Blackberry and lemon are two of those flavors that are great on their own but almost magical when paired together. The blackberry-lemon combo is in heavy rotation at breakfast, getting mixed into muffins, pancakes, and scones.

I tried to come up with a way to get blackberries into a scone without completely demolishing the berries in the process. I used my favorite scone base and then folded the blackberries into the center of the scone. There was far less damage to the berries than a previous attempt which was extremely delicious but poorly executed. I love it when mistakes are delicious enough to make breakfast for nearly a week 🙂

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Blackberry Lemon Scones

A light, tender scone made with lemon and blueberries.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour (I used half white, half wheat pastry)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 6 oz fresh blackberries
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp water
• 2 Tbsp coarse sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt on low speed.
3. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter and lemon zest until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour - butter bits about the size of small peas.
4. Add lemon juice and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding a couple tablespoons at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball.
5. Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone.
6. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface.
7. Pat dough into a rectangle. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a rectangle about 12x8 inches.
8. Spread the fresh blackberries over the long of the dough and fold the short half over onto the top of the blackberries. (I reserved a few blackberries to lightly press into the top of the formed scones.)
9. Cut into 8 triangles.
10. Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine.
11. Brush each wedge with egg wash.
12. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
13. Place scones on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Notes

Yields: 8 large scones

Adapted from The Pastry Queen

Estimated time: 40 minutes