Lemon Lavender Blueberry Scones

I love scones. They’re quick, they’re easy, there are infinite opportunities for flavors. If your ratios are right and you did a good job distributing the butter, you’re nearly guaranteed a success. The key is to start with very cold butter and to keep your warm hands off of it as much as possible. You can use your fingertips, but I’ve come to prefer a pastry cutter. I use this one, by Oxo (affiliate link).

This recipe was the result of summer longing and a whole lot of leftover wedding lavender, though I find I like them just as much in November as I do in June. The floral lavender, the bright lemon, and the juicy berries really sing. I think you’ll love these.

Your goal here is not perfection. It’s deliciousness. The berries will leak and turn jammy during baking. This is normal.

I never manage to cut the dough into perfect wedges. I like to pretend this is also normal.

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Lemon Lavender Blueberry Scones

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INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest (about 3 lemons)

• 1 Tablespoon culinary lavender

• ¾ cup milk (2% fat content or higher)

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 stick (½ cup) butter, cold and cubed

• 1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, add sugar and lavender. Crush lavender buds with the back of a spoon to release the oils from the lavender. Add the lemon zest and mix. Set aside

2. In another small bowl, add milk, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix until it has a buttermilk consistency and set aside (see notes).

3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugar mixture and stir to combine.

4. Cut in the cubed butter using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until a pea-sized mixture forms. Gently stir in the milk mixture with a wooden spoon until just combined.

5. Add blueberries. Use your hands to fold them into the dough. Don’t overwork it - your goal is just to evenly disperse them. If it’s easier, you could do this on a lightly floured countertop.

6. Form dough into rough circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Separate them, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375ºF for 19-22 minutes. Remove when golden.

NOTES:

• If you’re lavender-questioning, you can use less.

• Rather than lemon and milk, you could use 1 cup of buttermilk. Add buttermilk and vanilla at step 4 rather than mixing in step 2.

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