Lilac Scones are infused with the beautiful essence of fresh lilac blossoms, & are the most delightful way to savor the fleeting beauty of lilac in bloom. tender bite feels like a celebration of the season.
For years, I dreamed of living somewhere lilacs bloomed. Their scent always felt like a promise of a softer, more fragrant life. Then one spring day, on a neighborhood walk, I smelled it before I saw it—and I knew. Lilac.
The trees and shrubs in our neighborhood are communal, and while I didn’t want to take much, I carefully gathered just a few blooms to make lilac scones. Foraging flowers to bring into our food gives me such a deep sense of purpose. There’s something sacred in it—knowing that nature provides in ways both beautiful and nourishing. I’ve been wanting to add more lilac recipes to the blog for years. Sadly, this year this was all I was able to get to before the lilacs wilted away. However, you can find lilac recipes from previous years: lilac ice cream, lilac cake, lilac shortbread, lilac lemonade, lilac honey, or lilac syrup.
Are lilacs edible?
Lilacs are totally edible, part of the olive family. And we have some favorite ways to enjoy them. Lilacs can be infused to make floral milk, which can then be turned into creamy and dreamy lattes, buttercreams and lilac ice cream. Or infused into a floral sugar, like lilac brown sugar. Or preserved in a raw local honey, like in this lilac honey recipe.
Identifying and harvesting lilac
Lilac has glossy, heart-shaped leaves, smooth bark. It displays spikes of densely packed, small, pale flowers that have a sweet smell. (Source)
You want to be using lilacs grown organically. Read my post on the best edible flowers to grow in your garden. If it’s grown on your property and hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides, it’s safe to use. Avoid lilac that you’re uncertain about, or purchased from the grocery store. Read all about Where to buy or find edible flowers for cookies and cakes to learn about best practices for sourcing flowers you’ll use in food.
Notes:
For this recipe, I started with my beloved lavender lemon scone base, a soft, fragrant dough that never fails. I added a bit of orange zest this time, simply because I felt the citrusy brightness would pair beautifully with the lilac’s delicate floral notes. It’s completely optional, and you can easily use lemon zest instead if that’s what you have on hand. Whichever you choose, you’ll only need the zest—not the juice—so feel free to enjoy the rest of the fruit in a glass of water or save it for another recipe.
Lilac Scones:
I knew from the start that I wanted to finish these scones with a cream cheese icing—it adds a lovely richness and complements the floral flavor so well. But feel free to skip the icing altogether or opt for a simple lemon or orange glaze, like I use in some other scone recipes, like these lemon lavender scone.
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick frozen and grated (113 grams)
- 1/2 cup sugar (90 grams)
- 1/3 cup yogurt (100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup fresh lilac, flowers only, removed from stem
- zest of two oranges (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or fresh vanilla bean
Cream cheese icing:
- 1/4 cup cup butter, softened (1/2 stick or 56 grams)
- 4 oz cream cheese softened (brick-style or 113 grams, 1/2 brick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (250g)
Instructions
Lilac scone:
- Preheat oven to 400°F or 204°C . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.
- Create a lilac sugar by grinding your sugar, lilac, optional orange zest and vanilla extract together in a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your egg and yogurt.
- Grate your frozen butter into your flour mixture and use a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to combine until they’re crumbly, pea sized pieces.
- Make a well in the center of your dough and whisk in your egg and yogurt. Also, add your lilac sugar. Combine until a thick dough forms.
- Place your dough onto your parchment lined baking sheet, pat into an 8-inch circle, and cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Brush with your 2 tablespoons buttermilk (any milk works here) Arrange the wedges around the baking sheet, leaving room for rising and expansion while they bake.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Make your icing while your scones bake.
cream cheese Icing:
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using an electric mixer) and beat until creamy.
- Add vanilla and salt and stir well to combine.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and mix with your mixer setting turned on low until completely combined.
- Use an icing spatula to frost your scones
- Served chilled right from the fridge with a cup of tea, consume within five days.
Helpful tips:
- While it’s tempting to mix your dough until it becomes one solid mass, this will result in tough scones. To get a light and airy texture for not only tastier but also easier-to-eat baked goods, keep mixing just until ingredients are combined into small clumps – do NOT overdo the arm work! I love using my hands because you can feel how much moisture is left within each piece of flour or butter without having any worries.
- Optional: Pop them in the freezer again right before baking for 15 minutes to cool your butter again, which will make them extra flaky out of the oven!
- Brush the tops with a little buttermilk before you bake to achieve a crispy, golden brown top.
- Best when enjoyed immediately! Enjoy within 3 days of baking.
- If you want to freeze them, freeze them baked without the icing. Baked scones freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. Then add fresh icing, Scone dough can be frozen for up to one month.
Lilac Scones
Ingredients
Lilac Scones
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour 250 grams
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick frozen and grated (113 grams)
- 1/2 cup sugar 90 grams
- 1/3 cup yogurt 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup fresh lilac flowers only, removed from stem
- zest of two oranges optional
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or fresh vanilla bean
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1/4 cup cup butter softened (1/2 stick or 56 grams)
- 4 oz cream cheese softened brick-style or 113 grams, 1/2 brick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean pod
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 250g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F or 204°C . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.
- Create a lilac sugar by grinding your sugar, lilac, optional orange zest and vanilla extract together in a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your egg and yogurt.
- Grate your frozen butter into your flour mixture an use a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to combine until they’re crumbly, pea sized pieces.
- Make a well in the center of your dough and whisk in your egg and yogurt. Also, add your lilac sugar. Combine until a thick dough forms.
- Place your dough onto your parchment lined baking sheet, pat into an 8-inch circle, and cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Brush with your 2 tablespoons buttermilk (any milk works here) Arrange the wedges around the baking sheet, leaving room for rising and expansion while they bake.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Make your icing while your scones bake.
- cream cheese Icing:
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using an electric mixer) and beat until creamy.
- Add vanilla and salt and stir well to combine.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and mix with your mixer setting turned on low until completely combined.
- Use an icing spatula to frost your scones Make sure scones are cool, otherwise the cream cheese icing will melt when you frost them.