Lavender Honey Scones
Lavender honey scones are spring/summer in scone form. They’re crumbly, soft and aromatic with a warm honey flavor. To make things simple, we’ll mix it all together in a food processor!
Let’s start with a disclaimer about lavender. Floral flavors can be overwhelming to the taste buds and you don’t want your baked goods to taste like soap.
I used to not like lavender in baking or in drinks. My thoughts were changed when I had a lavender scone in a cute café on vacation. It was made so well, the lavender just worked. I’ve been trying to recreate that scone ever since, and I have created a recipe that I love.
Why You’ll Love These Lavender Scones
- Aromatic with a bit of sweetness
- Buttery and flaky
- Satisfying taste of lavender
- Warm honey flavor
- Crumbly but not dry
- Perfect to pair with tea
Dried Lavender Buds
You want to make sure you’re buying culinary grade lavender. You can’t go to the flower shop and assume they’re safe for eating. Lots of flowers are sprayed with pesticides, so it’s important to find lavender thats grown for consumption.
My favorite place to buy ultra blue/purple dried lavender buds is online from this store. The color is just so vibrant and the smell of lavender is so fragrant. Or if you prefer to shop on Amazon, I’ve also tried using this brand of culinary lavender and it is also very fragrant and tasty!
Cold Butter Is Important
Mixing in cold butter is the key to flaky, evenly baked scones. Do not skip this.
As scones bake, the cold butter melts, creating pockets of steam which creates that flaky, buttery texture with crisp edges. If the butter is warm, it will melt into the dry ingredients, causing the dough to spread with less flakiness.
It’s also important to place the baking tray with dough in the freezer for 20 minutes before baking. This helps to stop scones from spreading. Don’t skip this either!
How To Make Lavender Honey Scones
For this recipe, we’re going to mix everything in a food processor. You can mix everything by hand, but the benefit of using of a food processor is to really grind down the lavender buds and easily cut the butter.
Start by preparing a baking tray with parchment paper and setting that aside. To bring out the aromatics of lavender, we’re going to pulse it with the granulated sugar. Pulse until the lavender looks finely ground. If there are still a few whole pieces, that’s okay!
Then, add in the flour, baking powder, salt and pulse 2-3 times.
Take the butter right out from the refrigerator and cut it into about tablespoon sized pieces. Add the butter in slowly, pulsing until the mixture looks like sand (image below on the left).
Pour in the heavy whipping cream and honey and pulse until incorporated. Scone dough needs a thick liquid to hold its shape, which is why I always use heavy whipping cream. I tried this recipe with whole milk and the dough was way too wet.
Flour a clean surface and turn out the dough. Also, flour your hands since the dough will be sticky. Gently knead the dough together. We don’t want to overwork it too much.
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to have a thickness about ¾ to 1-inch. I like to roll it into a square-ish shape that’s about 9 x 9-inch. Cut the dough into 9 pieces using a sharp knife. These will be large sized scones. I don’t mind scones with irregular shapes, but if you want them to be uniform, shape your dough square with your hands and use a serrated knife to cut dough cleanly.
For smaller scones, cut the dough into 18 pieces.
Place the scones on the prepared baking tray, about 1-inch apart. Then, put the baking tray in the freezer for 20 minutes. Chilling the dough is important, so don’t skip this step. Keeping the scone dough cold helps to prevent spreading which keeps a scones texture flaky. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
While the dough is chilling, make the honey glaze. Add warm water to a small bowl and the remaining honey. Mix well under it becomes a thin liquid.
Once the dough is cold, take out the baking tray. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the honey mixture onto the tops of the dough. Sprinkle some dried lavender buds and course sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes. Then, drop the temperature to 325℉ (163℃). Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the scones are dark golden brown and feel firm.
Keep scones at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container. They taste the best on the day they’re made!
RECIPE CARD
Lavender Honey Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 4 tsp dried lavender buds
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (480g)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 226g)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream (6 oz)
- 1 tsp warm water
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
- Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add the sugar and dried lavender buds. Pulse until the dried lavender buds are finely ground.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt and pulse 3-4 times.
- Cut the cold butter into tablespoons. Add 1 tablespoon into the food processor at a time. Pulse until the texture of the mixture looks like sand.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream and honey and pulse until incorporated.
- Turn the dough onto a clean, floured surface. Flour your hands and gently knead the dough. It'll be sticky!
- Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about a 9 x 9-inch square, with a thickness of about ¾ to 1-inch.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 9 pieces. They don't have to be uniform.
- Place the scones on the prepared baking tray, about 1-inch apart. Then, put the baking tray in the freezer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
- While the dough is chilling, make the honey glaze. Add warm water to a small bowl and the remaining honey. Mix well under it becomes a thin liquid.
- Once the dough is cold, take out the baking tray. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the honey mixture onto the tops of the dough. Optional: Sprinkle some dried lavender buds and course sugar or sanding sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Then, drop the temperature to 325℉ (163℃). Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the scones are dark golden brown and feel firm.
Notes
- Lavender: Use culinary grade dried lavender buds.
- Prevent spreading: The unsalted butter must be cold. Take it directly from the refrigerator and cut into tbsp size pieces. Freeze the scone dough for 20 minutes before baking. Baking cold scone dough prevents spreading and keeps a flaky texture.
- Freeze: Freeze the scone dough wedges on a baking tray for 1 hour. Then they can be layered on top of each other and kept frozen for up to 1 month. You can bake them from frozen, but add a few more minutes onto the bake time at 350℉ (177℃).
- Storing: Scones taste best the day they’re made, but they can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
- Tools: Food Processor | Rolling Pin | Baking Sheet | Pastry Brush | Parchment Paper | Silicone Baking Mat
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, and should be used as an approximation.
