Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Scones

Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Scones are buttery, moist, and bursting with lemon zest! Poppy seeds and almonds add a nice crunch!

These lemon almond poppy seed scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a late night treat. For more must-have breakfast recipes, try Egg Muffins, Donut Muffins, and Overnight Oats.

A stack of lemon poppy seed scones with almonds

The Perfect Scone

I’ll be the first to admit, it took me a while to like scones. Most bakery scones are too dry or overly sweet. After my mom made us her blueberry scones, I was hooked. They were moist, flavorful and petite. And while I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast, I knew they were *slightly* healthier than their full-fat counterparts.

I took my mom’s recipe and turned it into these lemon almond poppy seed scones. I used Stonyfield Vanilla Grassfed Yogurt (P.S. this line of yogurt is the only kind my husband likes/eats, the blueberry is amazing) along with Woodstock Lemon Almonds (P.S.S. we munch on these almost every day, they’re that good).

These scones would be great for breakfast, brunch or special occasions. Don’t have poppy seeds on hand? Try adding 1 cup of fresh blueberries or raspberries, you can thank me later! 

Ingredients for lemon poppyseed scone recipe

Making Lemon Scones

PREP. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. set aside.

DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until pea-size clumps form (or if you have frozen butter, you can grate it).

WET INGREDIENTS. Add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest, stir just until combined. The dough should be fairly sticky.

CUT. On a floured surface, pat the dough into a 1″ thick circle. Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

BAKE. Press in the almonds, then brush the scones with melted butter. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.

GLAZE. Meanwhile, to prepare the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, and salt. Drizzle over the tops of the cooled scones. Serve immediately.

Mixing lemon scone ingredients with a pastry cutter

Tips + Tricks

Tips for preventing dry scones:

  • Try using frozen grated butter, it will last longer in the dough before melting and will thus make a better dough texture. Grate the frozen butter stick with a normal cheese grater. Room temperature butter will start to melt as you’re working with the dough, frozen butter will only start to melt when baking. Grated butter will be fine enough that it will mix in the dough completely without leaving huge chunks of butter.
  • Try refrigerating the dough before cutting and baking the scones. Cold dough will give you soft and moist scones.

The type of lemon you use depends on the tartness level you desire. If you want  sweeter lemon taste use Meyer lemons, if you like the tartness use normal lemons.

If you don’t want to use yogurt you should be able to use buttermilk and get the same desired texture. You can also use heavy cream instead of buttermilk, it will give you the moist dough without the tang that buttermilk would give it.

Since there is already so much butter incorporated into the scones you may not want to top them with more butter. Consider using just the glaze or spread jam on sliced scones.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones on parchment paper with fresh lemon slices

Storing Tips

To STORE scones, cover with foil or plastic wrap or place in plastic bag to prevent drying out. Properly stored, freshly baked scones will last for about 1 to 2 days at normal room temperature.

To FREEZE scones, first let them cool. Place in a re-sealable bag or airtight container to protect from freezer burn (place a sheet of waxed or parchment paper between each one). Use them within 3 months.

Close up of Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Scones

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Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Scones | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Scone Recipe

These lemon almond poppy seed scones are buttery, moist, and bursting with lemon zest! Poppy seeds and almonds add a nice crunch!
4.92 from 12 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 scones
Calories: 604kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Scones:

  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 c. granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp. poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher sea salt
  • 6 tbsp. ¾ stick cold butter, cubed
  • 2 large eggs - beaten
  • 1/3 c. vanilla yogurt - Greek or regular, I prefer full-fat
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract
  • 3 tbsp. lemon zest
  • 1/4 c. sliced or slivered almonds*
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter - melted

For the Glaze:

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter - melted
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
  • pinch kosher sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until pea-size clumps form (or if you have frozen butter, you can grate it).
  • Add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, almond extract and lemon zest, stir just until combined. The dough should be fairly sticky.
  • On a floured surface, pat the dough into a 1" thick circle. Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
  • Press in the almonds, then brush the scones with melted butter. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, to prepare the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, butter, lemon zest, and salt. Drizzle over the tops of the cooled scones. Serve immediately.

NOTES

*I used Woodstock’s Lemon Almonds, however plain almonds will work just fine.
-Don’t have poppy seeds? Fold in 1 cup of fresh fruit along with the wet ingredients.
Recipe source: Life Made Simple

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 399mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 4mg

I’m partnering with Woodstock Foods and Stonyfield as a member of their Clean Plate Club to bring you today’s recipe. I received this product for review, all opinions are my own. Thank you for helping me work with brands I love!

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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