Tender Almond Croissant Scones

My Almond Croissant Scones are the best thing that ever came out of my oven. They bake into buttery, tender scones topped with generous layer of rich, creamy almond paste and a shower of sliced almonds that turn beautifully golden in the oven. If you are a fan of almond recipes, you’re going to be obsessed.

Almond Croissant is my favorite breakfast pastry, well it used to be until I baked these ones.

When I though about baking the scones with a thick layer of almond paste, I figured it would be a nice touch. Little did I know it would turn them into one of the best things I’ve ever baked. The combination of a tender, buttery, crumbly scones with the rich, creamy, yet surprisingly light almond paste is nothing short of magical.

What I Learned When Recipe Testing

Classic scone dough relies on a few pantry ingredients and two very important rules: keep the ingredients cold, and never mix or knead the dough. Do these two and you are pretty much guaranteed to bake the perfect scones.

But these ones are topped with a rich scoop of almond paste, which weighs the dough down. My first test baked into a denser, shorter pastry, so I increased the baking powder to a full tablespoon. It made all the difference: the scones baked light and crumbly, with enough lift that I could even see those beautiful flaky layers.

The Almond Paste Layer: To make sure the almond cream does not melt and drip down the sides of the scones,I increased the amount of almond flour in the recipe. The extra dry ingredient limits the butter’s ability to spread the paste so instead of melting a way, the almond cream stays in lace and bakes into a beautiful golden-brown crisp-shell.

Serve Warm

This is just a recommendation and the pastries can be stored at room temperature for up to 48 hours.

But, they are best when served warm out of the oven, the top is stil crisp, while the cream is soft and creamy. If you need to make them ahead, just assemble the night before, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

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Tender Almond Croissant Scones

My Almond Croissant Scones are the best thing that ever came out of my oven. They bake into buttery, tender scones topped with generous layer of rich, creamy almond paste and a shower of sliced almonds that turn beautifully golden in the oven. If you are a fan of almond recipes, you're going to be obsessed.

Servings 8 Scones

Author Dikla Levy Frances

Ingredients

Almond Scones

• 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted butter cold
• 1/2 Cup Half and half, cold
• 1 Large Cold egg
• 1 teaspoon Almond extract
• 2 Cups (240g) All-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking powder
• 1/3 Cup (70g) Sugar
• 1/2 Cup (40g) Toasted sliced almonds

Almond paste

• 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 Cup (60g) Powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Almond extract
• 1 Large Egg at room temperature
• 2 Cups (225g) Almond flour
• 1/2 Cup (60g) Sliced almonds

Instructions

• Use a vegetable grater to grate the butter (113g), then refrigerate.
• Pour the half-and-half (120ml) into a measuring cup, then mix in the cold egg (1) and almond extract (1 teaspoon). Refrigerate.
• Measure the flour (240g), baking powder (1 tablespoon), sugar (70g) and sliced almonds (40g). Use a fork to blend.
• Top the flour mixture with the cold grated butter, then use your hands to toss the butter into the flour mixture.
• Use your hands to rub the butter into the flour mixture, until the mixture is resembles a damp sand.
• Pour about 1/2 of the cold liquids over the flour-butter mixture, then use a fork to toss the flour and hydrate it.
• Dump the mixture over a clean work surface, then use your hands to press the crumbly mixture into a rough 8-inch circle.
The dough might stick to the surface, so you can shape the circle over a large pan lined with parchment paper. Or, use a bread scraper to transfer it to the pan.
• Refrigerate the disk while your oven is preheating to 400°F. Make the almond paste.

Almond Paste

• Cream the butter (113g() with the powdered sugar (60g) and the almond extract (1 teaspoon).
• Mix in the egg.
• Mix in the almond flour (225g), until you have a thick, spreadable paste.
• Remove the disk from the refrigerator and use a knife to slice it into 8 triangle scoens.
• Transfer the scones to a large baking pan lined with parchment paper.
• Brush each scone with the leftover liquid.
• Use a medium (1.5-2 tablespoon) cookie scoop, to top each scones with the almond paste. Use the back of a spoon to spread it over the surface.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle each scone with the sliced almonds. Return to the oven and bake for additional 5 minutes.
• Serve warm.