We are sort of like the “scones are us” of food blogs, but we really do love making them and eating them and serving them to our summer guests at our cabin in Idaho. They are so versatile and can be made with so many different fresh or dried fruits. We actually had this delicious apricot scone at Medici Coffee in Austin and decided right then and there that we were going to have to make these ourselves.
What we didn’t plan on was making Apricot Scones with Amaretto icing, which turned out to be so incredibly delicious. You might say that, in moderation, adding a touch of alcohol like amaretto to breakfast treats can add flavor and be a special treat … but be sure to enjoy responsibly, especially in the morning! Maybe not with a shot of amaretto on the side! If you want to do that, you might consider these for dessert one night!
Scones are easy to make and can be frozen for months
When you get a chance to make a batch of scones, it’s a great idea to double the recipe or make two different kinds of scones and freeze some of them for later. You never know when an unexpected guest of neighbor will drop in for coffee! We usually do make a few batches and freeze them since we have a lot of summer guests stay with us and they’re usually up for a delicious breakfast before heading out for outdoor activities.
Apricot Scones with Amaretto Icing
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 oz. butter, chilled and cut into small 1/2-inch pieces (8 tbsp. or 1 stick, or 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup chopped dried apricots
- 3/4 cup milk or half and half – your choice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds (*optional)
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. Amaretto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425⁰. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.
- To rehydrate the apricots, place them in a small bowl. Pour about 1 cup of boiling water over them and allow this to sit for about 20 minutes. Strain or squeeze water out of currants before adding them to the dough.
- Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar into a bowl. Stir in brown sugar. Using a pastry cutter or cold fingertips, cut the butter pieces into the dries until the pieces of butter are like small peas. Stir in the chopped dried apricots.
- Add milk all at once and mix just until integrated. Turn dough onto floured cloth or board and gather into a ball. You may need to absorb a little of the extra flour for this step, but be careful to not over handle your dough. Use a very light touch. Remember, as our British au pair once told me, “The keys to good scones are cold hands and a warm heart!” 💕
- Roll the dough ball out to about 1 ¼ inch in thickness. Cut dough into 8 triangles for large scones, or 12 triangles for smaller scones. Or, you can also use a biscuit cutter dipped in flour if you prefer round scones.
- Place scones on prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until the tops begin to turn golden-brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before icing.
Make the Icing
- While the scones are baking, it’s time to make the icing. Simply blend the sifted powered sugar with the milk, almond extract and Amaretto using a whisk or fork. If it’s too runny, add a little more sugar, and if it’s too thick, then add more milk, a tiny bit at a time!
- Drizzle the icing over the cooled scones with a whisk and then top with sliced almonds. Reheat to serve, or serve at room temp. These scones store very well in the refrigerator or freezer, but just let the icing harden before you wrap them up to freeze.
Notes
- This is the pastry cutter we love best. It has a great non-slip handle and it’s very comfortable to use.
- You can also use dried cherries or cranberries in place of currants in this recipe.
- You may find that you need a little more or less milk than 3/4 cup. If so, just compensate by adding a little more milk or a tiny bit more flour to get to a soft dough that you can roll out. We find that different flours act differently and cause some variation in the amount of liquid they can absorb.