Almond Scones

I don't know how I ended up with so many almonds in my pantry before I left, but I had a giant bag of sliced ones lying around and these scones were very helpful in using them up.

I created these scones using the Bouchon Bakery Plain Scones recipe as a base and making some adjustments based on the ingredients I had on hand.  I love the Plain Scones recipe in this cookbook - they are much lighter than many scones (which I often think are too dense) because of the cake flour that is used.  You can ignore the all purpose flour in the photo above because I didn't use any of it.  I went all in on the cake flour for this recipe and was very pleased how they turned out.

Other than some simplifications, the only difference between these scones and the ones in the cookbook is the addition of sliced almonds in the dough and sprinkled on top.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it makes 16 scones.  That means there's enough for me and enough to share. 

I highly recommend this recipe and advise you to add it to your repertoire.  Feel free to experiment with this and include other types of nuts, dried fruit (not my cup of tea, but to each his own), citrus zest or even some chocolate chips.

Almond Scones
Adapted from Bouchon Bakery Cookbook
Yields 16 Scones

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups Cake Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into 1/4" cubes
1/2 cup + 5 T Heavy Cream (divided)
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 3/4 cups Sliced Almonds (divided)
Coarse Sugar for Sprinkling

Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar on low speed until combined.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add 1/2 cup + 3 T of Heavy Cream and Sour Cream and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.  Add 1 1/2 cups Sliced Almonds and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a 10" x 10" square.  Cut into 16 squares.  Place the scones on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat.  Brush each square with remaining 2 T of Heavy Cream.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds and Coarse Sugar.  Freeze the scones for 20 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Bake the scones for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!
Julie