It is pretty well established that I love things made with almond paste - cookies, cakes, cupcakes, breads, croissants, you name it! And now, I get to add scones to the list.
It wasn't until last November that I made scones for the first time. I converted/educated myself and my family by trying that recipe and we've been enjoying those orange-chocolate-vanilla bean scones fairly regularly ever since. My husband and I never thought we'd be oohing and ahhing over scones but we've been doing just that when we eat those. So needless to say, I pay far more attention to scone recipes now and when I spotted one for almond scones on Food52 - ones that use almond paste - I've been itching to try it!
I love the deep, aromatic, sweet flavor that comes from almond paste. The best part might be the chewiness it lends to things, scones included, as I've now discovered.
These scones have grated almond paste distributed within them. Grating almond paste on a box grater is a technique I learned recently while making the tri-color cookie cake. It seems to be a great way to disperse the almond paste evenly into the batter.
Thanks to that almond paste, the scones bake up with a signature almond flavor, with a center that's a little bit chewy. That chewiness is my favorite part and the thing that keeps me going back for more! I do love all things almonds and I'd gladly eat these almond scones any day.
Peach shortcakes with almond scones
I thought I'd make these scones go double-duty and I used them to assemble some shortcakes. Just like I used some of those lighter buttermilk biscuits to make strawberry shortcakes a while back, I decided to take these almond scones to make simple peach shortcakes (let's take advantage of some good peaches while they are readily available)!
It's as easy as slicing open an almond scone and filling it with some slices of slightly-sweetened ripe peaches (I tossed them in a little sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice). You could even add a small splash of liqueur (like amaretto) if you like. Spoon the juices right over and let it seep into the scone...the scones were made to absorb that extra moisture.
A little whipped cream and your almond scone for breakfast (or afternoon tea) subs in for dessert. How fun is that!
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| Almond scones made with almond paste |
These scones have grated almond paste distributed within them. Grating almond paste on a box grater is a technique I learned recently while making the tri-color cookie cake. It seems to be a great way to disperse the almond paste evenly into the batter.
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| Freeze canned almond paste for 15 minutes and grate it easily using the large opening |
Peach shortcakes with almond scones
I thought I'd make these scones go double-duty and I used them to assemble some shortcakes. Just like I used some of those lighter buttermilk biscuits to make strawberry shortcakes a while back, I decided to take these almond scones to make simple peach shortcakes (let's take advantage of some good peaches while they are readily available)!
