Almond scones

From ceejayoz

First made Christmas 2008. We omitted the almond extract as we didn't remember to buy any - didn't seem to suffer! A Williams-Sonoma recipe.

[edit] Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds, finely ground, plus 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs. half-and-half

[edit] Preparation

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and sea salt and whisk until well blended. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or 2 table knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and almond extract. Stir into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened.
3. Turn the dough out on a floured board, form it into a ball and knead a few times just until smooth. Pat into a disk about 1 inch thick and cut into 12 equal wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared pan, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush the tops lightly with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle each wedge with about 1 tsp. of the sliced almonds.
4. Bake until the scones are golden brown on the bottoms and lightly golden on the tops, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm, with honey or jam. Makes 6 about large scones.