Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare your baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest to a food processor with the dough attachment in place. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
Add cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture has little pea sized dough balls.
Using a glass (or see through) measuring cup, add the egg and lightly beat. Then, add enough buttermilk such that the combined volume of the egg and the buttermilk is 9 ounces. Stir to combine.
Slowly add the buttermilk egg mixture to the dry ingredients while pulsing after each pour just to combine. Be very careful not to over mix. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Not all of my dough was combined and I worked it together once on the counter. Pat the dough so that it is about 1" thick. Slice into biscuits or use a cutter to cut out shapes.
Sprinkle the scones with the sparkly sugar and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Serve with whipped cream, butter, or creme fraiche as well as fruit preserves.