I’ve been eating these Almond Poppyseed Scones for breakfast, snack, and dessert for the past week, and I’ve loved every bite! Scones are one of my favorite baked goods, and are the perfect anytime pastry. They’re not overly sweet, are easy to make, and bake quickly. These scones are flavored with almond extract, poppyseeds, and covered with a sweet powdered sugar glaze.
Tips for the Best Almond Poppyseed Scones
Keep the Butter Cold
The most important thing to remember when baking scones is to keep the butter cold! If the dough gets too warm, the butter will melt too quickly and the scones will spread while baking. For best results, I’d recommend using frozen butter. I like to cut the butter before doing anything else and then put the small cubes into the freezer to get extra cold.
Cutting Butter into Flour
To cut the butter into the flour and form a crumbly texture with small pieces of butter throughout, you can use a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands. My personal favorite way to make scones is to use my hands. I use my fingertips to rub the pieces of butter into the flour until coarse crumbs form. It’s important to work quickly and not handle the butter too much so that it does not get warm.
Don’t Overmix
To get the lightest scone possible, don’t overmix the dough. Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry, it should only take a few stirs to pull the dough together. It will still be slightly crumbly and dry in places, but should stay in one piece. Overstirring will toughen the dough and prevent a flaky crumb from forming. Additionally, overworking the dough increases the chance that the butter will warm or melt before going into the oven.
Bake at a High Temperature
Baking the scones at a high temperature will also prevent them from spreading and help form a crisp top and flaky interior. Baking them at a high temperature allows the outer crust to set before the butter fully melts. This creates the cripsy outer layer and the light, fluffy inside. If your oven temperature is too low, the butter will melt before a crust forms, which will result in dense, thin scones that have spread.
These Almond Poppyseed Scones are buttery, slightly sweet, and have the perfect amount of crunch. You’ll be surprised at how quickly they come together – it’s the perfect recipe for a weekend breakfast or brunch! Enjoy!
Almond Poppyseed Scones
Ingredients
Almond Poppyseed Scones
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp poppyseeds
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed cold
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup whole milk cold
Almond Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- ¼ tsp almond extract optional
Instructions
Almond Poppyseed Scones
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppyseeds until everything is evenly distributed.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the cold milk and the almond extract into the butter and flour mixture. Stir until the mixture is just moistened and starts to come together.
- Divide the dough into two balls. One at a time, turn the dough balls out onto a floured surface and press into a circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges.
- If the butter in the scones is beginning to get warm, be sure to chill the scones before baking.
- Place the scones onto the baking sheet, making sure to leave some space between them.
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown along the edges and tops of the scone.
- Let cool on a baking rack or plate before glazing.
Almond Glaze
- In a bowl, mix milk, powdered sugar, and almond extract until a smooth mixture is formed. If you would like it more thick, add a bit more powdered sugar. If you like a thinner glaze, add a little more milk.
- Once scones are cool, drizzle with glaze and allow to set. Enjoy!