Bright lemon, light lavender and crunchy poppy seeds all come together in these delicate and delicious Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones with an irresistibly sweet lemon glaze. Prepare to be amazed!
You might think I have my seasons confused as I post a lemon recipe with fall knocking on the door. Well, when it comes to food (especially sweets!), my cravings know no seasons. When something sounds good, I make it. I bake pumpkin bread in July, peach cobbler in December and lemon scones in September. Why not?!
Seasons aside, you’re going to love these scones. They’re full of the most fabulous flavors that will leave your taste-buds refreshed yet salivating for more. The tartness of the lemon combined with the lightness of the lavender are a match made in scone heaven.
They’re crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside and made perfectly sweet with a simple lemon glaze. Great to bake for a weekend brunch or to brighten up any day of the week. I love scones with a cup of coffee or hot tea as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon treat. There’s just something about the crumbly texture and subtle sweetness of a good scone that has a special place in my baked goods loving heart!
What Do I Need to Make Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones?
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Cold unsalted butter, sliced
- Large lemons
- Poppy seeds
- Culinary dried lavender spice
- Milk
- Large egg
- Melted butter
- Confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
- Pastry blender
Every time I bake scones, I give myself such a hard time over why I don’t bake them more often. They’re so quick and easy. Simple ingredients + simple steps = stunning scones! Let me show you how…
The key to that crumbly-buttery-moist texture is the cold butter that’s cut into the flour so there’s little chunks and bits all throughout.
Let’s talk lavender for just a moment. Such a lovely and unique flavor to bake with. When baking with lavender, you’ll want to find it dried for culinary use in the spice section, not the floral department. I find mine in the bulk spice section of my market where I can buy just the amount I need each time. Here’s what it should look like…
The best thing about scones is that you get a fabulous pastry without having to knead the dough or let it rise. In fact, the less you mess with the dough, the better.
A quick stir with a spoon, a gentle gathering with your hands and a pleasing pat into a round disc and you’re near done.
The key to the crispness and crunch on the outside of the scone is baking them at 400°F after being brushed with butter and sprinkled with a little sugar.
Works like a charm…
Then comes the glaze. Although the scones still taste great without it, it’s a must. A sweet simple lemon glaze brings out all the flavors in the scone, especially the lavender, with such brightness and refreshment.
They’re light, luscious and oh so lovable!
We’ve officially got a few more weeks of summer to squeeze in these scones, but seriously, why not bake and enjoy them year-round?! Lemon lovers know no season!
Enjoy!
xoxo,
Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Breakfast
Description
Bright lemon, light lavender and crunchy poppy seeds all come together in these delicate and delicious Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones with an irresistibly sweet lemon glaze. Prepare to be amazed!
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, sliced
- 2 large lemons, zest and juice, divided (about 4 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons lemon zest)
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons culinary dried lavender spice
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing
- more granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from one of the lemons you used the zest of for the scones)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or two knives moving in opposite directions until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Add the zest of both lemons to the mixing bowl along with the poppy seeds and lavender spice. Stir gently to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture and add 3 tablespoons lemon juice, milk and egg. Stir with a spoon until mixture starts to come together and then gently and quickly mix with your hands until all flour is incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured surface and form into a circle just under 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of each scone with a little melted butter and sprinkle with a pinch of granulated sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until the scones rise and start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the glaze.
- Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice until smooth and of drizzling consistency. Add additional confectioner’s sugar if glaze is too thin or lemon juice if it’s too thick.
- Once scones have cooled slightly, drizzle glaze evenly among them. Let set about 10 minutes before enjoying.
Hello! I followed your recipe, and the dough turned out so wet and sticky it almost resembled a batter rather than a dough 😆 The only thing I omitted was the poppy seeds, surely it wouldn’t affect the texture this much? I had to add quite a bit more flour to make it stiffen up a bit, and it was still so sticky that I couldn’t mould it into a circle to cut it, so I had to spoon it onto the baking tray and they looked like blobs rather than the beautiful triangles I was hoping for. Not sure what went wrong? They were so aromatic and tasted amazing though, so thank you!
Hi Cecilia! It sounds like your butter wasn’t cold enough or you’re baking a warm kitchen that was causing the butter to soften resulting in a wet dough. Next time, I would recommend making sure you start with cold butter, refrigerate the dough if necessary to firm it up and you can definitely add additional flour until the dough is just soft enough to mold into the circle. By omitting the poppy seeds, I would have recommended adding an additional 2 tablespoons of flour to balance the recipe back out. Did you use the lavender? Hope this helps and that you’re able to try them again soon with success!
I’ll start by saying that I love lavender but oh my gosh these are so overwhelming with 2 tablespoons of entire pieces of dried lavender. I didn’t enjoy the crunch and was just too much lavender. I froze them and will have to wait until I make a lemon curd to cover up the extreme lavender. I’m surprised no one else had this issue, maybe my lavender is different?
I also substituted heavy cream for milk and cut down the butter to 4 TBS but that’s just my personal preference for the scones I make.
Hi Tory, I found a way to make this recipe that might help you. Since I have never made anything with lavender, I researched different ways to use it. I am with you about textures. I love Thyme, but hate the crunch and worried I would feel the same about lavender. Instead of adding the lavender whole, I ground 1 Tbsp lavender with 1 Tbsp white sugar. (I reduced the lavender to half because once I ground it, it was very aromatic.) I then added the lavender sugar in with the dry ingredients. It was enough flavor for my husband to notice these treats were more than lemon poppy seed scones, but without the texture. We really enjoyed the scones and I hope my tip helps.
Lavender is intriguing, but your instructions don’t say what to do with it. One of the photos shows you apparently adding it directly to your flour mixture. Do you add it in whole, without pulsing in a “magic bullet” or something like that?
Hi Janet! In step 4, you add the lavender spice along with the lemon zest and poppy seeds. I just add it in there whole, but you could certainly chop it if you’d like. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Meghan how much lavender powder would I use as a substitute?
Hi Susan! I apologize I’m just seeing your message. I haven’t baked with lavender powder, but I think it’s stronger than the lavender spice so I would recommend maybe just 1 tablespoon. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
These were delicious! I made them for a friend visit and she liked them as well. My parents will be visiting and I am going to make them again. Twice in one week 🙂 I’m so glad I had 6 bundles of lavender from my bush that were dried, and I am drying 4 more now. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello!
Can I substitute AP flour with oat flour? Would I have to adjust the measurements??
Thank you!
Hi Michelle! Yes, it should work great. I think the texture and taste of these scones would still be wonderful with oat flour. Enjoy!
Made these today and they’re delicious!! My dough was super sticky and wasn’t “firm” when I made it into a circle. Do you have any idea what could have caused that? I followed the instructions perfectly! They still taste amazing and we are enjoying them! They just aren’t very pretty 😂
Hi Caroline! Was your butter really cold when you cut it into the flour mixture? Also, if your kitchen was warm and the dough started getting warm, that could have caused the butter to start melting which results in a stickier dough. Next time, maybe try freezing your butter for a little while before cutting it into the flour. Glad they still tasted great!
I made these today and they turned out great, they taste amazing. I’ve been baking a lot recently as I’ve been stuck inside with nothing to do because of COVID-19. My family loved them. Thank you so much.
Elke, 15yo female
Hi Elke! So great to hear! Thanks for sharing and continue to enjoy baking. Stay well! 🙂
Hi! I’m a baking/pastry student and we will be making scones in class next week.
Where did you purchase your lavender buds and garnish?
Thank you!
Hi Marie! I get them at a specialty market here in Dallas called Central Market. You can find them in the bulk section of most specialty stores. Enjoy & best wishes!
Will it make a big difference if I omit the poppy seeds?
Hi Mary! It won’t make a huge different, they just add a slight nutty flavor and crunch to the scones and help balance out the sweetness and tartness. You can definitely omit them though. Enjoy!