{ Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Scones }

The idea of making scones from scratch is kind of daunting. But I assure you, making scones is as simple as making cookies—and ten times more impressive. Watch the video above, and make these sweet little bites the star of your next summer brunch!

This recipe is a bit moister than the classic scone—which I love, since the complaint about scones is usually that they’re too dry.

To begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and make sure that the racks are positioned in a way that you’ll be able to fit both baking sheets in. {If you have to place them on separate racks, like me, just make sure that you switch their positions halfway through the cooking time to ensure an even bake.}

 Now start on the dough. The great thing about these scones is that you only need one bowl—in that bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Into that, add in the cold cubed butter. It is SO important that the butter is cold—I even popped mine into the freezer for a couple of minutes before I added it in. Bits of solid butter are what make those flaky air pockets within your scones. 

Using two knives, as seen in the video above, cut the butter into the dry mix until the pieces are a little smaller than peas.

Now, add in the milk, Greek yogurt, egg, lemon juice & zest, poppy seeds, and vanilla. Stir these ingredients in with a fork, just until the dough comes together. It should be fairly sticky.

Your dough is ready! Now it’s time to turn it out and form it. 

I could see this part being what intimidates one out of making scones—but really, this step is super easy…and kind of fun! 

Just plop your dough out onto a clean, floured surface. Dust the dough with more flour, and squish it a bit! 

Once it’s round and solid {no longer a sticky mess}, form it into a long rectangle. 

Cut this rectangle into 12 squares, and then cut those squares into 24 mini triangles. {If this step is a bit confusing, watch the video! It should help to clarify.}

Place your poppy seed and lemon zest speckled triangles onto two parchment lined baking sheets and brush them lightly with milk or an egg wash—just so their tops brown up. 

Pop them into the 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Don’t forget to switch the position of the sheets halfway through {if yours don’t fit on the same rack}, or they won’t cook evenly!

While the scones bake, get started on the glaze—which only takes about 30 seconds to make. 

Into 1 cup of powdered sugar, sprinkle the lemon juice and vanilla. Mix it up. If it’s two thick, add a drop or two of milk until it’s just right. And that’s it!

* {My recipe only made enough glaze for about half of the scones, because I wanted to leave some plain. If you'd like more glaze, double the recipe.}

 Let your scones cool, drizzle them with the glaze, and sprinkle on a few extra poppy seeds. You’ve got yourself 24 sweet little bites of lemony goodness.

Time for a relaxing summer brunch—and don’t forget to serve with a cup of tea!

~INGREDIENTS~

For the scones...

 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour {plus more for kneading}

1 tbsp. baking powder

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup cold butter {1 stick}

¼ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

¼ cup lemon juice {about 1 lemon}

½ tsp. lemon zest

1 egg

½ cup milk

2 tbsp. poppy seeds

½ tsp. vanilla

For the lemony glaze...

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice from half a lemon

A drop of vanilla

Milk to desired consistency

{ Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart }

enjoy*