This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Think scones are dry and/or difficult to make? Think again! These Lemon Poppy Seed Scones are moist, tender, melt-in-your-mouth delicious and RIDICULOUSLY EASY!
I used to think scones were "just okay"... to me, they were kind of dry and uninteresting. At least the ones you could find at most bakeries and cafés. I had a great recipe for moist, tender, melt-in-your-mouth homemade scones, but they were a bit of a pain to make. All that changed one day when I read about an intriguing technique from Cook's Illustrated. These Ridiculously Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Scones employ that amazing technique and they are anything but just "just okay"!
Genius Technique
The smart folks at Cook's Illustrated shared their method of achieving flaking, buttery biscuits without the tedious task of "cutting butter into flour" (the classic method for making biscuits). Instead, you simply melt the butter and chill the buttermilk, then combine the two to form little globules of butter suspended in the buttermilk (see the picture below). When this lumpy buttermilk mixture is combined with the dry ingredients, the magical result is the same as if you took the time to cut in the butter with your fingers, a pastry blender, food processor, etc.
It didn't take me long to try out their ingenious method and biscuit recipe and the results were our super popular Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits and our Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits.
I wondered if the same technique could be used with my scone recipe and was thrilled to discover that it worked perfectly. The rest is Café history. We've come up with a myriad of scone recipes, each one employing this wonderful technique. We've got Sugar Top Scones, Maple Pecan Scones, Strawberry Scones, Banana Bread Scones... and on and on it goes. And now these delicious Ridiculously Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Scones.
Ridiculously Easy
All of our biscuits and scone recipes (including these Lemon Poppy Seed Scones) utilize this wonderfully easy technique and fall into our category of Ridiculously Easy Recipes. If you're a frequent flyer here at The Café, you know all about these recipes, but if you're a fairly new follower you might not be aware of our easy, ridiculously easy recipes.
In order to be classified as Ridiculously Easy, a recipe has to follow specific guidelines. You can read more about them in this post but my simplified definition is that these are recipes that "make you look like a kitchen rockstar with minimal effort on your part". Who wouldn't love that?
I've served these Ridiculously Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Scones to family, friends and guests. I've even frozen them and pulled them out at the last minute for an easy breakfast. They're great on their own but also wonderful served with a pretty jar of our Easy Raspberry Freezer Jam. Everyone has LOVED them... I think you will too!
Cafe Tips for making these Ridiculously Easy Lemon-Poppy Seed Scones
- If your cream mixture doesn't form the "clumps" or "globules" we pictured in this post, your cream probably wasn't cold enough. You can stick the whole mixture in the freezer for another 5-8 minutes, then stir with a fork and you should see the clumps.
- I like to use a retractable cookie scoop for portioning out these scones. It helps to make them consistent in shape and size. I use a medium scoop that holds almost 3 tablespoons of dough. For us, that's a perfect size but feel free to go bigger or smaller! Cookie scoops are great for lots of other tasks too like scooping meatballs, cupcakes, muffins, ice cream and, of course, cookies!
- Don't overmix scone dough. Do make sure all of the flour at the bottom of the bowl is incorporated into the dough.
- I spray my cookie scoop with a non-stick cooking spray which makes scooping up the scones really easy.
- I like to refrigerate my scones for at least 10-15 minutes before baking. This helps them to keep their shape in the oven. If you want to make them farther in advance, that's fine too. They can be refrigerated for several hours before baking. Any longer than that, I would pop them in the freezer and give them a few extra minutes of baking time.
- This Lemon Poppy Seed Scones recipe calls for finely grated lemon zest. Zesting a lemon can be a pain but one of these reasonably priced microplane zesters makes the task really easy. Zesters can also be used for cheese, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, chocolate, etc....
- This batter is quite thick. You'll want a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to stir it. At first, it might seem like too much flour but keep going. All of a sudden it will be all mixed in. Don't be tempted to add more liquid.
- I love these pre-cut parchment paper sheets, the perfect size for a sheet pan. They save lots of time and dishwashing!
- For those of you living outside of the U. S., half and half (used in the icing) is an American convenience product often used as a coffee creamer. It's simply a combination of half milk and half heavy cream.
Thought for the day:
The angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid,
for I know that you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified.
He is not here;
He has risen, just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay."
Matthew 28:5-6
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
Scroll Down for the Recipe - or Save It to Your Inbox
We’ll email you the recipe so it’s easy to save, print, or share.
Ridiculously Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1½ tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 medium-size lemon
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk or half and half
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the scones:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (you'll need 2 sheet pans for smaller scones). Set an oven rack on the middle level of the oven.
- Measure 1 cup heavy cream and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel and heat on high for 1 minute. If not completely melted, return to the microwave for 10-second intervals till melted. Set aside to cool a bit while prepping other ingredients.
- Whisk flour, sugar, corn starch, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium-size bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- After heavy cream has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes, combine it with the melted butter. Stir with a fork until butter forms small clumps or globules (see the picture above in the post).
- Add the cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until all flour is incorporated. The batter will be very thick, like a cookie dough. Don’t over mix it, but you do need to make sure all the little flour bits are incorporated.
- Spray a cookie scooper (see notes above) or large spoon with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop up scones in mounds onto the prepared pan. Space the scones at least 2 inches apart to allow for some spreading.
- Refrigerate unbaked scones for at least 15 minutes (longer is fine).
- Bake for 12 minutes then check for doneness. You want them to be a nice, light, golden brown. In my oven, it takes 15-20 minutes, but every oven is different. When scones are light golden brown, remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
For the glaze:
- While the scones are baking, make the lemon glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, milk (or half and half) and lemon juice in a medium-size bowl. Whisk well until smooth to make a thick, but spoonable glaze. (If the glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, if too thick add a little more cream.)
- Place a sheet pan or piece of foil under the cooling rack and spoon the glaze over scones to cover completely, allowing any excess to drip onto the sheet pan or foil. Sprinkle each scone with extra poppy seeds for a pretty presentation, if desired. If you can wait, let the glaze set before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Shop Our Café Loves
We’ve gathered our favorite kitchen tools, tableware, and entertaining treasures in one place, the Café Loves store. It’s a wonderful spot to find something special for yourself or the cooks and hosts you love!
I love this recipe and how easy it is to make! However, I always run into the problem of the scones spreading too much, how can I fix this? Do I just add more flour?
Hi Julia, I'm sorry you've had this problem. Butter can vary in it's water content which can cause this problem. Try adding 3-4 tablespoons of extra flour to keep the scones from spreading. Another thing to check is your cream - the higher the milk fat, the less spreading you will have.
Can I substitute sugar for maple syrup
Hi Leslie, We haven't tested this recipe using maple syrup. If you're asking about replacing the 6 tablespoons of sugar in the scones themselves with maple syrup. that would significantly change the moisture content of the dough and the scones would be unlikely to bake correctly. You would need to reduce some of the other liquid to compensate for the syrup, but we can't say for sure since we haven't tested this. Hope it turns out well if you do end up trying it!
Hi! Do you think these would turn out with King Arthur GF Measure for Measure flour subbed in?
Hi Claire, Yes - this recipe has been tested with GF flour with good success. Hope these turn out well for you!
Can you use 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream. I just love all your recipes!
Hi Catherine, thanks so much! I recommend using heavy cream for these scones for a true melt-in-your-mouth scone texture. Half and half or light cream can cause the scones to spread too much.
Can I substitute sour cream for the heavy cream?
Hi Christine, Though this recipe has not been tested using sour cream, it should probably work for you as the tanginess of the sour cream would pair well with the lemon flavor. You might try thinning the sour cream just a bit with milk so the dough isn't too dry, and use a 1:1 ratio for the substitution. Hope this turns out well for you!
Do you glaze the scones after they have cooled or while they are still warm?
Hi Mimi, let them cool down just a bit and then drizzle with the glaze. Enjoy!
Your recipes are phenomenal! I am wanting to make a bulk batch and freeze the dough in individual scoops for easy morning baking. What would you recommend for baking from frozen? Has anyone had good results with this? Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, thanks for your kind comment! Yes - it works well to bake these scones from frozen. It will probably require just a few extra minutes of baking time. We recommend that you set a timer and watch them closely until the scones are a light golden brown. Hope these turn out well for you!
All your recipes are amazing! Please specify how many grams of butter will be in 6 tablespoons?
Thanks for the excellent review, Ekaterina! If you look at the top of the recipe, there is a button you can toggle to the right to shift from US Customary measurements to Metric measurements. The gram specifications will be available in the Metric format. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
I can’t wait to make these! I have so many of your scone recipes saved haha!! Is unsalted butter recommended?
Hi Hannah, I always use salted butter. If you prefer unsalted, just add an extra pinch of salt.
I just made half a batch which game 6 using an ice cream scoop. Had a test bite oh my these are absolutely delicious. Anytime I have made recipes from your site, I have never been disappointed. Thank you for sharing
Awesome! Thank you for the kind review, Claire!
I'm questioning the amount of baking powder and cornstarch when using metric conversion. I always double this recipe and it calls for 29.58 grams of each or 2T. That seems like a lot compared to the 2 Tablespoons when using US customary. Would you please clarify?
I make these scones all the time, sold at a farmers market last summer and get so many compliments and always sell out.
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
Hi Charlotte, I use my recipe plug in to do the conversion from US Customary to Metric. I just re-ran it and double checked with outside sources. It was slightly off but it should be good now. 2 tablespoons of baking powder is 28g but 2 tablespoons of cornstarch is 16g as cornstarch is lighter in weight. Hope that helps!
I've made these 4 or 5 times now - they're wonderful, and so easy with the chilled cream trick! My daughter just loves them, and as I need to inculcate a love of all things lemon poppyseed, I'll keep making them 🙂
I use only lemon juice in the glaze, no milk, to pump up the lemon flavor. Delicious!
Awesome! Thanks for the review, Aimee!
We made these today and they turned out amazing! Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Joy!
I made a batch of these today, and my first comment is that parchment paper is not made to go in an oven at 450°. That being said, I believe due to this high temperature, is the reason why the bottoms of mine were way overcooked. I would suggest reducing the temperature to 400° and eliminate the parchment paper and use a silicone baking mat.
Hi Laurie, I’m sorry you had a problem with this recipe, however, the directions instruct to preheat the oven to 400, not 450.
My daughter has asked for scones for her wedding shower. I came across your recipe and the butter/cream mixture intrigued me. I plan to make these for the shower.
I have a couple of questions...1. I want to make them in advance and freeze the dough so I can bake the morning of the event. Can I thaw them in the refrigerator the night before baking? If not, how much additional bake time will they need if frozen? 2. I plan on making them in the traditional triangle scone shape, will I need to adjust the bake time?
Thank you
Hi Teresa, it is best to bake them from frozen. You will just need a few extra minutes baking time. Just set a timer and watch them closely. The triangle shape shouldn't change the baking time. Enjoy!
Hi Lindsay,
I made a batch today. They came out perfect except there was virtually no lemon flavor. I used the zest of 1 medium lemon, approximately 1 Tbsp. Can I add lemon juice to amp up the flavor or will that change the texture since there will be more liquid?
Thank you
Hi Teresa, it would be better to use some lemon extract if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor. Did you use the icing? That's where you get a delicious burst of lemon.
These are magical, genious trick and I can’t go back! I made these vegan using Trader Joe’s plant based heavy cream and butter and turned out perfect! Looking forward to the many compliments I will collect when I make these for book club! Thanks so much!
Thanks, Yuri! And that's great to know about the plant based heavy cream and butter.
These were wonderful- I’m listing a slight change we made to the glaze though:
We used
2 cups powdered sugar
4 TBSP milk
2 TBSP (1 full medium sized lemon) lemon juice
4 TBSP melted butter
We thought the taste of the glaze was more lemony with the changes.
Thanks, Brandy!
SO excited to give these a try this weekend, and was thrilled to come across this recipe for scones. Have never made them before, and was happy to see that other comments noted just how approachable your recipe is! Question: once the scones are made, can they just be stored at room temperature for a period of time? Want to make sure they don't need to be refrigerated. Thank you!!
Hi Zoe, so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Regarding your question, scones can be stored at room temperature for several days although they are best the day they are baked. They can be frozen before or after baking though which makes them a great make-ahead option.
I am making these again today as I recall how wonderful and easy they were. I would like to riff on them a bit and after looking at this and your raspberry lemon one, I noticed the cornstarch in this one and not the other. Can you please tell me its purpose please? I skimmed through the post and a few comments and do not see. Thanks.
Hi Stephanie, I'm forever trying to improve my recipes so I try new things. A portion of cornstarch will keep the scones from spreading and it also lightens the texture.
GIRL. This recipe is DANGEROUSLY easy! I had never made scones before but decided to give it a shot for my daughter's "Tea for Two" birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and oh my goodness, THESE WERE AMAZING! And so EASY! I already made another batch since then but used oranges instead of lemon (because I ran out of lemons) and then did a strawberry lemon glaze (had some left over juice and strawberry puree from the party) and they still turned out great! The butter/whipping cream tip is AWESOME because I dread cutting butter in to anything. Ugh. Just the thought of it wears me out. I will have to use this same method when making drop biscuits later! So thankful I found your recipe on Pinterest. Just added my email to your list so I can get more recipes and inspiration from your kitchen! Thank you and God bless ya, ma'am! <3
Awesome! So glad you found us and so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jessica! We do have a biscuit recipe using this method- https://thecafesucrefarine.com/ridiculously-easy-buttermilk-biscuits/
Excellent and so very easy. Made two batches in two days.
I love the chilled milk and melted butter process. Thank you.
So glad to hear that, Do!
Oh my! These are buttery and amazingly delicious!! The melted butter and chilled cream method is genius and so much simpler than the way I usually made scones. The light lemon flavor in the scones and glaze make these perfect for Spring. This recipe is going to be my “go to” for breakfast or brunch…or just a Tuesday! 😊
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Joni!
I am obsessed with your scone hack!! I came across your maple pecan recipe a little over a year ago and have adapted it a million different ways because I love it so much. I’m excited to try this one (& the biscuit recipes too!!) now too now that I found it! I’m curious what the addition of the cornstarch will do!
So glad you're enjoying it, Caroline!
I made these last night and put them in the fridge to bake this morning and they were a hit with my lemon-loving husband and my daughter as well. I liked them too and especially how easy they were to make compared to other scones I make regularly. I will say that they were not as dry as most scones are, to the point where I wondered if they were not baked enough. But the outsides were definitely done. Not that I want a very dry scone, but if it’s moist inside then it’s not really like a scone to me. How would I make it less moist? Just cut back on the amount of heavy cream?
Hi Tiffanie, there are actually two types of scones. There are British scones that are drier inside and there are moist, melt-in-your-mouth scones like these. These scones are meant to be moister on the inside. If you are looking for a drier, British scone, you might want to go with a different recipe.
Instructions say to preheat oven before starting to mix dough, but recipe calls for 15 min of chill time! I read the complete recipe before starting, but then blindly followed instructions. Perhaps you could suggest preheating oven during the chill time?
I needed triangle mini-scones. Working with half of dough at a time on a floured board, I made a long rectangle -(2 1/2" wide , 3/4 inch thick). I floured a sharp knife & cut into squares which I then cut diagonally. As long as I kept the knife floured -they cut clean. I compressed dough gently as I made the rectangle, but didn't knead the dough at all. I worried such small scones would burn, so I lowered oven temp. 17 minutes at 350° yielded lightly browned bottoms and slightly brown edges. Scones were lightly sweet & SUPER tender! Glaze made them much sweeter & there was enough to completely coat the whole batch. RIDICULOUSLY EASY!! Glazing them neatly was hardest part! lol. When I make them for myself instead of an event, I will just scoop the dough as you suggest. -Blessings!
Hi Mrs, Barnhart, I do like to get my oven nice and hot for these scones as the rise is so nice. That being said, if you prefer to wait to preheat the oven during the chilling time, that will be fine.
So happy you enjoyed these scones. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
First time making sconces so I can’t compare but I can say it was very easy to make as a general baker. I loved the instructions and tidbits to help me through. My son and I ate half the batch before they could cool all the way… will be making again. Thank you!
Also, I would love to try adding more rind. I looooove lots of lemon flavor. Do you see any issues with that? Solutions? My lemon wasn’t as vesty as it could’ve been.
Thank you for your review, Mindy! So glad you enjoyed these. Yes, you can add more zest to suit your taste.
Hello! These look delicious! Could the heavy cream be subbed for almond milk?
Hi Bethany, I wouldn't sub almond milk for the cream in these scones as the results will be very different. It would be better to go with a scone recipe that was created with almond milk.
I am just wondering if it would turn out well with a gluten-free flour. Have you had anyone tried it yet?
Hi Hannah, I have made these with GF flour and they are fantastic! E use KA Cup to Cup.
Obsessed with this recipe! My 3 year old son helped me all the way through- so the dough *might* have gotten worked a little more than it should have, ha! But oh my goodness, these are so delicious and SO easy!
I love that, Amanda! Thanks for letting us know!
I read your post because I have buttermilk to use up. But, when I got to the recipe buttermilk was not in the list of ingredients just heavy cream. What's up with that. My sister has cancer and she loves all things lemon so I wanted to make them for her. Should I use the buttermilk or go get heavy cream. I really want to make these scones.
Hi Margaret, you could definitely use buttermilk for this recipe but the results won't be the same. The texture will be more like biscuits, still delicious but not as much of a melt in your mouth texture. Perhaps with your sister being sick though (I'm sorry to hear that), it might be better with buttermilk as they won't be quite as rich.
These were some of the best scones I have ever made, and actually I am not much of a baker! Great recipe! I followed it exactly and loved the ease of this recipe!
I'm so glad you enjoyed these, Leia!
I made these and they are amazing! The "trick" with the cream and the butter is awesome - saves so much time cutting in the butter! I made mini scones, used about a 2T scoop and they are sooo cute. I put them in the freezer to bring on vacation. Also made the freezer raspberry jam to go with them! Thank you!
Thanks so much for letting us know, Trina!
good morning Chris 🙂
I'm not much of a baker, however because these are in your 'ridiculously easy' category, I'd really like to surprise my brother who loves scones, for his 92nd Bday! My question is...can I make this forming a single dough, and cut into triangles? as he's used to that shape, or is this dough too soft for that? I thank you in advance for futhere advice.
p.s You have a wonderful site, perfect recipes and beautiful photos! 🙂
What a fun, sweet surprise that will be for him, Patricia!
Yes, you can definitely make triangle scones with this recipe. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and fold it over a few times with a dough scraper or spatial to coat the surface with flour. Then knead it 4-5 times to incorporate any crumbs, form it into a circle, cut into wedges and put them on a parchment-lined baking pan. Just be sure the dough stays nice and cold. If it warms a bit while your get the triangles ready, just pop the sheet pan into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before baking. That will ensure nice flaky scones.
Oh wonderful! Thank you Chris! will they require the same length of bake time?
I will let you know how they turn out! 🙂
It should be about the same. I would set a timer for 10 minutes and then check them every few minutes after that.
Can you freeze these? I want to serve them for a shower on Saturday, but want to bake them on Wednesday. I will ice the day of...but what about freeing the cooked scones?
Yes, you can freeze these Kim. You can also freeze them unbaked and bake them from frozen. Enjoy!
Holy smokes, these are some of the best scones I have ever baked or had! Incredibly tender, and so easy to make! The butter/heavy cream trick is an absolute game changer! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. 😉
Thank you, Kristen! So glad you enjoyed these!
Excellent'!!!!!!!!! 5 stars
Thanks, Christina!
Wow!!! On a adoré les scones! Je conserve la recette précieusement!!
Thank you, Céline!!
Good morning Chris, Can you substitute low-fat buttermilk for the 1 cup of heavy cream? Just thinking of cutting down on the fat/calories.
Thank you
Hi Linda, you could but it will be more like a biscuit than a melt in your mouth scone. Both are delicious, just a little different!
I made these today and they were really good. I used an ice cream scoop which made 11 scones and half the glaze. A keeper
Thanks for letting us know, Claire!
Hi Scott and Chris,
If I were to make vanilla scones how much vanilla would you recommend and/or use vanilla bean? I'm thinking of a vanilla scone Starbucks copycat... 🙂
Hi Tracey, I would use 2 teaspoons of vanilla with the cream and then use one teaspoon vanilla bean paste or one scraped vanilla bean in the icing.
Chris,
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made today and they turned out perfect. Wonderful little bites of goodness. I added 2T of flour as when I made the raspberry scones, mine flattened out. Quick and easy recipe and nice to share with friends and family.
Gayle
Thanks Gayle! So happy you enjoyed them!
I found that the addition of the 1 tablespoon cornstarch helped with the flattening issue.
I have made the Raspberry Lemon scones several times and love them. I notice on the Lemon Poppyseed scone recipe it calls for 1 Tbsp cornstarch. No cornstarch is called for on the raspberry version, why the difference?
I posted the comment regarding the cornstarch. I forgot to in clued confusion regarding the scoop size. Your details on the raspberry scones says you use the medium size scoop in the set you have a link for. I bought the set. The medium scoop holds approx 2 Tbsp. The poppyseed article says the scoop is 4 Tbsp, which would be the large scoop in the set. Additionally, the bake time for raspberry (smaller size) is longer that the poppyseed, which are larger. I realize the baking times are a range but the combination of different scoop sizes and baking times make a difference. Using the medium scoop for the raspberry,I pulled the scones at 15 minutes and they were a little too brown. Just trying to understand what’s going on.
Regarding the baking scoop size, I apologize for the confusion. That was my fault. The medium-size scoop holds almost 3 tablespoons of dough and the large scoop is almost 5½ tablespoons (I have corrected my error in the recipe). I do use the medium scoop most of the time for my scones:
Regarding the baking time, you're right, every oven is so different and, if you use convection, that will hurry things along more than regular mode. I've found that the raspberry scones took a little longer as there is more moisture in the dough. I usually give a time range that has worked for me and then say OR until "light golden brown" as some cook's ovens run hot.
I have clarified that a bit more in the recipe.
Hope that helps!
Hi Sandy, I found that the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch keeps the scones from flattening out without decreasing the tenderness of the crumb or making them dry. I'm forever trying new ideas to improve my recipes so they tend to be ever evolving.