The very first Starbucks treat I ever fell in love with was their lemon currant scone. I went through a very heated, short-lived passionate affair with them in my college days before burning out. When I decided one day, years later, to rekindle that affair, they had already been discontinued.
I figured it was the universe’s way of telling me it was time to move on and leave the college romances in the past, so I packed that memory away, along with my MAC twig lipstick, bucket hat, butterfly clips, and all other things 90s. And I hadn’t thought of them for years – until recently when I was picking up some baking supplies and noticed bags of dried currants in the baking aisle at Walmart.
Intrigued, I wondered if I could recreate those scones and transport my married-in-my-40s-with-kids self back to those carefree college days for one quick, nostalgic fling.
So I took my signature buttermilk scone recipe (which is a veganized take on Julia Child’s classic recipe), and played around with it to create what I think is a very close copycat of my college crush.
Oh, and if you’ve been shaking your head throughout this post because, like my kids, you think that dried currants are just a fancy name for icky raisins, swap them from dried cranberries or blueberries – both dried and fresh work well in this recipe. Or follow the base recipe and skip the inclusions for an absolutely outstanding plain buttermilk scone.
Glazed Lemon Currant Scones (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar (apple cider or white)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 3/4 cup vegan butter, cold, diced
- 1/2 cup dried currants, plus extra for garnish
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Optional Ingredients
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
Instructions
Make the scones
- Combine the plant milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a measuring glass and let stand for approximately 5 minutes to thicken and curdle
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt and lemon zest. Cut in the cold butter pieces using either a pastry cutter or two knives working in a criss-cross motion until the mix resembles coarse cornmeal. Don’t worry if some larger pieces of butter remain – the keyis to not touch the mix with your hands so that the butter stays as cold as possible
- Pour in the milk and add the currants and combine until the dough just comes together and there’s no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. Use a dough whisk or a wooden spatula as much as possible and try to avoid overworking the dough. If it seems a little dry, add more plant milk, 2 tbsp at a time, until it comes together
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough into a disc shape about 2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to overnight)
- Preheat the oven to 425F and line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper
- Return the dough to a lightly-floured surface and using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a disc shape that is about 1 – 1.5 inches thick. If desired, press additional currants into the top of the dough for a bakery-style look. Use a bench scraper or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Place on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar (if using – it gives a nice crunchy texture on top) and bake on the top rack for 15-17 minutes or until the tops and bottoms are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly
Make the glaze
- Combine the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice in a bowl and whisk until a thick but pourable glaze forms. If the mix is too thick or dry, add the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly cooled scones and serve
