Lemon Cream Scones - a #recipe from To Err is Cumin by @LeslieBudewitz #giveaway

(Giveaway closed.)

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  I have no idea what first put the idea of these scones in my mind. Maybe they showed up first in the mind of Pepper Reece, the main gal in my Spice Shop mysteries. But the moment I tasted them, I knew I had to share them with you, on the pages of To Err is Cumin, out today, and here, at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. 

One bite and you'll know why young Talia saves her tip money to buy them, and why Pepper and Detective Tracy quickly fall in love with them. They are absolutely delicious.

And if you don't happen to live near my fictional bakery, you'll be happy to know how easy they are to make!

To Err is Cumin, is out today in audio, and on August 6 in paperback and ebook! I'm celebrating by giving two lucky readers their choice of an audio code or a signed copy. Details below.

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe so you can print it easily. Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Lemon Cream Scones with Lemon Glaze

One bite of these fluffy lemon beauties and you’ll know why Talia scrimped and saved to buy them! Using cold butter and cream helps the scones rise and stay fluffy. 

For the scones: 

3 cups flour

2/3 cups sugar 

4 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, cubed, very cold

1 large egg

¾ cup heavy cream, plus more as needed 

1½ tablespoon lemon zest (1 large lemon) 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the glaze: 

1¼ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon lemon 

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla

additional lemon zest, for topping 

To make the scones: Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon sheets.

Using a stand mixer or a large food processor, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix or pulse until fully combined and the texture is that of coarse crumbs. Do not overmix. 

In a small bowl, combine the egg, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and mix or pulse until the dough comes together, adding more cream 1 tablespoon at a time if needed, until the dough is moist and mostly holds together. 

Lightly flour a work surface. Turn the dough onto the surface and knead 4-5 times. Divide the dough into two large balls, kneading briefly to shape, and dividing each ball again. You will have four balls. Flatten each ball with your hands to about ½ inch thick. Use a table knife or scraper to cut into four wedges. Repeat with remaining three balls. 

Place scones on prepared baking sheets and bake 18-20 minutes, or until the tops look dry and the bottoms are lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool on the pans for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. 

To make the glaze: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. When scones are cool, drizzle with glaze and sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon zest on top. Serve and enjoy!

Just imagine a picture of the finished glaze, as I forgot to take one!

Makes 16 scones. 

Wrap well to freeze. Surprisingly, the glaze withstands freezing relatively well, so you can enjoy the sweet touch on top without needing to make a fresh batch of glaze.

Almost everyone loves scones, I think! What's your favorite variety? 

Two lucky readers will win a signed copy of To Err is Cumin! Leave your email address in your comment. Mr. Kitten will choose the winners on Friday, July 19. (US and Canada addresses only.)

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

TO ERR IS CUMIN: A Spice Shop Mystery (Seventh St. Books, out July 16, 2024 in audio and August 6 in paperback and ebook)

From the cover: 

One person’s treasure is another’s trash. . .

Pepper Reece, owner of the Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, wants nothing more than to live a quiet life for a change, running her shop and working with customers eager to spice up their cooking. But when she finds an envelope stuffed with cash in a ratty old wingback left on the curb, she sets out to track down the owner.

Pepper soon concludes that the chair and its stash may belong to young Talia Cook, new in town and nowhere to be seen. Boz Bosworth, an unemployed chef Pepper’s tangled with in the past, shows up looking for the young woman, but Pepper refuses to help him search. When Boz is found floating in the Ship Canal, only a few blocks from Talia’s apartment, free furniture no longer seems like such a bargain.

On the hunt for Talia, Pepper discovers a web of connections threatening to ensnare her best customer. The more she probes, the harder it gets to tell who’s part of an unsavory scheme of corruption—and who might be the next victim.

Between her quest for an elusive herb, helping her parents remodel their new house, and setting up the Spice Shop’s first cooking class, Pepper’s got a full plate. Dogged by a sense of obligation to find the rightful owner of the hidden treasure, she keeps on showing up and asking questions.

One mistake, and she could find herself cashing out. . .

Available at Amazon  * Barnes & Noble  * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * And your local booksellers!

And coming in September:

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Coming September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing; available for preorder now wherever you buy books. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest book is Between a Wok and a Dead Place, the 7th Spice Shop mystery.  Watch for To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery, in July 2024 and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. 

A past president of Sisters in Crime and national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.