recipe: almond berry scones

you guys, i am so excited right now. allow me to introduce my first regular guest contributor to avery street design blog (drum roll please): pastry chef bethany moser!

since beginning this blog two things have become obvious to me: 1) desserts may be my love language, and 2) i need someone to teach me how to make more of them.

it just so happens that bethany, who is my darling cousin, is also a professional pastry chef for maggianos (drool). and after seeing time and again the incredible baked goods she posts to facebook, i knew she needed to write for me.

i was thrilled when she agreed to come on board and share her recipes, tips and expertise with us, and her first post looks so delectable, i am headed out to buy the ingredients NOW. these almond berry scones will be the perfect lazy saturday morning treat this weekend. enjoy!

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Hi!

My name is Bethany and I am a foodie! So here I am to share - with YOU - one of my favorite scone recipes that I've created!



- EQUIPMENT -

^ Before anything, collect the following pieces of equipment (the mise en place bowls are optional):



^ Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees

- INGREDIENTS -



- 1 cup all-purpose flour + more for dusting
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces

^ Combine in your medium bowl the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar - mix together these dry ingredients.
^ Next add the cold butter pieces and using a pastry cutter blend the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are the size of large peas.




- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup cold heavy cream
- 1/4 cup cold whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract (Nielsen Massey Pure Almond is the best)
^ Mix together the egg, heavy cream, whole milk, and pure almond extract - till the egg is blended well.
^ Add the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a spoon until just barely blended.




- 1 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen)
- 1/2 cup black berries (or frozen)

^ Toss together the toasted sliced almonds, blueberries, and blackberries into the dough.

^ (This next part is very important - it is a 6-step process that layers the cold butter so that the scones will puff up beautifully!) *



1) pour the dough onto a lightly flour dusted surface & pat out the dough
2) gently fold the dough over half
3) fold the dough over half once more
4) pat out the dough into an 8” circle (about 1” thick)
5) take your sharp bench scrapper and cut the dough into 8 pieces
6) 8 even pieces!



^ Spread the scones out on a wax paper lined cookie tray.



^ Bake the scones for 15-20 minutes, till the scones begin to slightly turn brown.

^ ENJOY the scones warm with your favorite hot beverage!



- OPTIONAL: Amaretto Glaze -

- 1/2 cup amaretto
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
^ Whisk together these two ingredients and drizzle over the cooled scones

^ Top with toasted sliced almonds.



* Hot Point:
It is important to keep the butter cold from cutting into the flour to putting the scones into the oven. The picture below shows the difference of two scones - one baked with cold butter (on the left) and the other scone baked with warm butter (on the right).

I hope you enjoy!

TaTa!

Bethany

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well, if you aren't hungry now, there is something very, very wrong with you. (or you just ate a mcdonald's value meal). either way, i hope you'll join me in whipping these up this weekend. bethany and i would love to hear how they turn out for you!