These blueberry scones are little dollops of flakey pastry, every bite bursting with fresh blueberries and a drizzle of sweet powdered sugar icing. What a delicious morning treat!

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So what are scones?

Originating in Scotland as far back as the early 1500s and a modern day staple at British tea time, scones are simple in nature with four signature ingredients - flour, butter, sugar, and milk - and can be dropped onto a pan or shaped into wheels and sliced into triangles. They are often studded with tart berries or speckled with fun sprinkles, and they can also be made savory with slices of ham or shreds of cheese mixed in. Scones are incredibly versatile and incredibly delicious!

What is the secret to a good scone?

The secret to a good scone is to use frozen butter and to chill the dough. Also, grating the frozen butter with a cheese grater can make it a little easier to cut the butter into the flour to create the signature pastry texture of a scone.

Why do you chill scones before baking?

The colder the butter, the less it will blend with the flour and other ingredients. It is important for the butter to remain pebble-like throughout the dough which will create the flakey layered look that you see inside a scone when you take a bite.

What to avoid when making scones?

Do not over mix the dough. This will cause the butter to blend too much with other ingredients and will produce a tough, more cake-like texture that is unwanted in scones. If you can see small pebbles of butter in the dough then you know you’ve done it right and you don’t need to mix any more.

Is it better to use fresh or frozen blueberries in scones?

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries and either will taste great.

Should frozen blueberries be thawed before baking?

No. I recommend rinsing and drying the frozen blueberries first to remove any moisture that has turned to ice on the outside of the blueberries, however you do not need to thaw them. Thawed blueberries tend to be mushy and it will be easier to mix them into the dough if they are still frozen. I also recommend dusting them with flour to soak up any extra unwanted moisture that might be hanging out around the skin after they are washed and dried.

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream or buttermilk in scones?

The short answer is yes, you can substitute milk for heavy cream and buttermilk. The long answer is that milk has less fat, and fat is necessary to create the soft and flakey texture so you will need to reduce the amount of milk you add by 1/4 and add in an additional 1/4 cup of butter.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• spatula

• cheese grater

• pastry cutter

• liquid measuring cup or ziplock sandwich bag

• cooling rack

How to Make Blueberry Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Freeze your butter for at least 30 minutes prior to grating. Grate the butter and set aside in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and lemon juice. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a spatula until well combined. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles pebbles and sand. Add the buttermilk mixture and stir with a spatula, then work it with your hands until the liquid is just incorporated but don’t over mix. Add the blueberries and work them into the dough. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once the dough is chilled, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to drop dough onto the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Place in the oven and bake for 20 - 24 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Add powdered sugar to a liquid measuring cup. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until icing looks thick but runny enough to drizzle. If the icing looks too runny, try adding another tablespoon of powdered sugar. If the icing looks too thick, try adding a teaspoon of water.

Once scones are completely cool, drizzle icing over them and let them stand until icing hardens, at least an hour.

Tip —>

You can drizzle the icing on directly from the liquid measuring cup (fast and easy), or you can place the icing in a ziplock bag and cut the tip off one of the corners to allow the drizzle to run through. This method is more precise. Both work just fine and I alternate between either method depending on my mood!

How to Store Blueberry Scones

Store blueberry scones at room temperature in an air tight container for up to two days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days. If stored in the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop in the microwave for five to ten seconds to warm to room temperature.

You can also freeze blueberry scones easily. Just place (fully baked and cooled) in an air tight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours prior to serving.

More blueberries, please!

Try this blueberry pancake hack or my favorite blueberry buckle.