Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Amazing! Perfectly sweetened buttery pastry filled with little bursts of blueberries, and a sweet icing on top.
Texture: Tender and moist on the inside with a slightly crisp outside.
Ease: Pretty easy. Perfect for a fun weekend breakfast or Mother’s Day!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Moist, fluffy, buttery, sweet, has an amazing blueberry glaze.
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My husband, Joe, said these were one of his FAVORITE recipes I’ve ever made!
If you’ve ever been disappointed by dry, crumbly scones, you’re not alone.
This Blueberry Scone recipe is the exception. They’re tender, flavorful, and surprisingly quick and easy. Whether you’re hosting Easter brunch, celebrating Mother’s Day, or simply craving a feel-good summer treat, this recipe delivers bakery-style perfection right from your kitchen.
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These scones owe their flaky, tender, and moist texture to the cold butter and real buttermilk.
To get the most blueberry flavor, I use both fresh (or frozen) blueberries in the dough and from crushed freeze-dried blueberries in the glaze. It creates the most beautiful natural color and tons of sweet and slightly tart blueberry flavor.
Don’t skip the lemon zest in the dough and lemon juice in the glaze, it adds a burst of bright freshness to enhance the blueberry flavor!
If you’re a baking nerd like me, I’ve shared all my tips for making perfect Blueberry Scones right at home in the Sprinkle of Science tip box, just below.
I’m proud to say I’ve converted several scone-haters to scone-lovers with these tips!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Blueberry Scones
How Do I Make Moist Scones?
- Use Real Buttermilk. Buttermilk is a key ingredient in making scones that are flaky yet moist. More on buttermilk just below.
- Keep the Butter Cold. The butter must be COLD from the start until the dough enters the oven. The layers of cold butter burst into pockets of steam once the scones hit the oven. As the steam escapes, it bursts up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture. Tips for keeping your butter cold below.
- Weigh Your Flour. Too much flour will yield dry, hard, crumbly scones. If you don’t have a digital scale, use the spoon-and-level method.
- Avoid Overmixing. Whatever you do, do not overmix the dough or allow it to get too warm. Doing so will result in flatter, tougher, and less flaky scones. My favorite tool for making biscuits or scone dough quickly and easily by hand is this OXO bladed pastry blender.
Why Use Buttermilk in Scones?
Buttermilk is my preferred liquid when making American-style scones. Its acidity reacts with the baking powder and tenderizes the dough. It also adds a lovely tang to create more depth of flavor.
I highly recommend using real buttermilk, not a substitute. If you aren’t able to use buttermilk, you can use heavy cream – just note the final texture will be different. Learn more about buttermilk here.
How to Keep Butter COLD for Blueberry Scones
- Cube the butter and pop it in the freezer first while you prepare your other ingredients and tools.
- If it’s a hot day, fill plastic bags with ice and a splash of water and lay them across your work surface to cool it down before forming the dough (can you tell I live in a very hot climate?!).
- If at any point you notice the butter become greasy and melty, pop the dough into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding.
- Pop the baking sheet of shaped but unbaked scones in the fridge or freezer while the oven preheats to ensure the butter remains nice and cold.
How Do You Make Scones Rise Higher and Get Ultra Flaky?
LAMINATE your scone dough! A little bit of lamination gets the scones to rise high with tons of flaky layers. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. And if this seems like too much work, just skip this step. You’ll still have delicious Blueberry Scones!
How to Laminate Your Blueberry Scone Dough:
- Fold blueberries into dough.
- Turn the craggly mass of dough out onto your work surface.
- Shape it into a rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle horizontally in thirds, like you’re folding a letter.
- Pat out into a rectangle again.
- Fold it in thirds once more, but going the opposite direction. This will also help you to gently ‘knead’ the dough so it comes together into a more cohesive disk without overmixing it. Overmixing leads to rubbery and tough scones and biscuits.
I demonstrated this during a live Zoom class. Take a look at Benjamin’s un-laminated vs. laminated Blueberry Scone!
Can I Make These into Lemon Blueberry Scones?
Yes! If you want to up the lemon flavor and make these into Lemon Blueberry Scones instead, simply increase the lemon zest to 2 tablespoons. Feel free to also omit the freeze-dried blueberries in the icing to allow the lemon to shine.
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
I have successfully tested this recipe using both fresh and frozen blueberries. Both work beautifully! Don’t thaw if using frozen blueberries, otherwise they’ll stain the scones. I don’t recommend using dried blueberries in this recipe.
Where to Find Freeze-Dried Blueberries
The key to the vibrantly colored and ultra flavorful glaze is the freeze-dried blueberries. You can always skip the glaze altogether, but it really elevates this recipe to a gourmet level.
- Freeze-dried blueberries are often available with the dried fruit (like raisins) at the supermarket – or buy them online here.
- Please note, dried blueberries won’t work in this glaze; it needs to be freeze-dried blueberries.
- If you can’t find freeze-dried blueberries, or don’t wish to use them, simply make a glaze of 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or milk, adjusting ingredients to achieve your desired consistency.
How to Make Blueberry Scones Ahead of Time
The shaped unbaked Blueberry Scones can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Bake from the fridge as the recipe directs. If you need to prep these further in advance, check out the freezing instructions just below.
Can You Freeze Blueberry Scones?
Yes! Place the unbaked shaped Blueberry Scones in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen, brushing on egg wash before placing in the oven. Add about 2 minutes to the baking time.
More Blueberry Recipes:
More Scone Recipes You’ll Love:
Blueberry Scones
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Ingredients
For the scones:
- 3 cups (381 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup (237 grams) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries (don’t thaw if frozen)
For the glaze:
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (20 grams) freeze dried blueberries, finely crushed and sifted*
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 400°F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add the butter and cut with a pastry cutter or a fork until the butter is the size of large peas.
- In a measuring glass, whisk together the buttermilk and 1 egg. Make a well in the middle of the flour/butter mixture and add the liquid mixture. Mix until partially combined. Use a spatula to gently fold in the blueberries to the scone dough. Take care not to break the blueberries or their color will bleed. If using frozen blueberries, keep frozen and don’t thaw before using.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Gently knead each into 3/4-inch thick, 6-inch diameter rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place on your prepared baking pans. Space them out about 2 inches apart.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush over the scones.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, crushed and sifted blueberries, and lemon juice with a fork until a smooth and thick glaze forms. Add more powdered sugar to make the glaze thicker or thinner with lemon juice, to your desired consistency. Drizzle or dip each scone with the glaze. Let set before serving. Scones are best served the day they’re baked.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
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This post was originally published in 2015 and has been with new photos and a complete recipe overhaul. Photos by Joanie Simon.
The grandlings and I have been issued an ultimatum by their much smarter and more health conscious mother: a maximum of 8 scones or none. (“And not 8 double-sized scones, Dad. I mean it!”) Hence my urgent question: Can we successfully halve this recipe for 16 scones?
Hi John! Yes, this recipe can be halved. To halve the egg used in the scone dough, crack an egg into a small bowl, beating it well, then measure out two tablespoons for the recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
I knew you’d have the answer, so I have arrived Chez Grandlings ready to bake. Now, the full recipe calls for 2 eggs. I’m hoping we can just use 1 instead of doing the 2 tablespoons from 1 egg thing. We’re very excited – haven’t had a Tessa Bake Day in a few weeks! Thanks for the help, as always.
Hi John! The full recipe requires 2 eggs, divided. One is specific to adding to the scone dough in step #4, and the other is used for an egg wash in step #6. If you halve the recipe, you will need to divide an egg in half to add to the scone dough; however, feel free to use the remaining half with 1/2 teaspoon of water for the egg wash. There should be plenty! I hope that helps!
Perfect! And in the nick of time. You all are so magically on top of things! Thanks again.
Do you need to use European high fat butter?
Nope! We test all of our recipes using American-style butter. It works beautifully for these scones! 🙂
This Bluberry scone recipe was excellent and easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly, weighing all the ingredients and I can’t wait to make it again. It turned out moist and tender. I might add a little lemon zest and sprinkle sugar over the egg wash next time.
I did not have lemon or powdered sugar.
I sprinkled sugar over the egg wash instead.
Delicious!
Thank you for the recipe!
Can you make this recipe in the biscuit shape instead of the triangular?
Hi Kary! We haven’t tried shaping these any way other than the classic triangle, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work just fine 🙂 Let us know what you think of these scones once you have given them a try!
I amped up the lemon flavor for lemon blueberry scones…delicious! Very spring. Had to reshape scones on pan.
These scones are so good this is a recipe I’m going to make over and over. I do have a question and this is a problem I’ve had making numerous scone recipes but when I mix everything together the dough never seems moist enough. I always have to wet my hands or add a little water to make the dough pliable. Why is that? Thank you!
Hi Wendy! How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure ingredients (particularly flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe – resulting in scones that seem dry or don’t come together easily. Check out Tessa’s article here, where she talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
OMG……I made these this morning and they were DEEEELICIOUS!!!! So light and moist. I did put them in the freezer while the over was preheating and they puffed up and were really light and fluffy. I only put a lemon glaze on top and it was just enough.
This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!
Thank you!!
Diane
Hi Tessa,
Thanks for the recipe!
Perfect for the afternoon coffee time.
I made these twice over Easter weekend! first batch I refrigerated over night and cooked in the morning, it ended up being more of a hassle than it was worth. so the second batch I made right before we went over to my inlaws house and those went much fast and the texture came out better! Both times they were moist and delicious. I definitely need to get myself an oven thermometer because they took too long to cook and I think it is because the temp wasn’t exactly right
Flavor was just ok, and despite prepping these the night before and storing in the refrigerator, the butter oozed out and made a mess while baking. Not sure what happened?
Hi Maryanne! Hmm, it sounds like your oven might be running a little cold. This is likely why the butter melted out, despite the scones being cold upon baking. Ovens are almost always lying to us abut the temperature they’re actually at! Check out Tessa’s article here about ovens, full of tips!! If you don’t have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is, invest in one now! They are inexpensive and really help your baking so much! This oven thermometer is one of Tessa’s favorites. I hope that helps 🙂
I noticed that you changed the recipe from the one you had earlier ? I really like the one you had earlier is there a way to get the recipe for the other ones ?
Hi Anna! Send us an email at [email protected] and we can send the previous version your way! 🙂
Ok sent it thank you !