Raspberry Almond Scones

Raspberry and almond is a really lovely combination of flavors and my Raspberry Almond Scones are tender, buttery and soft with sweet almond flavor, toasted almonds and juicy raspberries. My method for making scones is different from the rest because I do not use cold butter. In fact, I use soft, cool butter so it incorporates evenly into the dry ingredients for softness and tenderness. Cold butter may lead to flakiness, but that flakiness will turn into dryness and denseness once they cool. A flaky texture is beneficial and desired in crisp desserts like pastries that get baked until golden throughout but can lead to dryness if baked for optimal tenderness. Try my method and I think you will love these! If you enjoy making scones, check out my popular Lemon Blueberry Scones as well.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Soft and tender texture - this recipe makes very soft, moist and tender scones. They are certainly not dry!
• Soft butter scones - my method for making scones is different from the rest because I do not use cold butter. Read my Expert Baking Tips below to learn the science behind why soft butter is best for scones.
• Fresh raspberry scones - fresh raspberries burst with flavor and pair with dark chocolate so well. Check my tip below for how to ensure the raspberries don't mash up completely into the dough.
• Toasted almonds - each scone is topped generously with sliced almonds before baking which toast up and give the most incredible fragrance and crunchy topping.

INGREDIENTS FOR RASPBERRY ALMOND SCONES

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour will work fine in this recipe because I use soft butter. If you want an extra tender scone, you can use half cake & pastry flour which has a lower protein content (higher starch content) and finer particle size.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these scones moist and helps develop the golden top. You also don't need a lot of sugar to make scones because they are meant to be just lightly sweet.
• Baking powder - make sure it is fresh. Scones use quite a lot of baking powder as it is the only leavening agent that will give rise to them and help create a tender texture.
• Unsalted butter - I like to make scones with unsalted butter for a smooth creamy taste. You can still make this recipe with salted butter, but then reduce the added salt by half.
• Eggs - one large egg will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.

• Yogurt - this adds rich dairy notes and tanginess, while also adding fat to contribute further to tenderness. Make sure you use thick full fat yogurt. I prefer Greek yogurt for this recipe because its high protein content and thick texture will control the consistency of the dough. You can also substitute with full fat sour cream.
• Milk - you can use whole milk or light cream to make these.
• Almond extract - a little goes a long way. You only need ½ teaspoon.
• Almond flour - this is optional if you have it and will make even more tender scones while adding more almond flavor. See my notes in the recipe card below to know how to incorporate it into the recipe.
• Raspberries - I recommend fresh raspberries for scones, and then flash freeze them for just 30 minutes to firm them up. This helps to prevent them from mashing up into the dough ask you incorporate them. Fully frozen berries can bleed and cause grey streaks in the dough. They will also be more shriveled so you won't get a nice juicy pop of berry. You can use it if it is all you have access too, and in this case I would try to make sure they are newly frozen and not temperature abused. If you do use frozen berries, do not thaw them.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Blend dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• STEP 2). Blend in butter. Add butter and rub it in with your fingertips or use a hand mixer until it resembles coarse crumbs and it is well incorporated. Make sure there are no large lumps of butter.
• STEP 3). Combine wet ingredients. Whisk together milk, egg, yogurt and almond extract in a small bowl.
• STEP 4). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Fold together gently using a spatula until just moistened enough to come together.
• STEP 5). Mix in berries. Add the raspberries and fold them in. Do not over-mix. The dough will be quite soft and sticky but resist adding more flour.

• STEP 6). Form the dough. Generously dust your work surface with flour and turn the mixture out onto it. Fold it over just once or twice (max!) - do not knead. Sprinkle the soft sticky dough with more flour and pat it down into an 8-inch circle pressing in loose bits as necessary. Brush off excess flour with a pastry brush and then cut into 8 wedges.
• STEP 7). Brush with cream and top with almonds. Transfer each scone to a parchment lined baking tray and brush tops lightly with cream or milk. Sprinkle generously with sliced almonds and coarse sugar.
• STEP 8). Bake for 5 minutes. Lower oven temperature and continue baking for until evenly golden on top and on the bottom. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.
• STEP 9). Make the glaze if you wish. Mash the raspberries until smooth, then add powdered sugar and cream in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. It should be opaque pink and quite thick but thin enough to drizzle. Spoon it generously over each scones. Let it set for about 14 minutes and enjoy!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Blend in the butter. We're not making pastry, we're making scones so we don't want lumps or "pea-sized" pieces of butter in the flour. You want the butter to be evenly incorporated into the flour so that it coats the flour particles and becomes evenly dispersed for a soft, tender texture.
• Use "cool" butter. This is probably the opposite of what you have seen in most scone recipes that require cold butter... specifically "rub the cold butter into the flour so it is the size of small peas". Leaving cold butter in large bits in the scone dough will leave you with flaky yet dry scones that are only enjoyable when they are warm and fresh from the oven. Cool butter (not warm and seeping, but not straight from the fridge) mixes in easily and also makes the softest texture because it incorporates evenly and coats the flour particles to protect the proteins from hydrating and developing gluten which is what makes scones dry and tough. Butter that is cold will just melt out of the scones and we want the butter blended right in to soften the texture. Cold butter is for pastry that is baked until crisp and browned when the layers of flour toast up between layers of butter. In a scone dough, the flour will taste raw if it is not over-baked, and then they will stale quickly since the flour is not protected by fat.
• Do not over-mix the dough. Once the flour is mostly combined (with a few light streaks), then the dough is ready for patting and folding. Just flour the dough and use your hands in a cupped shape to bring the dough together and pat it out into a rectangle. You can fold it over itself once or twice, but do not knead!
• Flash freeze the berries. When using fresh raspberries, they are very soft and will mash into the dough as you mix and leach water into the dough to ruin the texture of the scones. To prevent this, place the berries on a lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes just to firm them up.
• Fold the berries in gently. Mixing too vigorously will cause juices from the berries to bleed and can cause the batter to turn grey.
• Brush with milk or cream before baking. This will prevent them from drying out excessively and also helps promote a nice golden brown top. That's because the milk proteins react with the milk sugars in a process called "Maillard browning" to create a brown color and caramel-like flavors.

RECIPE FAQ

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