Marzipan Scones

My husband makes fun of me because I can't remember important things...like his phone number...but I can vividly remember memories involving food.  I can remember tastes from my childhood - not all good ones...spaghetti o's in a can...Vienna sausages in a can...how did I ever like those things?  I remember food, of all things-that is what my brain is hardwired to do!  Go figure!

I was thinking of these yummy almond marzipan scones my sister's friend made her one time while I was visiting.  I often think of how yummy they were and how I needed to recreate them one day.  Well thank goodness, that day has come!  I found a recipe I liked, but simplified it and changed it up a little.  I was super pleased with the end product and will be making them again!

Marzipan is a delicious combination of ground almonds and sugar that is made into a paste.  In pastry school we made marzipan and it was quite easy, but these days I allow myself to take more shortcuts in my cooking since I am limited on time and more importantly...energy!  I have to confess, these 3 scones sat on my counter for 3 days before I had time to photograph them...hopefully you cannot detect their staleness through the screen : )

If you are English, I apologize for the shape of my scones.  I know this is not the traditional shape of a scone - but taking out the "rolling them out onto a counter" part saves so much clean up time, and honestly they taste the same to me! 

Make these scones.  Sit down to a cup of coffee or tea with a friend.  Imagine you are at a little roadside cafe in Paris.  Eat the scones.  You are welcome.

Marzipan Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter - cold and cubed

1 large egg

1 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup buttermilk (or cream, I used buttermilk)

7 oz package almond paste (marzipan) chopped into small chunks the size of peas

2 TBS chopped almonds

Glaze (optional)

4 TBS powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp milk

Preheat the oven to 400°F.*  Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper - set aside.

Chop up the marzipan into pea sized pieces, set aside.

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large stand mixing bowl and mix to combine.

With the mixer running on low speed - Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and mix until coarse meal. (or if you don't have a stand mixer - cut the butter in with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.)  Once the butter is mixed in nicely, add the chopped marzipan and mix for a few seconds.

in separate small bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and almond extract.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture to brush the top of the scones later.

With mixer on low, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones- mix just a few seconds - you don't want to over mix it, and there will be dry bits still.  Remove from stand and using a spoon or spatula combine a little bit more.

Scoop batter into 12 racquetball size clumps and place onto pan...I used a large ice cream scoop to do this.  Using your fingers or a pastry brush, lightly brush the reserved TBS of liquid over the tops of the scones.  Sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Bake 15-18 minutes until lightly browned - watch the bottoms - don't let them get too dark.

Allow to cool  completely.  Mix together the powdered sugar and milk.  Drizzle evenly over cooled scones.  I just pour the glaze into a small plastic bag and cut a tip out of one of the bottom corners - or you can put it in a parchment paper piping bag.

*Our gas oven is way hotter then my old electric one, so I always heat my oven 15 degrees less then what a recipe calls for - so for this recipe I actually heated my oven to 385 degrees.  You do what is best for your oven : )