Blueberry Lemon Scones Recipe

Let me preface this blueberry lemon scone recipe by saying a few things.

Nick and I are conscious about the meat and dairy products we consume. We cook primarily vegan fare throughout the week, with pats of butter and scrambled eggs here and there. We eat meat at restaurants, and occasionally at home, as a treat.

We savor these foods, but we try not to overindulge.

For the environment, perhaps. For our health, sure it’s a perk. But it’s more out of laziness, that’s a big part of it.

It’s more challenging to procure meat sans plastic. It’s not impossible, but it’s not the easiest. Plus, cooking meat is not my forte, nor my focus. I’m more inspired by vegetables and and I like to make them shine.

That said, there is another thing I must say before getting to this recipe.

Butter + Flour

There is nothing quite like the scent of cutting butter into flour with your own hands.

It instantly transports me to my grandma’s kitchen, when we’d bake pies, butter cookies and more during the holidays.

For a long time, I didn’t bake.

Once I started, I noticed this aroma that transports me back to my youth. And now I think about that every time I bake anything that begins with flour and butter. Food is so powerful this way.

And it’s amazing what these two simple ingredients can do together. Just the two of them. With very minor additions to these two foundational ingredients, you’ve got yourself tortillas, or a pie crust, or buttermilk biscuits or freshly baked scones.

So I guess that’s why I bake.

Or, I should say, why I continue to intentionally use butter in my baking.

One, because it’s amazing. And two, because of that sentimental connection to my youth. That promise of a simpler time. Before all this messy crap that comes with living a life worth living.

Okay, now. Let’s get on with it!

The Scone Situation

These blueberry lemon scones! I die.

The best thing about scones is that they’re actually not as hard to make as you think they are. And fresh out of the oven, they’re heavenly.

Soft, slightly crisp on the outside from the sprinkle of sugar on top, warm and buttery all in a bite. Super comforting.

We first had them this way last year on Vashon Island. Our Airbnb host made us fresh scones for breakfast on the final morning of our stay. His scones had strawberry jam in the center, probably homemade, definitely delicious.

They go perfectly with an extra pat of butter (which is silly once you realize how much butter is actually IN the scone) and some fresh jam. Perhaps of the strawberry basil variety? 😉

Oh, and don’t forget hot tea. That’s a must to accompany any scone.

Usually I pair mine with an English breakfast blend, sometimes I go the earthier route with a rooibos.

Adding Fresh Fruit to Scones

The cool thing about scones is they are endlessly customizable. Think: dried cherries and orange, cinnamon raisin, maple and pumpkin, blueberry and lemon. The list goes on.

They are also perfectly fine plain as well. And you can go the savory route if you wanted to, too!

The world is your oyster with scones.

They also work well with fresh fruit. Like blueberries.

The thing with fresh blueberries, for me, is that I eat them quickly as is. Straight up. Bowl to palm to mouth. That’s the life of a blueberry in my house. Sometimes I don’t even clean them and before I know it, they are gone.

So I have trouble using fresh, amazing, perfect blueberries in my baked goods.

Lucky for me, these scones only require about 1 cup of fresh blueberries. So you can make ‘em even if you don’t have a lot of fruit. Or you’re like me and you’re hoarding your precious fresh blueberries all for yourself 🙂

Zero Waste Notes

I purchased everything in this recipe, aside from the butter and lemon, package-, plastic- and trash-free.

Here’s how:

The blueberries were transferred into my glass jar at the farmers market. The vendor can then reuse the paper pint container.
The flour, sugar, baking powder and kosher salt came from the bulk aisle at my local grocery store.
The milk (cashew) was made at home and the cashews came from the bulk aisle at my store.
The eggs were also bought in bulk at my store (I reuse and reuse and reuse AGAIN the plain, compostable egg cartons that are available by the bulk eggs at my store) — they last at least a few years of regular shopping trips before I have to replace them.
The butter came in a cardboard container with wax paper wrapping. I can compost the wax wrapper and recycle the paper container.
The lemon came from the produce section of my store. Since it’s impossible to avoid the “organic” sticker, I deal with it. This is the only true trash I create when grocery shopping. One day, all the veg will be organic and come from local vendors and we won’t need labels anymore. Well, a girl can dream, right?