Sometimes it isn’t A or B, it’s A and B.
If you ask my family, their favorite baked good that I make is a scone. Even though this is an often requested treat, there aren’t that many varieties in the Think Tasty archives. So, when I was considering what new recipe to test, a spin on a sweet breakfast scone seemed good. I made this recipe with my flavor preferences in mind; I like lemon, as it delivers a nice bit of pucker balanced with some sweetness.
The tricky part of creating this recipe was deciding how to add sweet to the scones. Adding the lemon was easy: zested lemon rind, fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of lemon extract. Just using that and a sweet dough makes for a lackluster scone. To make this a treat that entertains the palate, there needs to be another dimension. I opted to try the addition of either white chocolate chips or a lemon glaze.
On a Sunday morning, I made my first batches for just my husband and me. My thinking was that I didn’t want to sample these alone, but I also didn’t want to share my initial batches with the outside world. What if both ideas were failures?
After our taste testing, we had different perspectives. My husband liked the addition of white chocolate chips. I liked the lemon glaze. Round two of AB testing brought in a much bigger field at both my husband’s office and with a set of my colleagues. From this round, the results skewed slightly higher for the glaze, but there still was adoration for the white chocolate chips.
*Sigh*
I could take a serious vote and declare one scone a winner, but what fun is that? If different people prefer different flavors, why not let them have what they like? So, that’s how I ended up here today, with Lemon Scones- Two Ways. The recipes really aren’t that different, so make them as you like. In fact, something I didn’t try, but you’re welcome to do, is to make a combined version of white chocolate chips and lemon glaze. It seems too sweet to me, but then again everyone has a different palate.
Whatever way you prefer your scone, enjoy every bite of it!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tb. lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 5 Tb. chilled unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup buttermilk*
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tb. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 2 Tb. sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tb. lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add butter.
- Combine dry ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
- Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, lemon juice, and extracts in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
- Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball. (You may not need to add all of the liquid.)
- OPTION A: Stir in white chocolate chips.
- OPTION B: Go directly to next step.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round.
- Cut into 8 wedges.
- OPTION A: Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
- OPTION B: Skip to next step.
- Transfer wedges to rimmed cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- OPTION A: Serve warm.
- OPTION B: Cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Combine powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice.
- Coat top of scones with glaze.
- Enjoy!
- To make buttermilk, pour a teaspoon or two of lemon juice in the measuring cup before filling the remainder of the 3/4 cup with milk.
