Vanilla almond scones

A simple starter scone recipe

I find that people can either take or leave scones. I personally enjoy them and their dry, dense, buttery yumminess. But then there are people like my dad who say they've never liked scones. I wish he'd told me that before I made them as a traveling treat for my mom's birthday. Oh, and he isn't big into almond extract either. (Good thing it wasn't his birthday!)

But I'm happy to report that this simple recipe made a believer out of my dad and other family members who had been on the fence about scones. "You can make these any time," I heard more than once. The original recipe called for raisins, which I ignored in favor of vanilla and almond extracts. But really this dough is a great base for fruit and nut fillings of your choice; maybe you could even omit the sugar and add savory fixings like garlic, cheddar cheese, and chives. Happy experimenting!

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VANILLA ALMOND SCONES

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, frozen or nearly frozen
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
sugar for garnish

WHAT YOU'LL DO:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl or food processor, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If using a food processor, add cubed butter to the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, then transfer to a large bowl. If not using a food processor, grate frozen butter into the mixture and use a fork and/or your hands to combine.

2. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, egg, and vanilla & almond extracts until smooth. Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture and add the liquid. Use a fork to mix until just combined, then use your hands to press the dough together. The dough might be sticky in some spots and crumbly in others - that's okay!

3. Lightly flour a surface (I used a cutting board) and turn the dough onto it. Press the dough into a rectangle or circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the dough into triangles or other shape of your choice. Place the cut dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle the top of each shape with a bit of sugar. Bake until golden, about 10 to 17 minutes (depending on your oven and the size of your scones). Serve once cooled to the touch, or at room temperature. 

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As always when working with dough like this: Don't overmix! Make sure you have enough flour on your work surface when you turn out the dough. I found that the dough was still rather sticky when I tried to transfer my triangles to the baking sheet - but I used a spatula to carefully and gently lift the dough from the floured surface. If the shape goes wonky during transfer, you can press it back into shape once you place it on the baking sheet. For the sugar topping, I used a mixture of granulated and raw sugar.