Warm and fragrant lavender is lightly infused throughout the scones, with a burst of lemon - topped with a drizzle of sweet icing for the perfect addition! Excellent for an elegant brunch.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest, rubbing between your clean fingers until a coarse sand-like mixture forms (this helps infuse the lemon flavor!).
In a separate bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. This will form a "buttermilk" like consistency. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lavender. Add the lemon-sugar mixture and stir to combine. Cut in the cold butter until a pea-sized mixture forms. Gently stir in milk with a wooden spoon until just combined (do not over mix).
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead gently until formed together (again - do not over knead, gently push the dough together). Form the dough into an 8 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle down the middle, lengthwise, and then cut the other side (short side) into thirds (you will have 6 squares). Cut each square in half to form two triangles. This will result in 12 small triangles.
Place the scones on the baking sheet with plenty of space in between each one (they will expand when they bake). Brush the tops and sides of the scones evenly with a bit of additional milk to add color as they bake. Bake the scones for 19-22 minutes until bottoms and tops are slightly golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the icing (optional but recommended :)), stir together powdered sugar, milk (or lemon juice if substituting it), and lemon zest until combined. Drizzle on cooled scones.
Notes
Make sure the butter is cold! I usually cube it before I start the other ingredients, and then place it in the fridge until ready to incorporate. Others have had success grating frozen butter, too.
You can use a food processor to mix the dough, just be sure to not overwork it. The food processor tends to chop the lavender up more, so I like to add extra if I'm making the scones this way.