TWD: Toasted Almond Scones

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
I love your Toasted Almonds
I love your Ground Almonds
I love your Chopped Almonds and Almond Extract too...

Sigh, Almond Scones are one of my favorite things so I was so excited when Mike of Living Out West selected them for Tuesdays with Dorie's weekly baking assignment.


The ingredients were typical scone stuff and came together beautifully, but as Dorie warned in her book the dough was very, very sticky. What a mess!!!


But I just floured my hand extra well, and voila, nice pretty wedges.


Oops, I forgot to separate the wedges before baking (I'm getting so forgetful in my old age), but they still came out looking pretty nice (or at least I thought so). Plus they puffed up like a Puffer Fish on steroids. Truly amazing. I guess it was all that baking powder in the mix :)


So how did they taste?

Well honestly I was just a little disappointed.

I have a horrendous sweet tooth and these scones had just a hint of sweetness. I guess I could have slathered it with jam, but I didn't have anything suitable (scone worthy) in the frig.

But I didn't despair. I had mixed a full batch and froze half the dough, so I'll bake up the second half and have another taste test this weekend. Yea, more scones. This time I'm gonna drench those little babies in Blackcurrant jam and Jersey Cream. I'll let you know how they taste.

TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection of Chocolate Oatmeal Drops (page 75) was made by Caroline and Claire of Bake With Us. Many thanks, Caroline and Claire. I was in desperate need of a chocolate fix.



Now I don’t know if I did something wrong, but my cookie dough was more like cake batter than Toll House slice-and-bake. The picture doesn't capture the true runnyness (sp) of the mix, but take my word for it, it almost oozed.


The cookies spread like crazy during baking, and at the suggested 12 minute baking time they came out a little crisp and singed around the edges. For the second batch I chilled the dough till it hardened and only baked them for 10 minutes.


They came out perfect. Nice domed cookies with very little spreading, crunchy outside with soft, chewy middle. Perfection.


Again, many thanks Caroline and Claire, and you too Dorie!