These citrus-rosemary scones have a perfectly balanced flavor profile of fresh and sweet. Soft and moist on the inside with a sugary exterior that’s topped with a smooth vanilla bean glaze. These scones are irresistible!
Current mood: loving this springy weather in Birmingham! Spring doesn’t typically last long here- we usually go from cold winter to hot summer in a flash. But spring seems to be lingering a bit, and I’m totally here for it. So in the spirit of spring, I invited some friends and their babies over for a lunchtime picnic in the backyard, and it was just the most delightful thing. Sure, the babies loved being outside and all, but I think us mommies enjoyed it even more. Lots of sunshine, good conversation, good food, and a step outside the normal weekday routine.
We had a whole host of picnic-worthy munchies: fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers, the whole lot. But my favorite part of the menu was these citrus-rosemary scones. I wanted to contribute something sweet (duh), but also wanted to channel some serious spring vibes into whatever I baked. And what’s more springy than fresh rosemary and citrus? To some this may seem like an odd flavor combo, but let me tell you it’s just so delightful. Fresh, sweet but not too sweet, light and delicate. Just yum.
There’s nothing worse, in my humble opinion, than a dry scone. Why eat a pastry if it’s chalky & crumbly? Not worth it. Scones should have a soft, moist, buttery, tender crumb- and that’s exactly what you’ll find with these citrus-rosemary scones. Surrounded by a sweet and sugary exterior crust that’s topped with a smooth vanilla-bean glaze- these are near perfection.
As simple as scones are, there are a few key components to making them absolutely perfect. You’ll find some good tips in my notes, but here are a few of the most important bits. Be sure to keep your ingredients cold to get fluffier scones with a good rise, and handle the dough gently to avoid overdeveloping the gluten, which leads to a dense texture. This recipe calls for cake flour, which I think you’ll find is a game-changer in the scone department, making the interior extra soft and light.
Hope you’re enjoying spring as much as we are here in Birmingham! Be sure to bake something sweet and share it with some friends- it does the soul some good.
What you’ll need to make these scones:
Butter: Butter adds flavor & flakiness. Because the butter is cold when it hits the oven, this helps the scones rise, giving them a light & fluffy texture.
Heavy Cream: Adds moisture & richness.
Egg: For binding & structure.
Orange & vanilla extract: For flavor.
Orange zest, lemon zest, & rosemary: For even more flavor.
Cake flour: The cake flour in this recipe makes all the difference! Because it has a lower protein content than other flours, cake flour helps create an exceptionally light & fluffy texture to these scones.
Sugar & brown sugar: I use a combination of granulated & brown sugar in my scones to give a boost of sweetness. The granulated sugar also helps form a sweet and crisp exterior, while the brown sugar adds extra moisture to the scones.
Baking powder: For leavening.
Kosher salt: To balance out all the sweetness.
Powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and heavy cream/ milk for the vanilla bean glaze.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
What is the dough supposed to feel/ look like? Scone dough is kind of a Goldilocks situation- you don’t want it too dry, & you don’t want it to be wet either. The dough should be a bit crumbly, and just moistened enough that when you press it together with your fingers the dough will stick together. If you’ve made my jam-filled blueberry scones, you’ll notice that dough was a bit more crumbly than the dough for these scones in order to compensate for the extra moisture from the jam. The dough for these scones has a bit more liquid incorporated into it, which makes it a bit less crumbly.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream? I don’t recommend it. Milk is thinner than heavy cream, which can cause your scones to spread too much in the oven. If you don’t have heavy cream on hand, you can try whole buttermilk instead.
Do I have to chill the dough? Yes. Keeping the dough cold is crucial to baking up scones that are light & fluffy. When the cold ingredients (particularly the butter) hit the hot oven, steam is created, which helps the scones rise. If your ingredients are at room temperature, the butter will simply melt, causing your scones to spread and become flat & dense.
A few notes before you bake:
When it comes to making scones, keep things cold! Like I mentioned previously, cold ingredients are crucial to getting a light & fluffy scone. Room temperature ingredients cause your scones to spread in the oven, causing them to become flat & dense. Here are some tips on how to keep things cold:
- Leave ingredients in the fridge until you need them (i.e. cubed butter & combined wet ingredients)
- Cut your butter into small pieces. This reduces the amount of time you spend cutting the butter into the flour mixture, therefore keeping it from getting too warm.
- Chill the dough in the freezer after cutting into rounds.
Don’t overwork your dough. Be careful not to overmix or overwork. Overworked dough= tough scones.
When I retested these, I added a tad more heavy cream and butter to the mix to see if I could get them to be a bit more moist. That being said, they did spread a little bit more because of the additional liquid. So don’t be surprised if your scones spread a bit more than the ones you see in the pictures!
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Citrus-Rosemary Scones
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 30-minute chill time)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 9 scones 1x
- Category: Breakfast/ Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Breakfast, Snack
Description
These citrus-rosemary scones have a perfectly balanced flavor profile of fresh and sweet. Soft and moist on the inside with a sugary exterior that’s topped with a smooth vanilla bean glaze. These scones are irresistible!
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 180 gm (3/4 cup) cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 packed tablespoon orange zest (about 2 oranges)
- 1 packed teaspoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 281 gm (2 1/4 cups, spoon & leveled) cake flour
- 50 gm (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 25 gm (2 tablespoons) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 gm (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the vanilla bean glaze:
- 120 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3–4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions
To make the scones:
- In a small bowl, combine the heavy cream, egg, vanilla, orange extract, orange zest, lemon zest, and chopped rosemary and place in refrigerator until needed.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 sharp knives, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Slowly add the cold heavy cream mixture to the flour mixture while simultaneously stirring with a wooden spoon. Gently mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened and mostly incorporated, being careful not to overwork the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times by hand until the dough comes together (NOTE: The dough will be crumbly, but it will come together as you work with it!) . Shape and press the dough together to form a flat disc, about 1″thick. Using a 2″ round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds, occasionally dusting the cutter in flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Reuse the scraps and continue to cut into rounds until all dough has been used. (Note: Be sure to use a straight up-and-down motion when cutting the dough, rather than twisting the cutter, as this allows for a better rise). Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2″ apart, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Remove the scones from the freezer and lightly brush the tops with heavy cream. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops and edges of the scones are beginning to lightly brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze:
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add more liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture reaches a honey-like consistency.
- Glaze cooled scones as desired.
Notes
Storage: These are best enjoyed fresh from the oven or the same day they are baked. However, they will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If eating them leftover, I like to pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them a bit.
Freezing: Prepare the dough and cut into rounds as directed in the recipe. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until frozen solid. Frozen scones can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag for 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, just add a few extra minutes to your bake time!
