ALMOND CURRANT SCONES [VEGETARIAN]

November 2018 | The Honest Spoon

I haven’t properly baked anything for a couple weeks (which is a long stretch for me). So when I woke up this morning, my initial thought was that I would bake some muffins for the kiddos. As I went through my pantry, looking for some ingredient inspiration, I came across some dried figs, then dried cherries and raisins- both regular and golden- SCORE! I decided to soak the fruit in a little hot water and almond extract. I’m kind of a sucker for almond anything. I am also a big fan of texture- so I set aside some toasted silvered almonds as well…..YUMMMMMM!!!!!

Anyway, I decided to make scones instead of muffins. For whatever reason, I am either distinctly in the mood for a muffin or a scone- it’s not interchangeable. Anyone else weird like this? I pulled out my trusty Williams-Sonoma baking cook book and looked up my old scone recipe. Do you ever find yourself going back to the same recipe over and over? I have been using and modifying this scone recipe for years! It’s an oldy but goody.

If you are not familiar with making scones, it’s a similar concept to making a biscuit. You want to handle the dough as little as possible and you want to keep the butter and cream COLD. Keeping these cold will result in a tender scone, If you overwork/ over handle the dough, the result will be a tough scone. If you feel like you have handled the dough too much- pop the scone wedges in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before placing them in the oven.

Under the recipe and method (below) I have added a few tips on how to customize this recipe. So many options! If you are a fan of scones, try this recipe out and then test out some other options. Please let me know how it goes and how it turned out. I’m always eager to hear about other modifications I’ve never tried. Enjoy!

ALMOND CURRANT SCONES [VEGETARIAN]

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1/4 cups granulated white sugar

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into small cubes

• 3/4 cups heavy cream

• 1/4 cup toasted silvered almonds

• 1/2-3/4 cups of dried currants and fruits, roughly chopped. I used black figs, cherries, and raisins

• 2 tablespoons boiling water

• 2 tablespoons almond extract

• 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream

METHOD:

1.  Place chopped, dried fruit into a bowl. Add hot water and almond extract. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3.  Add the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to a food processor and pulse a few time to mix ingredients.

4. Add the butter and pulse about 8 times or just until the mixture forms large/ course crumbs.

5. Pour in the cream and pulse until just combines. Do not overmix.

6. Transfer the mixture to a floured surface and quickly arrange into a ball. Pat the ball down into a rough rectangular shape.

7. Strain the dried fruit well and pat out any excess moisture with a paper towel.

8. Add dried fruit and almond to top of dough. Fold dough edge over and lightly fold dough in half pressing in dried ingredients. Repeat fold 3-4 times units fruits are just incorporated. Work quickly to keep the butter and cream cold.

9. Flatten in an approximately 1/2” thick disk and place onto parchment. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal wedges. Separate the wedges leaving one inch of space between and brush with heavy cream.

10. Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips:

You can use the below ingredient list as a base for an excellent basic scone. 

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

2-3 tablespoon heavy cream (for topping)

Examples of great variations:

Cinnamon: Add a tablespoon of Cinnamon to the dry ingredients. (If you can find cinnamon chips add 1/4 cup!) After topping the finished scone with cream, add a cinnamon sugar topping.

Lemon Poppy: Add the zest of two lemons, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and two teaspoons poppy seeds to the dry/ wet ingredients. Top with cream as usual.

Blueberry: Add the zest of one lemon and fold in 1/2 Cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. Top with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Chocolate Chip: Fold in 1/2 Cup of chocolate chips. Top with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Coconut Raisin: Soak raisins in one tablespoon coconut extract & hot water as above. Fold in raisins. Top with cream and sprinkle with shredded coconut.

Cranberry Orange: Add the zest of one orange, one tablespoon of orange juice, and 1/2 of dried cranberries. Top with cream as usual.

The foundation of this recipe is quite versatile! Use your imagination and let me know how it goes!!