Darci Hannah’s Delightful Lemon Scones

A Cozy Mystery Recipe Featured in Murder at the Lemonberry Tea

(Book Six in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series)

Darci Hannah is the author of three delightful cozy mystery series: the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries, the Food and Spirits Mysteries, and the Very Cherry Mysteries. Her books conclude with delicious recipes that you can make at home. You can learn more about her books and get additional recipes at www.DarciHannah.com.

Recipe Note From Cozy Crime Reads

This recipe for Delightful Lemon Scones appears in MURDER AT THE LEMONBERRY TEA, the sixth book in Darci Hannah's Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries. In this book, Lindsey Bakewell is hosting a tea party at her iconic lighthouse bakeshop on Lake Michigan for a British celebrity chef. Lindsey makes a big batch of these lemon scones with a tangy lemon glaze.

These scones are delectable, just like the mystery book they appear in! The scones make the perfect snack to enjoy with the book or a book club. If you want to make them extra decadent, try serving them with clotted cream, strawberry or blueberry jam, and tea.

Delightful Lemon Scones Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes. Freezer time: 15 minutes. Bake time: 18-20 minutes. Makes 6-7 scones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

Scones:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (1 large lemon)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter cubed

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 2-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Egg wash:

• 1 egg

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Place the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl (may use food processor). Zest a large, whole fresh lemon. Chop lemon zest into small pieces and stir into the sugar until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

Cut in the cold cubed butter until the butter is fully incorporated into the mixture and is the size of small peas. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream with the vanilla extract. Mix well and add to the flour mixture. Stir until the dough comes together nicely.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Dust a cutting board with flour. Using your hands, place the dough on the cutting board and gently shape it into a flat, round disk that is 1-inch thick. Using the rim of a glass or a 2½-inch biscuit cutter, cut as many scones as you can, then reshape the dough and continue cutting out scones until all the dough has been used up. You may need to shape the last one by hand.

Place all the scones on the parchment lined cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Put the cookies sheet in the freezer and freeze the dough for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the egg wash by cracking the egg into a small bowl. Add the milk and the sugar and beat with a fork or small whisk until well blended.

Remove scones from the freezer. Brush the top of each scone with the egg wash mixture, then place into the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the scones start to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool.

While the scones are cooling, make the glaze. In a medium size bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the lemon zest. Next, add just enough fresh lemon juice to make a thick glaze. Stir until smooth and glossy. Frost the cooled scones with the lemon glaze. Once the glaze is set, the scones are ready to be eaten. Enjoy!

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea

The Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries feature amateur sleuth Lindsey Bakewell, a pastry chef who left big city Wall Street for a small beachfront village on Lake Michigan. She makes delicious treats in her lighthouse bakeshop.

In Murder at the Lemonberry Tea, Lindsey hosts a lakeside tea party for a diva celebrity baker who leaves scandals in her wake. When a shocking event occurs at the party during a baking demonstration, and a body turns up in the lake, Lindsey puts her talents to work and sifts through the clues to solve a mystery.

See a Review for Murder at the Lemonberry Tea.

Interview with Darci Hannah

If you’d like a behind-the-scenes look at the Beacon Bakeshop Mysteries, check out this Cozy Crime Reads interview with Darci Hannah where she talks about why she chose to write cozy mysteries, how she crafts her cozy settings, and what she does to transform her plot ideas into complete stories.

Darci Hannah Cozy Mystery Bookshelf

Use the arrows on either side of the image below to see book covers from Darci Hannah’s cozy mysteries. Click on the book to see a book description and reviews on Amazon.