Cranberry Almond Scones
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Serves: makes 8 large scones
 
These scones are lightly crisp at the edges and tender inside, with just a tiny bit of chewiness from the almond paste. The fresh cranberries burst open in the oven and the little pops of tartness are great against the sweet almond scone. Before making this recipe, be sure to put your almond paste in the freezer well in advance so it's frozen solid when you're ready to use it!
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
  • 3 cups (380g.) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • ⅓rd cup (76g.) sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 6 TBSP (3oz.) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 7 oz. almond paste, frozen (I used this one)
  • ¾ cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
Wet ingredients:
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup milk, or almond milk
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice (can substitute white vinegar if you want)
  • ½ tsp. almond extract
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
For the top:
  • 1-2 TBSP milk, for brushing
  • 3-5 TBSP sliced almonds
  • 1-2 TBSP coarse sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silpat.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the first five dry ingredients (the flour to the salt). Add the cubed butter, and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter (or, transfer everything to a food processor and pulse a few times) until the butter is in pea-sized chunks.
  3. Grate the almond paste on the large-hole side of a box grated. Using your fingers, gently mix the shreds into the dry ingredients so each one is separate and coated with flour. Mix in the cranberries.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, and stir until everything is just evenly combined.
  5. Sprinkle some flour on your cutting board or counter, and turn the dough out of the bowl. Gently shape the dough into a mound, and pat the mound into a disc about 1 inch thick. (If you want to make twice as many smaller scones, you can split the dough in half and make two smaller discs.)
  6. Brush the top with milk, and sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds and sugar -- I like to gently pat the almonds into the top of the dough to make sure they stick. Using a long knife, divide the dough into 8 even triangles (like you would a pie).
  7. Place each scone on your prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch of space between them. Bake on the center rack for about 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown. (If you made smaller scones, reduce the baking time and keep a close eye on them.)
  8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before digging in. Scones are best eaten right away, while they are still a little warm and lightly crisp at the edges, but they will keep well for up to 4-5 days. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream, creme fraiche, or clotted cream.
Notes
Whenever I have leftover cranberries from a recipe like this, I sugar the extra. Making sugared cranberries is super easy, and the results are gorgeous for garnishing the plate. Plus, they're fun to eat! You can find the method for sugaring cranberries in the recipe notes for this recipe: Cranberry Orange Aperitifs


This recipe is adapted from these almond scones from Food52. Credit goes to them for the grated-almond-paste trick -- thanks, Judith Rae!
Recipe by Will Cook For Friends at https://www.willcookforfriends.com/2016/12/cranberry-almond-scones.html