This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
These heavenly, melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Raspberry Scones are not only ridiculously delicious, they're also ridiculously easy and come together so quickly!
Have you ever (mistakenly) tried to trick yourself into thinking that something enticingly delicious was "safe" in the freezer? That you wouldn't be tempted by it if it was tucked away somewhere in Siberia? That's exactly what happened to me with these Lemon Raspberry Scones.
After taking pictures of these crazy good scones, I packaged up a few plates to take to friends. Not trusting myself (or Scott), I wrapped up the rest and quickly stashed them in the freezer. Not the kitchen refrigerator-freezer, mind you, but rather the one in the farthest corner of the garage, the one that takes a bit of effort to get to. You know, "out of sight, out of mind", as the old saying goes.
So much for earnest plans. After spending the last 30 minutes editing (in other words, "staring" at) the pictures for this post, I succumbed to the enticement and meandered (well, probably more honest to say, raced) out to the garage. It only took about 30 seconds in the microwave to remove the chill and restore every bit of deliciousness... oh my!
If you're frowning at me a bit, from the other side of this screen, you need to know that I did this more for you than for me. Simply because I really wanted to be able to describe just how incredible these little sweet confections are. How else am I supposed to write this post?
Oh goodness! Now I have a problem with my nose growing... Brother! That means that there's no way I can hide my indiscretion from Scott. Yikes! Busted again!
Seriously, these Lemon Raspberry Scones are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and amazingly irresistible. One friend commented after the first bite: "Oh my goodness, I've never tasted a scone anything like this, SO... delicious!"
Ridiculously easy!
The awesome thing is that they're as easy as they are delicious. We call it Ridiculously Easy around here. We have lots of recipes with this special little classification but, in order to take on that description, they have to live up to very specific guidelines. You can read more about these guidelines in this post but my nutshell definition is "Recipes that make you look like a kitchen rock star with minimal effort on your part."
A brilliant technique
This Ridiculously Easy Lemon Raspberry Scones recipe incorporates one of my favorite little kitchen tricks. I didn't come up with this technique myself but discovered it on the Cook's Illustrated site. They figured out that instead of having to “cut” the butter into the flour mixture (the classic biscuit/scone method), you could get the same results by simply combining very cold cream (or buttermilk in the case of biscuits) and warm butter, resulting in “globules” of butter suspended in the buttermilk (see picture below).
This lumpy mixture is then combined with the dry ingredients to form little pockets of butter that produce steam when the butter melts which creates little air pockets. The final result is tender flaky scones, with much less work when using this method! 🙌
Do you have to use heavy cream to make these Lemon Raspberry Scones?
Yes and no. I know that most everyone is trying to watch their calories these days. Because of that, I actually tried these scones with buttermilk instead of heavy cream that has significantly more calories and fat. Honestly, it's just not the same.
The scones were good with buttermilk, but not GREAT. They were more like raspberry biscuits. While there's nothing to turn your nose up about biscuits, they just weren't the same as melt-in-your-mouth crazy-good scones. So, in my humble opinion, if you're in the mood for some fabulous scones, use the real-deal ingredients and just plan to get a little extra exercise after breakfast or brunch!
A simple glaze
These scones aren't super sweet so the lemon glaze is, what I call, the crowning glory. It's a simple combination of powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and milk or half and half. Just stir it up while the scones bake, let them cool slightly and glaze away!
A wonderful recipe to have in your breakfast/brunch collection
These Lemon Raspberry Scones will be sure to steal the show at any breakfast or brunch gathering. They're perfect for easy entertaining because you can make and bake them ahead then either freeze or serve fresh. Another option is to make the dough the night before, portion it out onto a sheet pan and refrigerate. In the morning all you have to do is bake these delightful sweet treats and... breakfast is served!
Put these scones on your "must make" list. Just learn a leasson from me though: don't even dream for a minute that you can hide them from yourself in the freezer!
Cafe Tips for making these Ridiculously Easy Lemon Raspberry Scones
- I use fresh raspberries to make these scones. Frozen berries tend to bleed more into the batter and make it an unattractive purple color.
- Break each raspberry in half with your fingers and distribute them over the dough. Then gently mix the dough. You want the raspberries to break up a bit, but you don't want the batter to turn pink.
- If your cream mixture doesn’t form the “clumps” or “globules”, 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.
- You don’t want to overmix scone dough. However, you do want to make sure all of the flour at the bottom of the bowl is incorporated into the dough.
- Be sure to refrigerate the scones for at least 15 minutes before baking. This helps the butter to chill again which creates tender scones. It will also help the scones to keep their shape.
- You can make these scones several hours ahead of time. Just scoop them up onto your sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and pop the whole tray into the refrigerator. When ready to bake, transfer to the oven and bake as directed. They will take a minute or two longer to bake.
- You can also make these Lemon Raspberry Scones and freeze them, unbaked. Pull as many as you want out of the freezer and bake as directed, adding about 3-5 minutes extra to the total baking time. You want to look for a pretty golden brown color.
- I use a medium size retractable ice cream/cookie scooper to scoop up consistent sized scones. A medium size scoop will yield about 12 scones. If you use a larger scoop the yield will be closer to 8.
- Scoops are also super helpful for lots of other recipes. I really like this set of scoopers that includes a small, medium and large size.
- I spray my cookie scoop with non-stick cooking spray which makes scooping up the scones really easy.
- This recipe calls for lining a sheet pan with parchment paper. This is optional, but is nice for easy cleanup. I love these pre-cut parchment paper sheets. They come in a flat box for easy storage, are perfect for cookies, scones, biscuits, cake, etc. and a box will last forever.
- This batter is quite thick. You’ll want a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to stir it. At first, it might seem like all the flour mixture will not be incorporated, but keep going. All of a sudden it will be all mixed in. Don’t be tempted to add more liquid.
- You may not need all of the icing and some of it will drip onto the foil or sheet pan.
Thought for the day:
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 8:3&4
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.
These heavenly, melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Raspberry Scones are not only ridiculously delicious, they're also ridiculously easy and come together so quickly!
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 medium size lemon
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon milk or half and half
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
-
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 in the freezer while proceeding with the recipe. (You want the cream to be in the freezer 10-15 minutes.)
-
Place butter in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel and heat on high for 1 minute. If not completely melted, return to microwave for 10 second intervals till melted. Set aside to cool a bit while prepping other ingredients.
-
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium-size bowl. Stir to combine.
-
After heavy cream has been chilled in the freezer for 10-15 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 butter/cream mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until all flour is incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. The batter will be very thick, like a cookie dough. Don’t over mix it, but you do make sure all the little flour bits are incorporated.
-
Break each raspberry in half and sprinkle them evenly over the top of the batter. Stir once or twice, gently to mix the berries throughout the dough.
-
Spray a cookie scooper (see notes above) or large spoon with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop up scones in mounds onto prepared pan. When you scoop, try to get some of the raspberries into each portion. Space the scones at least 2-inches apart to allow for some spreading.
-
Refrigerate scones for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour. If you don’t have room for 2 sheet pans in your refrigerator, put them all on one to chill. Then separate before baking.
-
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.
-
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 glaze is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, if too thick add 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.
-
If you can wait, let scones sit for 15 minutes to let glaze set before serving.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips.
Lisa Hearne Lewis says
Are the raspberries cut in half lengthwise? Is the recommended 1/2 cup before or after the raspberries are cut in half. These look delicious
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lisa, I measure before breaking them and then just break them in half, lengthwise. It doesn't have to be exact. You just don't want large pieces of raspberry. Breaking them in half distributes them a little more evenly.
Denise says
Can I use dried cranberries in place of raspberries ( my family doesn’t like cranberries)… Thank You, Denise
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! Dried cranberries are delicious in these scones!
renata says
a complete disaster. after 15 minutes in the oven, they were burnt and flat.
we couldnt even eat them. what a waste of time, energy and disapointed expectation.
not to mention, that l left them in the fridge all night.
Chris Scheuer says
So sorry you had trouble with these, Renata. I hate wasting good ingredients. It's really hard to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. As you can read, from the reviews, almost everyone who tries these scones, loves them. Again, sorry this recipe didn't work for you.
Shelly V says
Wonderful! I can't wait to put these on the table for our annual Christmas brunch! I absolutely love the cream/butter technique - nobreasons niw to not bake because I loath standing over a bowl making big scoops of butter into "peas"! I will be making these often - thank you for the recipe and especially the new "trick"!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Shelly! Thanks for letting us know.
Sandy says
These scones are easy and lovely. The first batch was gone in no time. Making more for a gathering this weekend. Lemon and raspberries are such nice combo.
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thanks, Sandy.
Marg Caputo says
luckily I checked them after 15 minutes.. done
Bekah says
So easy and yummy! My family ate them up, had to hide a few lol
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Bekah!
William says
Great until they burned after just 16 minutes in an oven that cooks cold. Next time will cook at 350F
Chris Scheuer says
Hi William, I haven't had others complain of these scones burning. You might want to keep them temp the same (to promote a good rise) but put an extra sheet pan beneath the original. Your oven may cook cold but it sounds like it's hot on the bottom.
Vicky says
Made these a couple of times and they always come out so tender and very tasty. The recipe works very well as Gluten-free too. A bonus for my GF friends.
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Vicky! Thanks for letting us know!
Barbara says
Can you bake these in a muffin pan? Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
You could bake these in a muffin tin, Barbara!
renata says
that's a wonderful idea
Jules says
Hello Chris and Scott,
I have just baked your raspberry scones and mine were an unmitigated disaster. They came out like flat biscuits. Literally.
I wondered if my kitchen was too warm as the mixture wasn’t that stiff to start with or maybe my butter cream mixture was not cold enough?
I was so disappointed with myself. I am willing to try them again as they look divine but thought you might be able to suggest where I had gone wrong ?
Thanking you in advance.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jules, so sorry you had difficulty with these. It's hard to say what went wrong without having been there in the kitchen with you.
Every flour and each butter is a little different (as far as the moisture content), so I would suggest that, if your dough seems wet next time, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough feels a little stiffer. You also might want to pop the unbaked scones in the freezer or refrigerator before baking to chill them if your kitchen is really warm. Hope that helps!
Jules says
Thanks so much for your advise Chris. I will definately give them another go.
Did I mention that I am in Australia? Maybe the ingredients are a little different over here. 😁
Chris Scheuer says
Maybe so! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Trina says
Chris maybe your baking powder was old or out dated? That will prevent dough from rising. Trina
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Triana.
Elyse says
Oh. My. Goodness.
These scones are AH-MAZING!! I have made them three weeks in a row now. Very easy to make and virtually fool-proof. My plan this week is to double the recipe and freeze the portioned servings for next weekend.
I brought a tray to work and they were quickly devoured.
Thank you for this recipe, it has made it into the family cookbook.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Elyse! Thank you for letting us know 🙂
Mary says
I want to try this recipe ASAP! Do you think it would work with peaches diced to similar size of the raspberries? I have an over abundance of peaches right now!
Chris Scheuer says
I think that would be delicious, Mary!
sophiamarie says
they are in the oven now, look wonderful, I did notice that there is not an egg in the recipe, am hoping this is correct, any other scones I have made have an egg in them,( not that I have made very many). Anyway I did follow the recipe exactly,(something my husband doesn"t think I can do ). Can't wait to try them. Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that's correct, sophiamarie. Enjoy!
Denise says
These are amazing. I don’t normally comment but these are worthy of 5 stars. I love the technique for the butter and cream. Will keep using this method. So happy I ran into your site. I subscribed to your website.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know, Denise!
Kris says
I want to start out by saying I bake traditional scones frequently and was so excited to find such an easy recipe that skips a few steps! The batch of these that I made tasted delicious-- but came out to look like, have the texture of, and taste like muffin tops! It was surprising! All of my ingredients were fresh & active, measurements were correct, the ingredients spent time chilling as directed...I have no idea why they turned out the way they did, but they were still tasty! I'll make them again & see what happens! 😊
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kris, I think that sometimes the water content of the butter can cause the scones to spread.
Debby says
Hello, I would like to make these for my daughter’s baby shower, but was thinking mini scones. What would your baking time recommendation be?
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Debby, I haven't tested this recipe with mini scones but I would check them after 10-12 minutes and then every minute or so after that until they are a nice light golden brown.
Kourtney says
One of my families favorite Desserts! If I do not have Heavy Cream for the Scones can I substitute it with Half & Half?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kourtney, you could use half and half, they won't be quite as tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Ali says
Hi there! Wanted to know if I could use frozen berries instead of fresh? If so, should I thaw and pat them dry, or use them frozen? Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ali, I like fresh raspberries to make these scones. Frozen berries tend to bleed more into the batter and make it an unattractive purple color. That being said, if you want to use frozen I would stir them in frozen. Enjoy!
Sam says
The flavor came out great however my scones were totally flat, almost like a cookie or a muffin top? I follow the recipe and I even refrigerated the dough after making for approximately two hours before baking at 400°. Not sure what happened?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Sam, try adding a little extra flour next time. The moisture level in the butter can make a difference as well as the type of flour.
Jewelie Dee says
Would it work if I gathered all the dough together and made a large round and then cut into wedges?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jewelie, it will work that way too. Flour you work surface fairly generously before making the round.
Judy says
I’ve made these several times and they are always delicious! My question is how do I bake them so they are a very light golden brown like the photos from the recipe ? I’ve tried both conventional oven method and also convection but they always are a lot darker golden brown than the beautiful light and airy photos. If I take them out of the oven at this color , they aren’t cooked enough inside … 🤔
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Judy, your oven may be a little hot. You could try decreasing the temperature by 25 degrees but baking them a bit longer. Or cover them with foil once them get to be close the color that you want.
Yomi says
Are you using a convection oven? If so, what temperature?
Chris Scheuer says
I'm using a regular oven.
Amaal says
I made these and the maple pecan scones this morning for breakfast. They were definitely easy and the flavors were amazing. The family loved them! I'm not sure if I did something wrong but I found them to be more biscuit like than a scone.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Amaal, so happy you enjoyed these scones.
Biscuits and scones are similar in texture and ingredients and different people have differing ideas regarding what each should taste like. Because of the heavy cream, the texture to me is like a scone but, as I said, everyone is different.
Cynthia says
These were fabulous! Followed the recipe...except I did use cake flour as I find it gives scones a real light, melt in your mouth texture, which we prefer. Thank you for another excellent recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Cynthia!
Kandace says
How can I store? Refrigerator? Freezer?
Chris Scheuer says
I would not store these in the refrigerator. They are fine stores at room temperature for a day and they freeze well.
Linda says
Do you have a label for the Lemon Raspberry Scones? I decided to make a monthly treat gift to give to my family thus year and I think the labels just Amp up the presentation. Thanks
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, we don't have labels for the raspberry scones at this time.
Francine says
Did you double-glaze the scones?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Francine, no, I just glazed them with one coat.
Karen says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I have made the scones twice using blueberries instead of raspberries. Everyone loves them and this method of making them has cut prep time in half! Again, we loved the scones!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for letting us know, Karen!