Freshly baked blueberry scones on a leisurely morning are an extra cozy and delicious treat during berry season. With their crumbly yet tender texture, my blueberry scone recipe is brimming with lots of fresh, plump blueberries, butter, vanilla and a kiss of lemon zest, topped off with a rich, sweet and creamy buttermilk glaze!
Fresh, Warm Blueberry Scones on a Leisurely Morning
I love the slow, gentle and leisurely pace of a weekend morning when there’s not much on the agenda, and there’s an abundance of time for me to shuffle around in my robe and slippers, not feeling any real sense of urgency or the pressure of a schedule.
Ah…lovely, lovely…
Granted, the weekend mornings are not always like this, but when they are, they are a dream, and offer me the perfect opportunity to bake up something fresh, warm, and comforting to enjoy and share with my loved ones as we all slowly wake up.
On these precious mornings when time allows for me to play in my kitchen, I love the rhythm evoked when getting out all the necessary ingredients—the flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, vanilla and buttermilk. I love the impromptu nature of it all, the whipping up of something delicious and cozy that I hadn’t planned until that very moment, and then enjoying every bite of the fruits of my labor.
One of my favorite treats are these blueberry scones filled with fresh, plump blueberries, a little kiss of lemon, then drizzled with a simple buttermilk glaze. They’re perfectly crumbly-yet-moist, making it quite impossible for me to eat just one!
My Recipe for Blueberry Scones with Buttermilk Glaze
The key to making delicious blueberry scones (or any scones for that matter) is to keep your butter and your liquid—either half and half, buttermilk or cream—very, very cold.
This allows for that soft-yet-crumbly texture we love in scones, one where the cold pieces of butter melt slowly in the dough, forming those tender layers.
To keep my scone dough as cold as possible, I store my butter pieces and liquid in the fridge right until the moment they need to be added into the dry ingredients.
And once I combine all of the sweet ingredients, shape the slightly sticky dough into a disc and cut it into wedges, I chill things once more for about fifteen minutes while I preheat my oven and prepare the glaze.
And just before baking, I brush each blueberry scone with a little bit of the cold liquid I used to prepare them, then bake them at a nice and high temp, just until they are a light golden color.
Here’s a sneak peek at my blueberry scone recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe…)
- To get started, I whisk together my dry ingredients.
- Next, I add in my cold butter, and cut that in until it resembles a pea-size crumble.
- Then, I add the half and half, along with the blueberries, then fold those in to the dough, just until combined.
- I then shape the dough into a disc, cut the disc into 8 wedges (scones), then chill.
- Next, I brush the scones with some half and half, then bake until a light, golden color.
- While the scones bake, I prep my glaze.
- Finally, when the scones have cooled, I drizzle the glaze over each scone, allow it to set, then enjoy.
Recipe
Blueberry Scones with Buttermilk Glaze
by Ingrid Beer
These buttery blueberry scones drenched in a rich, buttermilk glaze are a perfect treat to bake up when blueberries are fresh and abundant!
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Yield: 8 scones
Nutrition Info: 326 calories (per serving)
Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes chill time)
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: 48 minutes
Blueberry Scones Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ cup cold half and half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces fresh blueberries
Buttermilk Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation:
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your scones ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest, and whisk to combine.
- Add in the cold butter, and using a fork, a pastry cutter or knives (I use my fingers), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a pea-size crumble.
- Drizzle in the cold half and half, along with the vanilla, and add in the blueberries. Using a spatula, fold the liquid and blueberries into the dry ingredients just until everything is incorporated (take care not to over mix).
- Gather up the dough (it may be slightly sticky) and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, and pat into disc about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Cut the disc into 8 scones, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Brush each scone with a touch of half and half, then bake the scones for 18 minutes, or until a pale golden color. Place the scones onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
- While the scones cool, gather and prep all of the buttermilk glaze ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- To make the glaze, whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Once the scones are cool, drizzle each with the glaze, and allow it to set for a few minutes before enjoying the blueberry scones.
Tips & Tidbits for Blueberry Scones recipe:
- Keep things chilled: Always keep your butter and your liquid as cold as possible, for as long as possible, when you’re preparing your scone dough. Also, chill your dough before baking as well, to help the butter melt slowly during the baking.
- Choose your liquid: I like to use half and half in this recipe, but I’ve used all cream as well, and also buttermilk for scone recipes. I like the half and half because it isn’t full fat like cream, but it does add a bit more fat than buttermilk.
- Fresh blueberries are best: When sweet, fresh blueberries are available, I prefer to use those because they are plump and juicy, and won’t release extra water as frozen ones may. But in a pinch, feel free to use frozen blueberries, just don’t defrost them.
- Give the tops of the scones a little brush of liquid: To keep the exterior moist and help it to become golden, brush a little bit of the half and half (or whatever liquid you choose to use) over each scone wedge prior to baking.
- Before you glaze, allow the scones to cool slightly: You can glaze the scones immediately after they come out of the oven, but the glaze will sort of melt over top and may even run off. I like to allow my scones to cool slightly so that the glaze will stick a little better.
Craving more deliciously cozy sweet treats? Check out my recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Scones, Apricot Scones, Maple Scones, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, or my recipe for Blueberry Bars!
Cook’s Note: This recipe was originally published in 2018, and has been updated with even more love!
