Almond scones Photo Susie Iventosch

A couple of weeks ago we featured Papa's Favorite Torte, and in the column I mentioned that almond scones are a great way to use any leftover almond paste you may have from that recipe. Even if you have no leftover almond paste to use up, these scones are a great excuse to get into the kitchen
to bake, especially for a special Mother's Day brunch.
This recipe comes from our attempt to replicate scones that we found on a trip to Idaho. My son and I absolutely loved these scones, which were offered in several flavors: almond, apricot or lemon-poppy seed.
Because we entertain a lot in the summer, we wanted to make them on our own to serve to guests.
The base for the scones all appeared to be the same, and when I went into the store to inquire about the recipe, all the owner would tell me is that there are just five ingredients in her basic scone recipe, which included no eggs, except for the egg wash on top. Armed with this information, I came up with butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and milk (or cream), for a total of five. Next we figured out ingredient quantities, added a wee bit of salt and of course the almond paste and extract for the almond flavored scone, which was our favorite!
This recipe is the result and they are actually very simple to make. We like to use the Odense brand of almond paste, which is a very firm almond paste. I have not yet tried making these with Solo brand almond paste, but it should work just fine. If using the Odense brand, be sure to pick up the one with the blue label. The one with the red label is marzipan and that will not work for this recipe.

(Makes 12 medium-sized scones)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, cold and cut into small 1/2-inch cube pieces
1/2 cup cream (or milk)
4 oz. almond paste*
2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg white for egg wash
1/4 cup sliced almond for topping
1 Tbsp. sugar for topping
*I use the Odense brand of almond paste, which is packaged in a foil tube inside a cardboard box. So, before heating the almond paste with the milk, I cut the paste into small pieces. If you use the canned kind of almond paste, like Solo brand, then you will probably not have to cut it into pieces, because it's not quite as stiff to begin with.)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry cutter, or your fingertips, cut butter into flour mixture until well blended and butter is reduced to tiny pea size pieces.
In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, or a small bowl, place milk (or cream or half & half), almond paste and almond extract. Heat in microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, until milk is warm and the almond paste is very soft. Remove from microwave and blend with a fork to stir almond paste into milk. It will still be a little bit lumpy -no problem.
With a large fork or spoon, stir milk mixture into flour-butter mixture. Blend well. Form into a ball, and on a floured cutting board, press the ball into a large circle with your hands. The circle should be about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick. If dough is too sticky, just dust with a little extra flour before shaping.
Cut into even triangles and place them on prepared baking sheet. (Cut into 6 or 12 triangles depending upon whether you use the full or half recipe. Also, make them larger or smaller as you wish.)
With a pastry brush, glaze the tops of the scones with egg white, sprinkle with sliced almonds and sprinkle with sugar. (White, raw or brown sugar ... whichever you like!)
Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until tops begin to turn golden-brown, and almonds are golden brown. Serve immediately, or store in an air-tight container for several days. These scones also freeze well. Thaw and reheat in a warm oven or toaster oven.
Half Recipe
(Makes 6 medium-sized scones)
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 stick butter, cold and cut into small, 1/2-inch cube pieces
1/4 cup cream (or milk)
2 oz. almond paste
1 tsp. almond extract
1 egg white for egg wash
1/2 cup sliced almonds for topping
2 Tbsp. sugar for topping

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