Lavender! Honey! Cream! These ingredients are a few of my favorites, and they come together here in a simple, unfussy scone. These are sturdy in the best way, offering crisp edges and a tender, biscuit-y interior. Naturally they’re a delightful accompaniment for morning coffee or afternoon tea, and with a generous dollop of crème fraîche. And drizzle of honey.
I baked these with differing finishes, giving half the usual brush of cream and sprinkle of raw sugar, and leaving a few plain in anticipation of a honey glaze. I really don’t think you can go wrong either way; the sugar adds more texture, but the glaze adds moisture and flavor.
Honey-Lavender Scones
Ingredients
scones:
6 sprigs fresh lavender, divided
1 c (240 g) cold heavy cream
3 c (390 g) AP flour
1/4 c sugar (50 g)
1 T baking powder
1 t kosher salt
6 T (84 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” cubes
2 T (40 g) honey
glaze:
1/4 c (31 g) powdered sugar
2 T (40 g) honey
1-2 t water, as needed
Directions
In advance of making/baking, steep the cream: combine 5 sprigs of lavender and heavy cream into a medium-small saucepan and scald over medium heat. After you see bubbles around the sides, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes before straining into a container and let cool completely before using. (OR! for a stronger lavender flavor, skip straining until just prior to using)
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the flowers from the remaining lavender sprig in an electric mixing bowl. Add the cold/cubed butter and, with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the mixture starts to come together—it’ll be quite dry but when you squeeze the mixture it should stay somewhat together in your hand before falling apart. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to bring any accumulated flour at the bottom into the rest of the mixture, and mix for another 5-10 seconds.
Stop the mixer and add the heavy cream all at once. On low speed, mix the dough until it’s just barely come together. Turn out onto the countertop and knead it the rest of the way before shaping into a 5x7” rectangle (or a 1.5” high circle), and cut into triangles or wedges. A rolling pin is helpful here, but you can also just use your hands. If baking straight away, put them onto a parchment lined baking sheet (about 2” apart) and preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush the scones with cold cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (or leave bare, if opting for the glaze) before popping them in and baking them for 10 minutes, or until the edges and the base are golden brown.
Alternatively, I prefer to freeze the unbaked scones and bake off straight from the freezer, however many at a time that I need. In which case, follow the same routine above (brush with cream, top with sugar) but allow an additional 5-10 minutes for baking time (15-20 minutes total).
While the scones are baking, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, and water together in a small mixing bowl, and set aside until scones are cool enough to handle, and brush the glaze over the tops.
