tops and sides are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your scones and make the dough crumbly. It'll also make them taste bland.IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not separate the 8 dough wedges before baking in Step 3. Instead, leave them touching on the baking sheet! This helps make the insides really moist, soft, and tender.IMPORTANT TASTE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of lemon juice in the dough. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the lemon juice in the dough to 2 tablespoons.)IMPORTANT LEMON JUICE NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I highly recommend using Meyer lemons! When made with Meyer lemons, these scones have a much better texture than when made with regular lemons. This is because Meyer lemons are sweeter, less acidic, and have a higher pH compared to regular lemons. When the dough is too acidic (aka if you use 3 tablespoons of regular lemon juice instead of Meyer lemon juice!), then your scones will fail to rise properly, turn out denser, and can sometimes almost look "raw" on the inside (even when they're 100% fully baked all the way through!).So if you only have regular lemons, then use ½ tablespoon of regular lemon juice + 2 ½ tablespoons of milk (any type!) in place of the Meyer lemon juice. That ratio prevents the dough from being too acidic, so your scones will turn out with approximately the same texture as when made with Meyer lemons. (Because the zest provides the majority of the lemon flavor, rather than the juice, they'll taste almost exactly the same too!)For the best results, use lemons that are pure yellow, without any green spots. Lemon zest that's pure yellow provides the brightest citrus flavor.FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may also be substituted, but you may detect a subtle "wheat-y" flavor.BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.For this reason, I don’t recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones and means they won't turn out as tender. If you do decide to substitute coconut oil, just keep that in mind!For a dairy-free or vegan version, use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the unsalted butter for the best results.SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I don’t recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. They usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.FRESH BLUEBERRIES ALTERNATIVE: In a pinch, frozen blueberries may be substituted for the fresh, and the baking time may increase slightly. (Keep in mind that frozen blueberries dye the dough a grayish color!)MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.EGG-FREE OPTION: No modifications necessary!GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.EGG-FREE, DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt (ie soy- or almond-based), and non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.VIDEO: Watch my video here (located directly above the recipe!) to see how these scones are made. (It's for a similar scone recipe, just without the lemon!)HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four days, if not longer!I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating them! It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again. I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.These scones also freeze really well!{gluten-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, dairy-free option, vegan option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.