Lemon Scones

Before I went to culinary school I was really intimidated by baked goods. Sure I made a cake or two and had my fare share of batches of cookies that spent longer in the oven then they did on the counter, but I never tried making breads, biscuits or baked goods alike. I had a best friend in Dubai named Anna Masad whose mom, momma Paula, made the BEST scones. She had previously worked in a bakery and had the baking savvy that I so desperately wanted and needed in my life.  Back then I had no idea what a scone was, my southern roots preferred to call it a "fancy biscuit." I still have the same opinion. A scone is merely a sweeter, fancier biscuit that is to die for.

Well, I finally grew out of my fear for extravagant baked goods and made a batch of these amazing lemon scones. Not only are they amazing, but they are extremely easy to make and even easier to eat.

To make the scone:

3 Cups all purpose flour

1/3 Cup white flour

1 1/2 t. Baking powder

1 1/2 t. Baking soda

1/3 t. salt

3/4 Cup cold butter, cut into cubes (I cube mine then stick it in the fridge.) 

1/2 Cup milk

1/4 Cup lemon juice 

2 lemons, tested

1 1/2 t. white vinegar 

To make the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 Tbs. lemon juice
splash of vanilla extract
water, as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or 175 degrees C)
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Cut in cold butter. I use  a kitchen aid food chopper but you can use a pastry cutter, a blender, or if you're feeling adventurous, your hands.
3. Whisk together the milk, lemon juice, zest and vinegar in a small bowl and stir into flour mixture until slightly wet.
4. Turn out tough onto a lightly floured board or surface.
5. Gently knead dough until combined. Pat dough out into a 1 inch-thick round.

6. Cut the dough into 8 large triangles.
7. Place triangles on a pre sprayed sheet tray and bake for 11-15 minutes or until corners are light brown.
8. While the scones cool, make the glaze. I encourage you to sift the confectioners sugar before mixing it with the other ingredients because it will clump and leave big lumps of sugar in your glaze (I speak from experience). So sift the sugar into the melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add water (or milk) as needed until the mixture is a nice glaze consistency.
9. Once the scones are nice and cooled, drizzle them with a CRAP ton of icing but make sure you leave some for your hubby. Greg prefers his icing in a bag...that he can squeeze into his mouth.

These lasted no more than two days in the Tacquard household and for good reason. I love these because you can easily tweak the recipe to any kind of scone you prefer. I will be adding many more variations and continue to play with this recipe. Who can resist such a pretty "fancy biscuit?" Not me.