Fig-Orange-Almond Scones

My fig tree is finally starting to produce. I was starting to give up hope and considered cutting it down. It's been in the ground for five years and until now it's been a dud - beautiful, healthy leaves, but no ripe figs - nada, niente, nichts. Then last fall, my son pruned it back so hard it looked more like a giant slingshot than a tree. The tree must have realized it was close to becoming firewood, so it convinced me to spare it another year by producing three ripe figs so far. And there are still a couple dozen hanging on the branches waiting to ripen (if I'm lucky). I'm hopeful, but thankfully, I have "FWF" (that's "friends with figs") who are generous. So I made these scones -- and fig-port wine-pistachio ice cream too (for another post).

These scones were really good, but truthfully, the fig flavor isn't that pronounced. My friend and fellow food blogger Stacey Snacks recently made fig scones using dried figs and if you're looking for a more intense fig flavor, you should try her recipe here.

I'm an equal opportunity fig lover and will gladly take green or purple figs off your hands. But these purple figs are my favorite because of the beautiful color they impart to foods. Look how vibrant they look within this dough:

 Once you've patted the dough into a circle, sprinkle with more almonds and sugar (in this case, demarara or turbinado sugar - a light brown, partially refined sugar that has a natural caramel-like flavor). 

Using a knife, cut the circle of dough into eight wedges.

 Separate them for more even baking. 

 They're delicious as is, but you can gild the lily with a glaze if you're so inclined.

 And I was.

Fig-Orange-Almond Scones

printable recipe here

from the blog Passports and Pancakes

adapted from Chobani; makes 8 scones

 For the scones:

1 cup whole wheat flour (I used two cups all-purpose flour and left out the whole wheat flour)

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling your work surface

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons salted butter (1/2 stick) , cut into small cubes

1 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon almond extract





9 figs, stems removed, roughly chopped (a little over 1 cup)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling on top

Zest of 1 orange

Turbinado sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top)

Preheat
oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking
powder, and baking soda. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut butter into
flour mixture until it pea-sized clumps form throughout.

In a
small bowl stir the almond extract into the yogurt. Add the yogurt
mixture, figs, 1/2 cup almonds, and orange zest to the dough and stir
until just combined (do not over mix).

Form dough into a disk,
and turn out onto a generously floured work surface. Knead 3 to 4 times,
form into a circle. Top with the extra almond slices and turbinado
sugar, and then cut into 8 wedges.

Arrange wedges on a non-stick
baking sheet (or a parchment-lined regular baking sheet) and bake until
golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Mine took longer to bake.)  Let cool slightly on a cooling rack and
top with orange glaze before serving (recipe below). Will keep, covered,
in the fridge for a few days.

For the glaze: 

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Juice and zest of 1 orange

Whisk together the ingredients until combined. Serve with fig-orange-almond scones. Enjoy!