Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones
This recipe for Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones will brighten up any winter morning with its moist, tender crumb and sweet lemon glaze.
This recipe for Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones will brighten up any winter morning with its moist, tender crumb and sweet lemon glaze.
How are you? It feels like forever and ago since I last said hello.
And all of a sudden, it’s a new year.
Happy New Year!
I hope your holidays were warm, cozy and of course, delicious. I took some time off, digitally detoxing, enjoying time with my family, and cooking many old favorites.
Christmas brought us my sister and brother-in-law, and a hodgepodge of flavors. There was wasabi prime rib, beef, shiitake mushroom and barley soup, loaves of challah, ginataang bilo bilo, my mother’s apple cake, and even Filipino pork barbecue. Everything I cooked conjured up old memories and strengthened new ones, and when I wasn’t in the kitchen, it was so nice to take a break and allow myself to enjoy extended family, a sunset on the coast with my husband, and the rush of the holidays.
I decided to take the cooking off auto-pilot for the first time yesterday, when I reached for the bowl of beautiful Meyer lemons that my friend Leslie brought me. Meyer lemons, as you know, is my favorite part of this time of year, its scent leaving my hands smelling so sweet and bright, I swear, if someone bottled them as a perfume, I would gladly wear it.
Along with the Meyer lemons, I had a tub of ricotta cheese leftover from an attempt at homemade ravioli, and between you and me, the ricotta worked out so much better in this batch of Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones. These tender scones, with its moist crumb and bright lemon glaze, were the perfect way to welcome the new year and fall back in love with baking again.
If you are looking for a way to use up some Meyer lemons, or better yet, get your hands dirty in the kitchen again, I hope you try these. As you roll out the scones, I think you’ll love how therapeutic it is, from playing with dough to the aromatherapy of citrus, and of course, sharing them with the ones you love.
Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones
This recipe for Meyer Lemon Ricotta Scones will brighten up any winter morning with its moist, tender crumb and sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
- zest of 1-2 Meyer lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup ricotta (whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk, cream or half and half
- 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture, until you have coarse crumbs. This can also be done with two knives or a food processor. Stir in the lemon zest, using more or less to taste.
Whisk the eggs lightly and combine with the ricotta and Meyer lemon juice, mixing until smooth. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moist. The dough will be fairly shaggy.
On a lightly floured surface, turn the sticky dough out and knead lightly until the dough comes together; form the dough into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Use a knife to cut the dough into 6 large scones, or using a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter to make about 8 scones. Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, and lightly brush with buttermilk, cream or half and half. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Once the scones are chilled, bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.
To make the glaze, start by combining lemon juice with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, then add the remaining powdered sugar in small increments, whisking until smooth each time.
Once the scones are cool enough to handle, glaze the scones by dipping the tops into the glaze, letting the excess drip off before placing on a cooling rack. Sprinkle the tops with a little lemon zest. Enjoy immediately.
Scone base adapted from Cheddar-Dill Scones, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten.
Freezing dough for ultimate rise acquired from King Arthur Flour.
Comments
COOKBOOK
to Luca
Hi Ron! I believe you probably meant to share/email this recipe, but it looks like you left a comment instead! Next time, there is an email button under the “Share This” part under the recipe card that should help. Hope you enjoy the scones!
It is amazing how citris can help cut throw all the heavy winter flavors. Can oranges be substituted in this recipe instead of lemons?
Hi Shayna, I like to think of citrus as winter’s antidote to all the heavy foods, especially after the holidays! I think oranges would be a beautiful substitute in these scones! If you try it, please come back and let me know how it goes!
Prior to this weekend’s “Stormaggedon” I harvested a ton of our meyer lemons and just happened to have about a cup of some homemade ricotta left over from a NYE dish. Talk about first world problems. Well, these scones came in for the rescue and boy were they winners! Probably the lightest and most delicious scone I’ve ever had. Thank you for the recipe and inspiration.
Hi Jill, I’m so glad you were able to harvest your Meyer lemons (how lucky!) before the big storm. And I’m even more happy that you had some ricotta to make these scones and that you loved them as much as I do. Thank you for coming back to let me know, that means so much!
Beautiful scones! So bright and cheery. I love meyer lemons too, I’ll have to see if I can find some asap. Happy New Year, Liren!
Thank you so much, Annalise, and happy new year! I hope you find some Meyer lemons soon — I wish I could send you some!
Happy New Year, Liren! These scones are so gorgeous and sunny – just the thing I’m craving to go with my afternoon tea on this chilly afternoon. Hope 2017 is off to a great start for you and your family! :)
I hope your year is off to a great start, too, Laura! I’m off to make a cup of tea myself – I’ll be thinking of you!