Good morning! I am up early on a Sunday morning of what has not really been my finest week. This quarantine thing has definitely been fascinating and I am sure each and every household could be really and truly great control groups for different psychological experiments at this point LOL! But after a few gloomy and rainy days here in Seattle, we have sun (at least for a few hours) and I woke up feeling a little lighter, thank goodness. Since pretty much all of you have been in the same boat, I don’t think I have to explain to you how you can have a few really pretty good days, where you are feeling so well adjusted and optimistic almost- at least, like you are hanging in there. Then a bad day or two hits and things are not as good.
So let’s all try to appreciate all of the good days, and let’s definitely try to make the bad ones less rough. I know it’s cliche, but one of the ways I do that is with baking. And these lemon scones which you may have seen on Insta-stories on Friday (one of my bad days!) is happening again this morning. They are so bright and sweet and really feel like a bite of Springtime and something happier.
The lemon sugar is the best thing ever. It’s so simple, but goodness it’s good. And I know that is an awful lot to pile on top of each scone, but seriously worth it. This whole lovely breakfast takes about 30 minutes to get ready, and half that time you will be sipping coffee and letting these beautiful scones smell your house up with lemony baked goods, so that’s a bonus! AAnd these are so good that you honestly could serve them with whipped cream or ice cream and berries for dessert. Or maybe you make them for mother’s day? Either way, I hope you enjoy them!
And please, I may as well remind you as I remind myself and my kids and myself and my dog every day: We will get through this. On the days when you feel the worst- go do something nice for someone else, it’s the fastest way to feel better. Sometimes, for me, that is as small as going out and filling our fountain with fresh, clean water so I can see how happy it makes the birds. It’s complimenting a stranger from across the street or telling a fellow gardener on my daily walks how beautiful their yard is while passing by. Or, today it is surprising my kids, husband, and brother on a Sunday morning with big fat Lemon Blueberry Scones and hot coffee. It’s the little things right now. I hope you are all well. XOXO, H.
- Lemon Sugar:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Scones:
- 6 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used full-fat oat milk)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free baking flour (i used bob's red mill in dark red bag)
- ½ cup lemon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthum gum
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter or butter flavored shortening
- ½ cup blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare a sheet pan with a silpat or with parchment paper.
- For the Lemon Sugar:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the 2 Tablespoons of finely grated zest of lemon (this takes about two large lemons and I like to use a rasp.) Gently stir together- the sugar will get clumpy, and set aside.
- For the Scones:
- In a small bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and the lemon juice and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the dry ingredients, including the ½ cup of the lemon sugar. Pulse everything together until well combined.
- Add in the 6 tablespoons of vegan butter or shortening and pulse until you have a coarse crumb, about 15-20 seconds. Then with the processor running, stream in the milk and lemon juice combination and pulse until the dough is uniform. You will have a wet sticky dough.
- I dropped the dough by big “rustic” spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets- I got 6 large scones. Then I stuck (with my finger pushing them in!) about 8 blueberries into each scone, making sure some of them were all the way inside the scone, and some were sticking out of the top or sides.
- Generously divide the remaining ¼ cup of lemon sugar over the tops of the scones and then bake them for 12-13 minutes until golden around the edges. I let them cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes before serving them. THey are wonderful all on their own, or served with berry jam.
Print Recipe
Heather you have such a positive attitude in your personal and community life. I really appreciate all the insight to your life there in Seattle during these times. I use your recipes all the time because I have 3 children and one grandson that have multiple food allergies and auto-immune diseases. You are so creative and so helpful. Thanks and be well.
These sound amazing, that lemon sugar looks too yummy! I am wondering, in general, is it important to use the exact flour you specify (Bobs Red Mill in red bag) vs Bobs Red Mill 1:1 in blue bag. I’ve noticed you kind of switch back and forth between flour types and wasn’t sure of what difference it would make in this recipe or in any of your recipes. GF baking is a giant puzzle I’m trying to figure out for my husband (celiac). I’m trying to assemble all the most essential tools and ingredients for consistent success. Do I need more than one type of flour? Thanks for any/all words of wisdom.
hi Marina- that is such a good question! I do tend to switch back and forth between the two because they are different and also because this time especially it depends on what I can find at my local stores! The 1:1 seems to require more moisture. SO go ahead and use it, but maybe hold back on a 1/4 cup of the flour, and see if it seems like it needs it. I have found that the cake-like products tend to be more tender but borders on gummy with the 1:1 (it may be a higher percentage of xantham gum that is built-in?) Others- like with these scones, I just know the exact product that I get with the red bag- but I think that this is a good recipe to use the 1:1 in too. I also really like the 1:1 in cookies and when I have been making tart crust! I hope that helped? Just email me at heatherchristo@gmail.com if there are specific questions- I will always try to help!!
Hi,
I was wondering about subbing the sugar for coconut sugar or maple???
Thoughts?
Absolutely! It won’t be quite as sweet, but I am sure just as delicious!
I just made these and honestly I didn’t think they were going to turn out okay. When I put them on the parchment paper they were falling apart and felt funny in my hands……I really thought I had somehow done something wrong since I’m not familiar with gluten free baking. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised when they came out of the oven and cooled off. They were delicious! Crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside, and no, they did not fall apart. Thanks for this recipe – it’s going into my “keeper” file!
PS I added a tiny dash of cardamon power and about 1/4c chopped almonds.
I just made these and honestly I didn’t think they were going to turn out okay. When I put them on the parchment paper they were falling apart and felt funny in my hands……I really thought I had somehow done something wrong since I’m not familiar with gluten free baking. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised when they came out of the oven and cooled off. They were delicious! Crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside, and no, they did not fall apart. Thanks for this recipe – it’s going into my “keeper” file! PS I added a tiny bit of cardamon and about 1/4 c chopped almonds.
Hi, do you ever use almond flour?
Hi if I’m oil free and trying to use without gum. Can I leave out the oil and use arrow root instead of gum ?
Hi Michelle- You can always try that, but I can’t vouch for those substitutions. I think you could get away with just omitting the xanthum gum completely- but if you remove the fat I think they will just be dry, crumbly balls? If you find away around this please let me know!
please can we have the recipe in metric.