Dorothy Kern
Scone can be hard to make: they can be dry or tasteless. But these Lemon Scones have a secret ingredients which will blow your mind. This ingredient adds both flavor AND keep the scones pillowy soft.
If you love buying scones at Starbucks, then you’ll love these!
Once upon a time I went on a girls trip with some friends that were not bloggers (I know, right?) and I brought these scones for breakfast. They disappeared FAST – which shows how good they are. (Non-food bloggers care about things like carbs, but they ate them anyway.)
If you’re tired of scone recipes that turn out dry and flavorless then you need to try this recipe. These scones are FLUFFY and SOFT and have a TON of lemon flavor!
Table of Contents
The secret ingredient for perfect scones
So, you ask, what is the secret to this scone recipe? The lemon flavor in the scone comes from instant pudding mix. Yes, you read that right. I added pudding mix to my scone recipe.
Now, this shouldn’t be all too surprising, especially if you’ve ever had my Starbucks Copycat Petite Vanilla Scones. I added pudding mix to those scones too and they turn out perfect every time.
Making scones is really simple, and I love adding the pudding mix because it keeps them soft. I’ve had some scones that are so dry they could be used as sandpaper, but I like a cakey soft scone, and this recipe produces that. They also stay soft for days because of the pudding mix.
Basic Scone Ingredients
The base of my scone recipe is normal:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Egg
- Cream
Basic scone recipes all include flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter. Be sure to use REGULAR Unsalted Butter NOT any imitation. Scones are simple and they need the best ingredients
I also add egg to all my scone recipes to add to that cakey texture I like so much.
The Pudding Mix adds flavor and keeps them soft – you can use ANY flavor to change up the scone flavor.
Cream is an essential part of making scones as well – you need the fat content in Heavy Whipping Cream or Whipping Cream to keep them soft.
Lemon Scone Glaze
The glaze for these lemon scones has lemon juice, powdered sugar and lemon zest. It really punches up the flavor of the lemon and that sweet and sour flavor.
How to make Lemon Scones
Scones can be hard to get perfect, but this recipe is pretty amazing. Here are some tips for making scones:
- Be sure to follow the directions – whisk the dry ingredients then add the wet.
- Don’t work the dough too much. Be delicate. Little chunks of butter are perfectly fine.
- Start with a fork then use your hands to bring the dough together. Don’t knead it like bread, be gentle.
FAQ about this recipe
Yes – just make one large round circle and cut 8 scones.
If you don’t have cream and must make scones, use half and half or (surprise) coffee creamer! I love using International Delight Sweet Cream in place of cream for these. But don’t omit the pudding mix or the recipe won’t turn out.
For this recipe yes. Just add the dry pudding mix – don’t make the pudding.
Mini Lemon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 1 box 3.4 ounces instant lemon pudding mix
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest from one large lemon
For the glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add diced cold butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until the butter is worked in and the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the pudding mix.
- Place the creamer, egg, vanilla, and extract in a measuring cup. Whisk to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Stir with a fork until just combined (there may still be some dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl).
- Turn out the dough onto a cutting board. Knead the dough a few times until the mixture comes together and is smooth. Cut the dough in half. Form each half of the dough into a disk that’s about 1-2” thick. Slice each into 8 wedges, for a total of 16 mini scones.
- Place scones on prepared cookie sheet, 1-2” apart. Bake for 8-11 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden brown. Cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze: whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over scones. Let set for a few minutes before serving or stacking.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
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Last Updated on February 10, 2021
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Published on: August 18, 2020
This recipe sounds delicious! I’m at high altitude (5,460′.) Do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe ingredients, oven temp or baking time. Thanks.
I am not well versed in high altitude baking but King Arthur has a resource: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
Where did it say to add the zest?
With the dry ingredients
I barely knew what a scone was before I (stupidly) volunteered to bake some for a school event for my grandson’s class. Well, I decided on this recipe because of the pudding mix. Because I’m new at scone baking I thought I’d try them for my fam. These are so lemony, light, melt-in-the-mouth delicious! Every in my family agrees. I recommend following the recipe exactly, paying close attention to the hints.
I can’t wait to try other flavors, but the lemon are delicious. 😌
Could I make the dough the night before, and bake them the following morning?
Yes!
I just made these..they smell wonderful, but didn’t rise like the ones in the pic. My baking powder was good (I checked)..maybe I patted too thin ! Can’t wait to try one, though! Will definitely try again. super simple to throw together.
Can I use self-rising flour?
Not with this recipe
These Mini Lemon Scores are a BIG hit with the whole family. This is about the 10th time I’ve made them; so easy.
CFC, do you have other recipes with the instant puddings. I’ll be watching for them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve made this recipe countless times..from birthday parties to baby showers and church potlucks- let me tell you, people rave about them!! They are gone within 5 minutes of placing them on the table. People ask me when I will be making them again. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe ?
What can replace the lemon pudding?
I don’t know if this will help you, but I used lemon Jello mix and it worked just fine.
Hi
I love your recipes, every one of them, however I am vegetarian and don’t use eggs. Pls post more eggless recipes. Much appreciated.
Regards