It's been a while since I made some scones!! Scones and muffins are my favorite things to bake, and eat! I got the idea for these during that week that I wasn't allowed to use citrus or my favorite spices. I don't know why it took me so long to make them! Coincidence: my aunt pinned a Cherry Almond Scone recipe today/yesterday and told me to make them! These aren't those, they're my own creation. The one she found had marzipan in them though, so I may have to try that one too! Why didn't I think of that?!
It's supposed to snow today (Hooray!), and my parents will be here soon (double Hooray!), my house is 95% clean, my recipe is now posted, the Beast is all clean and soft and pretty... what I wouldn't do for a nap!! It's going to be a very fun day. :)
Cherry Almond Scones
5 Tb sugar
1 Tb baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tb cold butter, cut in chunks
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 tsp almond extract
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup frozen or fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter until chunks of butter are smaller than peas. (You can do this all in a food processor too!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter until chunks of butter are smaller than peas. (You can do this all in a food processor too!)
Whisk egg, almond extract, and sour cream together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir this into the flour mixture, until dough comes together. Turn out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead together a few times.
Roll out into a long rectangle (doesn't have to be perfect!) about 16 inches long, working as quickly as you can. You don't want to over-work the dough. Sprinkle the cherries and almonds over the surface of the dough, pressing them gently into the dough.
Starting from the long side, roll dough up tightly. Pinch the seam and the ends together, then press the ends inward a bit, and squeeze the roll of dough together a bit. Gently shape into a long, smooth, roll of dough.
Brush with cream, sprinkle with almonds and sugar.
Cut the roll into 8 equal portions. cut each portion in half diagonally, making 16 total. Place the triangles on a greased/lined baking sheet and bake for 12-16 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.
I had to try this recipe a few times before getting it right! I stole the rolling method from Cooks Illustrated, it's a great way to get squishy fresh fruit into scones without dying the all of the dough. If you want an easier method, use dried cherries and stir them into the flour mixture before adding butter.They may not turn out as perfectly shaped as other scones, but they're delicious!
They may not turn out as perfectly shaped as other scones, but they're delicious! The fruit and nuts end up all the way through the scones. I love the crunch of the almonds inside!
You could do this with any fruit and nut combo, or multiple fruits, you could replace the almond with vanilla... they're very versatile!
Soft, almondy, and scrumptious. The Geologist was supposed to take them to work, but he forgot... so I ate them all. Oops!!
This really perked the interest of my sweet tooth :)
ReplyDeleteOh my . . . these look good. Fresh cherries are hard to come by here at this time of year without paying a premium price and them being totally flavourless. I'll have to save this one for a few months time when we have all the lovely fresh cherries from France arriving in the shops. It looks fabulous! Love the rolling technique. I have ear marked this technique for future use! I learned something new today! Well done! xoxo
ReplyDelete