Almond Scones...

Meeting at my friend Becky's house to go for a run, I smelled this delicious aroma in her kitchen and was pretty sure I detected one of my all time favorite scents....can you guess? I'll give you a clue...her daughter was baking something in the oven. Does that help? 

Yep....you guessed it...ALMONDS!(Duh, I guess the title of the post does give it away!)  If you've been following along with me on this blog, you know that I have a slight obsession with almonds. Well, maybe not a slight obsession....more like a major obsession! (You can read more here, here, and here). 

When we returned from our run, Becky's daughter Genesis had very graciously left us each a small sliver of the deliciousness I smelled...Almond Scones. Now, I don't know about you, but I think scones can be a little tricky. Sometimes when I've ordered them at Starbucks or other bakeries, they are just a little too dry and have to be washed down with coffee. Well, I'm here to tell you that these Almond scones were moist and so yummy. The fact that they were so fresh out of the oven and still a tiny bit warm didn't hurt either!

I asked for the recipe and she so generously shared it with me. Well, weeks passed and every once in a while I thought about those scones but never got around to making them. Yesterday, I decided it was time to organize this huge file of recipes that's been kicking around in my cupboard. I bought one of those plastic file boxes at Staples and got to work, filing and organizing my loose newspaper, magazine clippings, and printed out recipes. As I was filing, I ran across this recipe and decided NOW was the time to try it. The weather has been gloomy and rainy for a couple days and a warm scone with a cup of coffee sounded perfect!

I'll just admit from the get go that I haven't made scones in ages. As I was baking, my husband and one of his employees stopped in and I got a little distracted. If you are a baker, you know that is not a good thing! Baking is an exact science for the most part! I had the dough finished and they joked that it looked like a big fat ole' pancake! Thinking I was done reading the recipe, I put the "big fat ole' pancake" on parchment paper and slipped it in the oven, taking pictures, of course, 'cause that's what bloggers do.

The scone(s) finished baking and I took them out, waited for them to cool, so I could ice them. I glanced back at the recipe at this point just to see what sort of glaze it called for...and that's when I realized my mistake. I was supposed to slice and separate the scones before I baked them...not afterwards!!! Well, too late now, so I just iced them and sprinkled a few more almonds on the top. We tasted them and thought they were pretty darn yummy. 

But here's the problem...I can be just a tad bit of a perfectionist. It bothered me that I had missed that step and wondered if they would be even better if I had followed ALL the directions, without distractions! So, this morning I got up and made them again. I know...a little crazy, but that's who I am!

So here's the result of the second baking attempt...looks quite a bit different, doesn't it? The look and texture are a little different, but the flavor is the same as my first run failure. Isn't that a picture of life? Sometimes we make a mistake or take a wrong turn, realize it, and make a correction on our journey. The end result may be a little different, but God works it all for good somehow (Romans 8:28). As for me, I now have two plates of scones to share! 

By the way, my hubbs just stopped in and had another taste of the failed attempt and said, "Those are really good!" There you have it...there is beauty and good flavor even in failed attempts! 

Have a wonderful weekend! The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow...it's only a day away! Warmly, Gracia

Oh, the recipe! Having a blonde moment for sure!

Almond Scones

2 1/2 cups flour (you can use 1 cup white and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, cold

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 egg, room temp

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp almond flavoring

Mix the first four ingredients together. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in sliced almonds. Mix egg, cream, and almond extract together and stir into butter/flour mixture. Knead together with a bit of flour to prevent sticking and shape into a round disk approx 8" across. Cut into 8 equal pieces (like a pie), sprinkle with sugar and place on parchment paper on ungreased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. When cool, top with icing made from powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and almond extract. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, if desired.