Easy Lemon Scones with Fresh Basil
If you love a fresh scone with your afternoon tea, you’ve come to the right place. I swear I was born to be European, either French or somewhere in England or Ireland. The stork dropped me off at the wrong house. All that to say, one of my simple joys in life is an afternoon tea, whether at home with a London fog (here’s how I make mine) or treating myself to a high tea service with a friend. Safe to say, I love a good scone, and these easy lemon scones recipe with fresh basil are a new favorite—bright, buttery, and just the right amount of unexpected.
These lemon scones with fresh basil are so easy and are made with fresh ingredients for the best flavor. Between the lemon zest and the fresh basil, they’re packed with bright flavor, sure to make your taste buds sing. Which we’re always going for. Plus, they come together in under an hour, making them perfect for brunch or a treat for later in the day!
I adapted this recipe from a basic scone recipe I received from Chef Ash during my time in pastry school!
If you love this recipe, please rate and review it below and tag @accentgolden on social!
WHERE DO SCONES COME FROM?
If you’re picturing a British high tea when you think of scones, you’re not far off, at least geographically. Scones are thought to hail from Scotland, originating from a Scottish flatbread known as bannock. This flatbread is typically baked round and cut into wedges, similar in shape to many American scone recipes. Classic scones found in the UK and Ireland are often round, though, personally, I prefer a triangle cut since it saves dough and having to re-roll any excess.
While many may think that an American biscuit is like a scone, I highly disagree. Biscuits are tender and fluffy, with flaky layers (unless you’re making one like this single-serve drop biscuit). Scones tend to lean a little on the dry side, often accompanied by clotted cream and jam. Both delicious, just different! Most scones lean sweet, though there are plenty of yummy savory variations (like these jalapeno cheddar scones!).
For more on Scotland, check out my travel itineraries for Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Skye, and two of my favorite little towns, Birnam & Dunkeld!
Do I have to glaze my scones? Nope! Your scones will still bake up nicely without the glaze. The purpose of the glaze is to provide a little golden color to the tops of your scones and a nice finishing sheen. If using, make sure to only brush the tops, not the sides, of each scone to ensure a nice puff.
INGREDIENTS
- Flour: All-purpose to provide both texture and structure
- Baking Powder: Gives your scones their puff
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture to the dough, plus a yummy crunch on top
- Salt: Balances flavors and enhances gluten development
- Unsalted Butter: Adds to the flavor, rise, and subtle flakiness of your scones
- Lemon: For a bright citrus touch
- Basil: Bringing that fresh herby vibe
- Eggs: Binds together your dough while also offering a final finish to the tops of each scone
- Buttermilk: The acidity contributes to an even fluffier bite
- Heavy Cream: Inside your glaze to bring gloss and color to the tops of each scone
Why do you make a well in the dry ingredients before adding the wet? Unless we’re making bread, for most baking recipes, we want to avoid excessive gluten buildup. AKA we don’t want to overwork the flour. By making a well in your dry ingredients, you’re able to evenly cut the wet into the dry until just combined.
HOW TO MAKE EASY LEMON SCONES with FRESH BASIL
For your dough, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add in your cold, cubed butter and use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. Once the butter is mixed in and no large lumps remain, add in your lemon zest and fresh basil.
In a separate bowl, beat together your two eggs. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in your eggs and buttermilk. Use a spoon or dough scraper to cut the dry ingredients into the wet, until just a little loose flour remains at the bottom. Then use your hands to gently press the dough together. Dump the dough onto your counter and press into a square, cut in half, and stack one half on top of the other. Gently compress and wrap airtight in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Dust your counter lightly with flour and place your chilled dough on it. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, just under an inch thick. Using a dough scraper or a knife, cut your dough into 12 triangles. For your glaze, beat together your egg yolk and heavy cream in a separate bowl.
Place six of your lemon scones with fresh basil onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush the tops with your glaze, leaving them to dry at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325°F while these dry, and place your remaining scones in the fridge.
One tray at a time, bake your scones for 16-18 minutes, rotating your pan at the 10-minute mark, until very lightly golden around the edges. While your scones bake, make your lemon basil sugar by rubbing together all three ingredients in a bowl.
When your scones come out of the oven, immediately sprinkle with your sugar. The heat from the scones will help the sugar melt and stick to the tops of each. Remove your scones to a wire rack to cool completely and repeat with the remaining six scones.
3 reasons you’ll love these easy lemon scones
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Fresh basil is best, to get all those oils flavoring your scones. If you only have dried basil, that will work in a pinch. For this recipe, use half the amount of dried basil as fresh (2 tablespoons for the dough, ½ tsp for the sugar topping). You won’t be able to rub the dried basil into the sugar for the top of your scones as effectively. Just stir it for some extra basil goodness
- Instead of patting the dough into a square and then rolling into a rectangle, you can make it into a circle for ease of cutting wedges
- If you don’t have basil or are looking for a simple lemon scone, just omit the basil. You can also add a sweet glaze on top once they’ve baked, like this white chocolate lemon glaze!
- When you cut your scones into wedges, you might think, “Are these mini scones?” They are not! These scones will puff up as they bake, into the perfect size
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, add 1 ½ tsp of lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill it to the half cup line with milk. Stir the milk and lemon juice together and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to your mixture
- If you want a finer lemon basil sugar, you can blitz the three ingredients together in a mini food processor. Pulse a few times to cut up the zest and basil before transferring to a bowl and rubbing all the ingredients together with your hands
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can freeze your prepped scone dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, just take them out the night before to thaw in the fridge.
Your baked lemon basil scones should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to two days, though they are best the day they are made.
MORE RECIPES PERFECT FOR AFTERNOON TEA
Looking for more scones? Try these Rosemary & White Chocolate Scones or my aunt’s Easy Cinnamon Chip Scones. These Mini Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Glaze make for the perfect little bites. Or, if you’re looking for a light cake you can slice, try this Camomille Strawberry Shortcake topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Spatula
- Rolling Pin
- Plastic wrap
- Dough Scraper or Large Spoon
- Knife
- Wire Rack
- Zester or Microplane
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 ½ tbsp unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon zest approx. 2-3 lemons
- ¼ cup fresh basil finely chopped
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp basil chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt
- Add cubed cold butter to the bowl and use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until fine and no large lumps of butter remain.
- Stir in lemon zest and chopped basil
- In a separate bowl, whisk together two large eggs
- Make a well in the dry mix and pour your beaten eggs and buttermilk into the well
- Cut through the mixture with a dough scraper or large spoon. Once there is barely any loose flour at the bottom, gently compress the dough with your hand to bring it together. Avoid stretching dough, as you don’t want the gluten to build up
- Dump the dough onto your counter and press it into a square, then fold the dough over and gently compress
- Flatten slightly and wrap up tightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes
- Very lightly dust the counter with flour. Place down chilled dough and lightly flour the surface before rolling it into a rectangle just under an inch thick
- Use your dough scraper or a knife to cut into 12 right triangles. Place 6 on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a few inches between each scone (these will puff up as they bake). If any bits of basil are sticking out, make sure to press them in so they don’t burn
- In a bowl, make your glaze, beating together your yolk and heavy cream
- Lightly brush only the tops of your cut scones with the glaze and leave uncovered to dry for 15 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 325°F
- Bake one tray at a time for 16-18 minutes. Rotating the pan once at the 10-minute mark, baking until lightly golden around the top and edges
- While the scones are baking, make your lemon basil sugar. Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and basil in a bowl. Rub the zest and basil into the sugar for a few minutes, working to blend the oils from each into the sugar
- Sprinkle the lemon basil sugar over the scones immediately once they come out of the oven
- Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the second batch of scones
- Enjoy!
