Lemon Zucchini Scones

Zucchini is a surprisingly good ingredient to bake with and, while I’ll never get tired of recipes like my Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, quick breads aren’t the only baked good you can make with zucchini! These Lemon Zucchini Scones are just one example of many different things you can make with zucchini. The scones come together quickly and easily, and don’t require a huge quantity of zucchini to get started. That said, you can certainly make a double or triple batch to share with friends and family if you happn to have a pile of zucchini on hand.

The scones are moist and tender, thanks in large part to the zucchini. I recommend finely shredding your zucchini (many graters have a few size options on them) to ensure the best texture. If you have a very coarsely grated zucchini, the recipe will still work, however you may get a bit more moisture in the scones from the larger zucchini bits. They have a nice lemon flavor and aren’t too sweet, so you can easily serve them with butter, jam or honey. I topped my scones with some coarse sugar, but a lemon glaze would be a nice touch if you want to sweeten them up a bit before serving.

The scones are best on the day that they are baked. They will still be tasty the following day, but they will lose a bit of that initial crunch from the coarse sugar and will become somewhat softer. If you are eating leftovers, pop them into the oven for a few minutes – or into a toaster oven – to warm them up and refresh that just-baked texture.

Lemon Zucchini Scones
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/3 cup butter, chilled
2/3 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
coarse sugar, for topping.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder salt and lemon zest. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or rub in using your fingertips. The mixture should look sandy and no pieces of butter larger than a big pea should remain.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add buttermilk mixture and shredded zucchini to the fry ingredients and stir until the dough comes together into a soft mass. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently with your hands until the dough is uniform. Add in additional flour as needed if the dough becomes too sticky.
Roll the dough out until it is 1-inch thick and use a 2 1/2 – 3 inch round cutter to cut it into rounds. Transfer to baking sheet, then gather the scraps and reroll the dough. You should get 8 scones. Sprinkle scones generously with coarse sugar.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown and set.
Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Makes 8.