In my earliest years, there was a tradition of making my mother breakfast on Mother’s Day. This involved going to the gourmet produce store to buy these particular black current scones. Scones were not something that were normally stocked in our household, so I associated them as grown up food that I had no interest in eating.
Scones are one of those baked goods that can be overlooked. Perhaps people favor them less than other baked goods because they are all too often hockey pucks: hard, crumbly and overloaded with sugar and cream.
On the other hand, a good scone is soft, a bit of crunch and a fine crumb. Plus, I like one that is not too sweet, so it can pair well with delicious toppings such as jam or fresh fruit. In this recipe, I use almond flour for flavor and also to reduce the gluten content, helping to produce the fine crumb and to avoid an overly doughy texture. A splash of pure maple syrup gives these scones just enough sweetness and pairs very well with the almond flavor. Finally, the cornmeal adds a delightful bit of crunch.
The Mother’s Day scone ritual also involved serving the scones with jam and fresh strawberries, so I decided to do the same with the scones in this recipe. I don’t recall ever having eaten a scone this way before, but the sweet raspberry jam and slight tart strawberry gave me a rush of nostalgia, cutting miniature roses in the garden for the breakfast tray.
Almond Scones
Makes Six Scones
- ½ cup (unsweetened) Soy Milk
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbs Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 tbs Canola Oil
- 1/8 tsp Almond Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 2 tbs Cornmeal
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 6 Raw Almonds
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a small bowl, mix the vinegar and soy milk. Let sit while preparing the dry ingredients.
- Sift together the flours, cornmeal and baking powder. Mix well in a large bowl.
- Mix the maple syrup, almond extract and salt into the soy milk, then add the oil and whisk until it is well emulsified.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry mix just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very thick, similar to biscuit dough.
- Transfer to a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and shape into a circle, about six inches in diameter. Cut the circle into 6 equal triangular pieces, then pull the pieces apart so there is at least an inch between each scone.
- Top each scone with one raw almond, gently pushing it into the dough. Bake the scones for 17–20 minutes: when they start to get a bit golden on top and are light brown on the bottom.
- Let cool completely on a cooling rack for best texture. Once cool, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prevent them from drying out.
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