Bite-Size Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze

In honor of today's sensational Kentucky v. Michigan March Madness game, I plated my freshly baked lemon scones on a blue plate.  But my initial inspiration for these Bite-Size Lemon Scones came from today's bright and sunny weather.  Chicago, spring is here and we damn well deserve some sunshine!  Since spring is upon us, that means workouts are being kicked up a notch and diets are becoming a bit stricter. In order to control my sweet indulgences, I shrunk these scones down to bite-size portions.  I don't know about you, but I feel a little better about myself when I take smaller bites of indulgent snacks.  I feel proud of myself for exerting self-control, until my one bite-size snack suddenly becomes ten bite-size snacks.  At least I try?  I hope you enjoy the recipe and the warm weather!  Recipe courtesy of About.com.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup half and half
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Glaze:
1 tablespoon melted butter
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from about 2 lemons)
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and zest of 1 lemon.  Mix well.
3. With a pastry cutter for fork, cut butter into the dry mixture until the mixture appears crumbly.
4. In a small bowl, whisk half and half, egg and vanilla.
5. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until just combined. 
6. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead two or three times. 
7. Pat to a flat pancake about a 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2-inch diameter circle biscuit cutter cut into scones. 
8. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until bottoms are light brown.
9. For the glaze: Mix all ingredients together. Brush glaze over hot scones. Let scones cool completely and brush with glaze again. 
10. Let lemon glaze harden until dry to touch.
11. Eat and enjoy.

Using a microplane, grate lemon.

Juice lemons.  Put aside for glaze.

Measure dry ingredients. 

Add zest of one lemon and mix. 

In a clean bowl, add half and half. 

Add vanilla and mix. 

Cut butter into small pieces. 

Add butter.

Cut butter into flour with fork. 

Add egg mixture and mix just until just incorporated. 

This is what your dough should look like.  Dry crumbly parts of the flour will still be visible and that's okay. 

Flour your board. 

Knead two or three times.  

Pat flat into a pancake. 

Dough should be about a half an inch thick.

Using a two-inch diameter biscuit or cookie cutter, create your scones. 

Dip the biscuit cutter into a bowl of flour to prevent the dough from sticking. 

Repeat steps with remaining scraps of dough. 

Place scones on a cookie sheet. 

Bake in a 375-degree oven for 5-7 minutes. 

Remove from oven. 

For glaze, melt one tablespoon of butter. 

In a bowl, add lemon juice, melted butter, lemon zest and powdered sugar. 

Mix well. 

Brush glaze on scones. 

Brush glaze again.  

 I added extra lemon zest on the top of each scone for a pop of color. 

Good luck to the remaining March Madness teams as they head to the Final Four!
Happy baking.
xoxo

Grace