Meyer Lemon Scones
Meyer Lemon Scones have a hint of lemon flavor in a British style scone. They’re taller, less sweet, and oh so delicious spread with lemon curd.
This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is sponsored by Melissa’s Produce and Taylor & Colledge. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.
It’s #FallFlavors week y’all! Even thought it’s not quite fall like outside, we’re getting in the spirit for cooler weather, sweaters, and – Hmm. I usually say football, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that. Yes, I know we’re not really supposed to talk about for SEO reasons or some such nonsense, but I don’t see how we can’t. Talk about it I mean.
I’m sure you have many questions about this post.
Questions like what is the difference between an American scone and a British scone? I took these in to work and someone asked if they were biscuits. Then I explained that they were British style scones.
British style scones are taller. As you can see. They have way more baking powder in them than a biscuit or an American scone. American scones have more butter because the British put the butter on their scone after it’s baked.
British scones have less sugar. Which I appreciate because I’m not a huge fan of all that sugar in my breakfast foods. My waffles and pancakes are lower in sugar. Neither are they’re not topped with whipped cream, lots of syrup, or anything like that. I give them a generous slathering of butter and that’s pretty much it for me.
American scones have more fruit in them. British scones might have a handful of fruit in there, but not quite the amount that we put in them. They prefer to spread their fruit on the tender scones after splitting them in two.
Then there’s the whole shape thing. American scones are typically wedges and British scones are usually cut into rounds. I’m not quite sure why except the recipe they evolved from was round, too.
Now you’re probably wondering about the Meyer lemons.
The Meyer lemon originated in China and arrived in the States in 1908 via a USDA dude named Meyer. Go figure. It’s a hybrid that combined lemons with the mandarin/pomelo. The pomelo is a large citrus in the grapefruit family. It’s similar to grapefruit in taste but looks nothing like it!
Anyway, the Meyer is typically grown in pots as an ornamental tree in China. Maybe I’ll try to germinate some seeds and see if I can grown one. I’m sure the hubs would LOVE that, but if it’s grown in a pot it might work for our balcony garden. And it would be fun to see if I could grow them.
Meyer lemons gained popularity in the 70’s. Prominent chefs of that time rediscovered them and started featuring them in their restaurants. Then fast forward to Martha Stewart. She featured them quite often when her shows and magazines were gaining popularity. Of course, people wanted to imitate her and bought them for their decorations and recipes making it even more popular.
They’re super yellow, as you can see in the photo. However, they flavor is not indicative of their color. They’re not as acidic and tart as regular lemons. Which makes these Meyer lemon scones perfectly light and delicious without all that overpowering lemon flavor. They have a tablespoon of zest and juice in the recipe. A regular lemon would have an overwhelming flavor, but not the Meyer lemons.
Meyer lemon scones smell delicious fresh out of the oven.
I am so impressed with how tall these came out! This is not a Starbucks lemon scone recipe. These are a good 2 inches if not taller. This lemon scone recipe makes a tender scone with a hint of sweetness. The lemon flavor is light and bright without being overpowering.
I topped one of my lemon scones with lemon curd and it was a delicious lemon double whammy! You could try your hand at the easy microwave curd from my lemon daisy tarts recipe. You could top yours with jam. This is a cherry jam making these cherry lemon scones. If you had blueberry preserves you could top them making them Meyer lemon blueberry scones. OR you could put a few blueberries in there if you want.
See how tender they are in there? They’re a bit denser than a biscuit. Meyer lemon scones need to hold up top toppings like curds and clotted creams for English tea. Apparently, these would be served more a cream tea and not high tea or afternoon tea. I see that puzzled look on your face.
What’s the difference between cream, afternoon, and high tea?
They’re all three a light meal. Afternoon tea is more sweets and finger foods like tarts and cakes. High tea is more savory with cold meats, breads, and sandwiches. Cream tea is just scones with cream. Hence the cream part of the cream tea. It is more popular in the two areas where clotted cream claims it’s fame: Devon and Cornwall. But you can find cream tea at cafes closer to tourist areas.
Yes, I don’t care that the one in front is the last of the dough and looks deformed. It just shows you how tall these can get and that you can totally keep rolling the dough out at least 2 to get all that Meyer lemon scone goodness on your silpat.
My cutter made 12 scones. It’s 2 inches, I think? Don’t quite me on that one. I used a larger one with this recipe and cut out about 9. I used this basic recipe for the pecan scones I made last year. They didn’t get as tall but I also rolled those thinner. I have issues with rolling out dough.

Meyer Lemon Scones
Meyer Lemon Scones have a hint of lemon flavor in a British style scone. They're taller, less sweet, and oh so delicious spread with lemon curd.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Combine flour with the salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor.
- Drop the butter pieces into the food processor on top of the flour mixture. Pulse 15 to 20 times or until the mixture resembles a fine meal with no large pieces.
- Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
- Combine the milk with the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla and stir until combined. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
- Using a dough whisk (or a wooden spoon) stir until the mixtures begins to form a ball.
- Turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and knead lightly. Roll or press the dough out to one inch and cut the dough with a biscuit cutter (or you could use a knife and cut it into wedges).
- Place the scones on a silpat lined baking sheet and bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week, if they last that long.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 217Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 22mgSodium 309mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 4g
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I love the citrus notes in these scones! They sound amazing!
Thank you!
Your scones are so perfect! And what a great flavor to do them in!
Thank you!
I’m so impressed at how tall they are too! Gorgeous scones with lovely flavors!
Some of those English scone recipes are 2 to 3 inches tall. I was amazed!
I’ve got some homemade blueberry jam that would be fantastic on these! They look awesome!
Definitely! Great pair with lemon and blueberry.
Meyer lemons are so flavorful and I bet they really shine in these lovely scones! I’d love one with some tea!
They definitely shine here. These are so good!
Yes! These would be perfect with lemon curd!
Definitely!
I love Meyer Lemons. The flavor is incredible and I bet it really stands out in these scones.
Definitely! The lemons shine here.
That lemon flavor is perfect for these scones, I can’t wait to try them
Thank you!
I was thrilled with the Meyer lemons. Using them in the scones was a great idea. They look perfect.
Thank you!