October 7
My freezer contents ebb and flow. I find that because our freezer isn’t so big, I have to intermittently stop myself from making freezable goods so that we can actually make our way through what is already there. At the moment, I am definitely in an ebb stage so I am free to make some stuff to hide away for a lazy day. One of my favourite things to have in the freezer are scones that you can have on hand for a special weekend breakfast. They taste just as good from the freezer compared to when you bake them straight after making them and even though they take some time to bake, you get a delicious pastry breakfast without any work, other than turning on the oven, in the moment.
When I was wracking my brain for a new scone filling, I went through all of the fruit that are available at the moment. I wasn’t feeling inspired until I thought of the dried apricots that have been sitting in my cupboard for a while. The combination with those, pistachios and dates was very intriguing to me and I had never made scones that weren’t loaded with fresh fruit, so I thought I would give it a go.
I couldn’t be happier with the result. I basically adapted these scones, which are always reliable but added some ground pistachios, some yogurt and of course, mounds of chopped dried fruit and nuts, which is a totally new experience for me. The scones ended up being the perfect texture and just sweet enough with bursts of chewy dried fruit generously scattered throughout. I thought that the whipped cream was an indulgent little addition. While it’s not necessary at all, it’s totally worth it if you have some whipping cream on hand. I loved the almond and vanilla extract, which pair really well with the pistachio in the scones.
If your apricots and dates are super dried out, rehydrate them in some hot water before chopping them up.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grind 1/3 cup (80g) pistachios in a food processor until finely ground but not a paste.
In a large bowl, combine ground pistachio, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Chop up your cold butter into small pieces and add to flour.
With your fingers, work the butter into the mixture until it starts to resemble wet sand. It's ok if there are still a few larger chunks of butter, it is important not to overwork the mixture.
Add egg, yogurt, dried fruit and chopped pistachios. Mix until just combined. The mixture should still be falling apart.
Dump mixture onto floured work surface and gently mold into a circle that is about 1 inch thick and about 6 inches in diameter. You may have to knead the mixture once or twice for it to come together. Be careful not to overwork it.
Cut into 6 equal triangles.
If you are freezing your scones, place on parchment lined baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag.
If you are cooking your scones immediately, brush scones with milk and sprinkle with coarse, demerara sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (turning the tray once in between for an even bake), or until golden brown.
If you are baking from frozen, add milk and demerara sugar right before baking and add a few minutes to your baking time.
Let cool on a cooling rack before serving. Serve with almond whipped cream.
In a bowl, whip cream using an electric whisker
When it starts to become soft peaks add sugar and extracts and whisk until thickened.
http://mysecondbreakfast.com/pistachio-and-dried-fruit-scones-recipe/Pistachio and dried fruit scones Recipe was last modified: October 7, 2014 by