Vegan Treats for Two: Almond Paste Scones

Last Thursday I shared a recipe that makes me feel happy things. Today I'm doing the same!


These almond paste scones are such a treat! Well, it's the almond paste bits inside the scones that I consider a treat because almond paste is expensive. I always hoard boxes of it whenever I find it on sale somewhere because I can't bring myself to pay full price for it. I think the regular price at our grocery store is over seven bucks. Ouch! But the nice thing about baking tiny batches of things is that one box of almond paste can last quite a while. The almond paste that I use is by Odense. They also make marzipan but it has more sugar and fewer almonds than the almond paste.

These are crusty on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside with random bits of gooey almond paste all over. They are also flavored with almond extract and they have a few almond slices on top. Honestly, I don't usually bother with the almond slices but because these look pretty generic and unimpressive without them I thought I'd throw some on there for the photos. I could take them or leave them!


Almond Paste Scones for Two

50 g almond paste
60 g flour
20 g refined coconut oil
15 g sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
40 g full-fat coconut milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
a little extra coconut milk and sugar for the top
a few almond slices, optional

1. These baking directions are for the Cuisinart TOB-60. You'll probably need to experiment with your toaster oven settings to get the best results. Preheat the toaster oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) on the BAKE setting and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.*

2. Cut the almond paste into about 1/3 inch squares and set aside. I always keep my almond paste frozen so cutting it is easier and less sticky.

3. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour and coconut oil and use a dough blender or a large fork to mash the oil into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. This will take a minute or two.

4. Add the sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix well.

5. Throw in the almond paste bits and toss them in the flour mixture to coat them well.

6. Add the coconut milk, vanilla, and almond extract and use a large spoon to stir quickly until just combined. It should only take about nine or ten strokes with the spoon.

7. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface (I use a bamboo chopping board as my work surface) and shape into a circle about four inches wide and 3/4 inch high. Try not to handle the dough too much, just plop it on the surface, pat it down a bit to flatten the top and use your palms to shape the blob of dough into a circle.

8. Brush a bit of coconut milk all over the top of the dough and sprinkle a little sugar all over it. About a teaspoon of sugar will do. If you're doing the almond slices, pop them on top of the sugar and very gently press them down into the dough.

9. Use a large knife to cut the circle of dough into four triangles and transfer each one onto the prepared baking sheet.

10. Bake for 12 minutes, then switch to BROIL and bake (still at 315 degrees) for an extra three or four minutes. Your oven may be different than mine. Keep a close eye on the scones especially during the broiling time because the parchment paper may burn! If your oven is well behaved and things often get browned on the top without having to broil them, you can just bake these at 375 for 15 or 16 minutes. Mine needs a little help and I need to broil them to brown them.


IMPORTANT: I bake these in my toaster oven. Most parchment papers come with a warning that says something like "not for use in toaster ovens", because parchment paper is flammable and the heating elements inside toaster ovens could potentially start a fire. The instruction manual/recipe booklet that came with my toaster oven calls for the use of parchment paper in some of the recipes, therefore I have assumed that it's safe to use parchment paper in my toaster oven, but you should do your own research and decide for yourself if you think it will be safe for you to use parchment paper in your little oven. If you can't find the info in your manual, contact the manufacturer and ask them if it is safe to use parchment paper in your toaster oven! And keep an eye on it in case it starts to burn even if the manual says it's OK to use parchment paper!


NOTES:

. All the ingredients are weighed, even the liquids, and I'm using the metric system. Grams are more convenient than ounces or cups when it comes to baking tiny batches of things. I use a digital Scale which has a handy "tare" button that lets me reset the weight after I add each ingredient.Screw you, unreliable cups and tablespoons! Except for baking soda and salt and all those tiny pinches of things. For those I use my tiny 1/8 tsp from my set of Wilton measuring spoons.

. I bake everything in a Cuisinart TOB-60 toaster oven. You may need to experiment with your toaster oven to get the best result.




Do you see the pieces of almond paste? Maybe not. They are almost the same color as the crumb! They are like invisible little bites of joy, but they are there and they are delicious. I really hope you love these as much as I do if you get a chance to make them!

See you tomorrow!

P.S: Susan, my deepest, most sincere apologies!


Comments

  1. Replies
    1. YAY! I hope you didn't have to squint too hard! :P

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  2. Oh, you know me so well. <3 I laughed.
    I've never been able to find almond paste here, just marzipan. I probably need to go and look at the fancy deli type stores, so I can only imagine the cost! I wouldn't mind finding it at least once, because I have some recipes that call for it.

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    1. I always feel like a jerk when I share a recipe that calls for coconut oil with no substitutions. And this one has coconut milk too! Double whammy! :D

      I hope you can find some almond paste that won't cost you a vital organ! It's so yummy. But I also think that if it was really cheap, like a buck a box, I wouldn't appreciate it as much because I'd be used to it and it wouldn't be special anymore. At least that's what I tell myself! :)

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