Citrus Rosemary Scones offer plenty of zip from oranges and Meyer lemons, with just a savory blush of rosemary. Put a little life into breakfast or tea time with these sweet, fluffy treats.
Early on, we decided that our sons would know how to cook. And cook well. Cooking is not only a necessary life skill, but also a fun activity to share with others. My boys have been cooking in the kitchen since they were old enough to pull a chair up to the counter to stand on and make a giant mess help. Before that time, they were strapped into a bouncy seat, watching me bustle around the kitchen from a prime position on the floor. I joke that I spend 80% of my day in the kitchen trying to keep up with my family’s appetites. Except I doubt that 80% is much of an exaggeration, because boys are always hungry! Always.
I’m grateful that the Sons love to get elbow deep into ingredients under the guise of feeding our family. Because when they do, I can tidy up the ever-present tornado of school supplies that comes with homeschooling, or maybe get a load of laundry folded and put away.
So when Son #3 approached me to ask if he could make scones for everyone all by himself, of course I couldn’t refuse him. I’m all for any request that starts with giving me the time to unearth our dining room table from under the mountain of school supplies, put away clean underwear, and still end up enjoying a warm scone with a cup of tea.
Priorities, Friends. I have them.
Son #3’s priority is to use our favorite basic cream scones recipe as a guide to create his own buttery masterpieces. He’s the usual catalyst behind creating new scone recipes–such as these dark chocolate blueberry scones, and strawberry scones with lime glaze. Being that I just bought a near truckload of Meyer lemons, and that Son #3 is a huge fan of Starbuck’s lemon loaf, he decided to make an “even better version” of his favorite treats.
After a quick consultation with me, Son #3 decided to add zests from both Meyer lemons and an orange, and also dried rosemary (of all things) to his scone dough because “rosemary is soothing.”
Can we just pause for a second to absorb the fact that my nine year old thought to add rosemary to a scone because he finds it soothing?
That kid cracks me up! He was also right.
Citrus Rosemary Scones are sweet and buttery with plenty of tang from the citrus, and a soothing finish of rosemary.
I happily ignored the laundry long enough to put my feet up and enjoy a very soothing Citrus Rosemary Scone with a cup of tea. I am encouraging life skills, after all.
My Impression: I love every part of these scones. The dual citrus zests imparts a sunny flavor throughout the dough, the tang of which is nicely tempered by the soothing rosemary. The glaze is my favorite part because it’s more zippy than it is overly sugary.
Family Impression: All of the Sons gave these scones two thumbs up. At least I think that they did. All I know is that I had to fight to save one of them for Bacon Slayer to sample when he got home. BS ate his scone almost immediately upon walking in the door, and went looking for another. He was a bit sad to discover that his boys had already polished off the rest of the batch.
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Citrus Rosemary Scones Recipe
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 12
Put a little life into breakfast or tea time with these sweet, fluffy scones that offer plenty of zip from oranges and Meyer lemons, with just a savory blush of rosemary.
20 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ C. 2% milk
- 2 large eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons (about 1 tablespoon), divided
- Zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½ tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
- Additional milk for brushing on scones prior to baking (Optional)
- 1 ½ C. powdered sugar
- Reserved lemon zest (from above)
- 2-3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (or to desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line two half sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats; set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Sprinkle the cold butter cubes over the flour mixture. For flaky scones, it is important the butter is very cold, so keep it in the refrigerator until ready for use. Work the butter into the flour mixture with clean hands or a pastry blender, until the butter is in pebble sized pieces. Stir half of the lemon zest, all of the orange zest, and the crushed dried rosemary into the dry mixture. Make a well in the center before quickly tending to the wet ingredients.
- Whisk the eggs into the milk until incorporated. Gradually pour the wet mixture into the well of dry ingredients, lightly stirring with a wooden spoon along the way, until the dough just comes together.
- Dough will be very sticky with a few chunks of butter being visible—that means the scones will be flaky and wonderful. Transfer dough to a clean, well floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour over top, then gently roll or pat the dough into a uniform 12” x 8” rectangle with ½-inch thickness. Depress a bench scraper or sharp knife through the dough to cut six 4-inch squares. Afterward, make a diagonal cut through each square to make twelve triangular scones.
- Use a thin spatula to transfer the scone triangles to the prepared baking sheets, setting them about ½- inch apart. Brush the tops of the scones with a splash of milk, if desired.
- Bake the scones for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside. Allow scones to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. While the scones are cooling, prepare the lemon glaze.
- Whisk the powdered sugar together with the fresh lemon juice and remaining lemon zest to make a smooth glaze. Add additional lemon juice or milk as needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled scones, smoothing with the back of the spoon to completely cover the tops. Allow the scones to rest until the glaze sets before serving.
Notes
Leftover scones may be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored at room temperature for up to two days.
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