Whole Wheat Scones with Cherries and Almonds

Oldest daughter Kate and her special friend came home for the weekend to admire the foliage, sleep late in a quiet country environment, and knosh well without eating out in restaurants. After stuffing them full of Sicilian Caponata, Chicken Piccata, salad, bread and plenty of wine on Friday evening, I thought we'd go light on Saturday breakfast ... coffee and a scone and then a nice walk about in the New England splendor!

Kate was duly impressed by my latest vintage find and it fit the theme of the weekend.

Longest Covered Bridge in the World

Soon, there were nice hot scones plopped on the plate and hot mugs of coffee in hand. Yup, Saturday morning in the grey cottage was an easy affair. These are a plain and simple scone, reminiscent of soda bread. I served them with a bowl of chilled honey butter as they came from the oven ... they were healthy and delicious.

Whole Wheat Scones with Cherries and Almonds

 

Ingredients:

1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour, plus a bit more for kneading and shaping

3 tbsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold butter
⅔ c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
½ c. slivered almonds
¾ c. dried cherries

Making the Scones:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 ° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Measure the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix well.
3. Place the buttermilk and eggs in a large measuring cup and whisk to break the eggs and mix them into the buttermilk. Set aside.
4. Cut the cold butter into small chunks and pulse it into the dry ingredients until the mix is crumbly.
5.  Add the buttermilk and pulse until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl and a shaggy dough is formed.
6. Add the cherries and almonds and pulse a few times to mix them into the dough ball.
7. Flour a cool kneading surface.
8. Turn the dough and any remaining flour out of the processor bowl and flour your hands.
9. Quickly and gently knead the dough a dozen times, bringing it into a circular ball.
10. Press the dough out to a circle about 9 inches in diameter.
11. Use a pizza cutter or a long palette knife to cut the dough into wedges and transfer to the cookie sheet.
12. Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are golden and quite firm … they should be puffed and have some give to them when poked gently.
13. Serve warm with butter and cherry jam or honey butter or maple butter.

 

This time of year seems tailor made for taking killer photos ... here are some of the highlights of our day out and about.

 

 

 

Mount Ascutney in the Clouds

 



 

 

 

Birch Allée at Aspet in Cornish, New Hampshire

 

 

 

 

The Covered Bridge at Cornish, New Hampshire

 



 

 

 

Spent Corn and Fall Meadows in Walpole, New Hampshire