Bakery Style Cranberry Lemon Scones

These cranberry lemon scones are light and fluffy, just like you’d expect from your favourite bakery. Topped with a lemon drizzle, these scones are perfect for breakfast or with a cup of afternoon tea.

There is something special about a perfect scone. They are buttery and flakey and there are endless varieties.

These bakery style cranberry lemon scones are one of my favourites.

These scones are loaded with fresh cranberries and lemon zest and then, to take them over the top, they are coated in a tangy lemon drizzle.

I know that sounds like a lot of work, but I promise these scones are easy to make.

I like to make these as large wedges and I get eight scones out of a batch. If you don’t want large scones (though I don’t know why you wouldn’t) you can cut these smaller without any issues.

It is super easy to change things up in this recipe, using raspberries or blueberries instead of the cranberries, and if you don’t love lemon like I do, you could leave it out, or use oranges.

These scones are great served warm with some butter or preserves. I think they make a perfect breakfast, but they are also pretty good for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

Either way, you can’t go wrong.

HOW TO MAKE BAKERY STYLE CRANBERRY LEMON SCONES

The first thing to ensure your cranberry lemon scones are full of flavour is to make sure you are using fresh lemon and fresh cranberries.

Frozen cranberries are fine too, you just don’t want to use dried.

I use a rasp for zesting my lemon, then I juice the same lemon for use in the wet ingredients and the lemon drizzle.

My favourite type of juicer is the type with handles that you squeeze, like in the photo below. I find this type is the best at getting every last drop of juice out of the lemon, it does a great job on limes and oranges as well.

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Once you’ve zested and juiced your lemon, add 2 tablespoons of the juice to the milk and set aside for a few minutes.

You are going to add the dry ingredients to a food processor, add the cold butter, then pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can cut the butter in with a pastry blender.

Dump the contents of the food processor into a medium sized bowl.

Next add the sugar and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Then make a well in the centre and add the liquid ingredients, stirring just until combined. Add the cranberries to the bowl and combine them with the dough.

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Turn the dough onto a floured surface, or a large sheet of parchment paper. I like using the parchment paper because it makes clean up ridiculously easy.

Press the dough into a 9 inch circle, then cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

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Place the wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Next, mix the egg and 2 tsp of milk and brush on the scones.

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Pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown.

Remove the scones to a cooling rack, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then coat in the lemon drizzle.

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Serve immediately or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

THINGS TO KNOW & HELPFUL HINTS

• Make sure you are using cold butter. It is the steam that releases from the butter that creates the beautiful, flakey scones.
• Be careful not to overwork the dough. You want to mix it just until everything comes together and press it out gently. Overworking will cause the gluten to develop and the scones will become tough.
• Can I use whole wheat flour? You can! You may have to add a bit more liquid and the scones will be a bit heavier in texture, but it will work.
• Can I reduce the sugar? Yes, you can. However, because cranberries and lemon are both tart, the sugar helps to balance the flavours. If that doesn’t bother you, go ahead and reduce it.

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Best ever apple streusel muffins

Flakey cheddar chive biscuits

Air Fryer Blueberry turnovers

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