• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Curly Girl Kitchen
  • about
  • faqs
  • recipes
  • portfolio
  • work with me
  • contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

High Altitude Almond Cream Cheese Scones

April 29, 2021 by Heather Smoke 17 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

My love of almond pastries runs deep, and if you love sweet almond breakfast treats as much as I do, you’ll adore these high altitude almond scones. They’re incredibly soft and tender, made with cream cheese and sweetened with almond paste. A drizzle of almond icing is the perfect sweet finish, and chopped almonds add crunch and more almond flavor. These scones are so easy to make, and simply fantastic with a cup of coffee. And be sure to see the recipe variations section below for adding chocolate chips or strawberries to today’s almond scone recipe.

You might also love this almond biscotti, flourless almond cake, and almond poppy seed muffins.

Almond cream cheese scones sprinkled with almonds, on a white plate.

This site contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links.  This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services.  All opinions expressed on this site are my own.

Why You’ll Love These Scones

  • Soft, moist and tender. Scones have a reputation for being dry, crumbly and tasteless, but not these. The cream cheese and almond paste in the biscuit dough keeps them so moist and soft.
  • Almond paste. If you love almond desserts and breakfast pastries, you’ll probably agree with me that almond paste is one of the most delicious ingredients there is.
  • Easy to make. The biscuit dough comes together quickly and easily, and then you simply need to pat it out onto a baking sheet to bake. If you have a scone pan, you can use that with this recipe, too.
An almond scone with a bite taken.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Scones

  • All-Purpose Flour. Gives the dough strength and structure.
  • Baking Powder. Leavens the scones so they’re light and fluffy.
  • Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
  • Cream Cheese. Adds fat and richness, for a soft, tender scone.
  • Almond Paste. Contributes sweetness, as well as a strong almond flavor. But sure to use almond paste, not almond pastry filling.
  • Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
  • Milk. Moistens the dough and binds it together.

Icing

  • Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the icing.
  • Almond Extract. Flavor.
  • Milk. Thins the icing to desired consistency.
  • Chopped Almonds. Crunch and texture.
Almond cream cheese scones arranged on a white platter.

Instructions

Make the dough.

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F, and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Scatter the chunks of cream cheese over the flour, and use your hands to crumble the almond paste over the flour. Drizzle with the vanilla. Use a pastry cutter to combine everything into a crumbly mixture, and the pieces of cream cheese and almond paste are no bigger than 1/4 inch. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, just use your hands to rub the cream cheese and almond paste into the flour mixture.
  • Add the milk, and stir just until moistened into a soft, sticky dough.

Shape and cut the scones.

  • Lightly dust the parchment paper with flour, and scrape the dough onto the paper. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, and use your hands to gently pat and shape the dough into a thick disk about 8 inches in diameter.
  • Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges, but don’t separate the wedges. The dough is sticky, and you’ll need to dip the knife in flour in between cuts.
The dough for almond cream cheese scones, patted into a disk on a baking sheet.
The dough for almond cream cheese scones, cut into wedges on a baking sheet.

Bake.

  • Bake the scones on the center oven rack for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, and cut the scones again, then nudge them apart. While cutting the scones in this step, the center of the dough can still be a bit sticky since it’s not cooked through yet. It’s easiest to cut the scones with something nonstick, like a silicone spatula.
  • Return the pan to the oven and bake the scones for 5 more minutes, until cooked through. Set aside while you make the icing.
Almond cream cheese scones on a baking sheet.
Almond cream cheese scones, sprinkled with chopped almonds.

Drizzle with the icing.

  • Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk until you have a smooth, thick drizzling consistency.
  • Drizzle the icing over the hot scones. Immediately, before the icing sets, sprinkle with the chopped almonds.
  • Cool for several minutes, then serve warm.

Recipe Variations

Almond Chocolate Chip Scones

  • These almond scones are so good with chocolate chips! I suggest using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, rather than milk chocolate.
  • Add about 1/2 cup chocolate chips to the dough, right before you stir in the milk. After drizzling the icing over the scones, immediately sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips for decoration.

Strawberry Almond Scones

  • To make almond scones with strawberries, you don’t want to use fresh or frozen strawberries. Fresh or frozen berries contain too much water, and will add excessive moisture to the biscuit dough. The berries can also turn mushy and pale when baked, and will make your scones soggy. So the key to making perfect strawberry scones is to use freeze-dried strawberries. These add tart bits of strawberry flavor all throughout the scones, without any additional liquid. Target has a great selection of freeze dried fruit, and you could even use raspberries instead of strawberries.
  • Add about 1 ounce freeze dried strawberries (roughly chopped or broken) to the dough, right before you stir in the milk. After drizzling the icing over the scones, immediately decorate the top of the scones with more freeze dried strawberries, before the icing sets. (Note that you should not decorate the top of the scones with freeze dried strawberries before baking, as they will turn brown or burn.)
Strawberry almond cream cheese scones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are scones the same as biscuits?

Depending on where you’re from, scones and biscuits can mean different things. In American English, what we know as biscuits (the fluffy, flaky, and usually savory quick bread that’s made of flour, baking powder, butter, salt and milk) are actually called scones in British English. And what we call cookies would be known in the UK as biscuits. In the US, though, scones refer to a sweet version of a biscuit, sometimes containing fruit, and usually drizzled with icing.

Is almond paste the same thing as almond pastry filling?

Not at all. While both contain finely chopped almonds and sugar, they have very different textures and uses. Almond paste is very thick and crumbly, best used in crumb toppings, doughs and cookies. Almond cake and pastry filling is thinner in consistency, and spreadable like jam, used as a filling, like in my apricot almond cake, or in this chocolate almond tart.

What if I can’t find almond paste?

You could try making your own! It’s a simple mixture of finely ground almonds, sugar and water.

Can I bake these in a scone pan?

Yes, you can bake these almond scones in a scone pan for a perfectly uniform shape.

Can I add chopped almonds to the dough?

Of course, you can stir some chopped almonds into the dough mixture before stirring in the milk. I’ve also added chocolate chips to these, for some delicious chocolate chip almond scones.

Almond cream cheese scones sprinkled with almonds, on a white plate.

You Might Also Like

Cardamom almond star bread surrounded by Christmas cards and ornaments.
Cardamom Almond Star Bread
Almond poppy seed muffins, piled on top of a cooling rack.
Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
Slices of chocolate almond tart, sprinkled with chopped chocolate and almonds.
Chocolate Almond Tart
Flourless almond cake, cut into slices.
Flourless Almond Cake

Favorite Products


Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!

Almond cream cheese scones sprinkled with almonds, on a white plate.

High Altitude Almond Cream Cheese Scones

Heather Smoke
Soft and tender almond scones, made with cream cheese and sweetened with almond paste, with an almond drizzle and chopped almonds.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings8 scones

Equipment

  • Pastry Cutter

Ingredients
 

Scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus extra for dusting
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • 8 oz cold cream cheese, cut into chunks
  • 8 oz almond paste (not almond pastry filling)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup cold whole milk

Icing

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ¾ tsp almond extract
  • 1 ½ – 2 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp chopped almonds

Instructions
 

Scones

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F, and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • Scatter the chunks of cream cheese over the flour, and use your hands to crumble the almond paste over the flour. Drizzle with the vanilla. Use a pastry cutter to combine everything into a crumbly mixture, and the pieces of cream cheese and almond paste are no bigger than 1/4 inch. If you don't have a pastry cutter, just use your hands to rub the cream cheese and almond paste into the flour mixture.
  • Add the milk, and stir just until moistened into a soft, sticky dough.
  • Lightly dust the parchment paper with flour, and scrape the dough onto the paper. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, and use your hands to gently pat and shape the dough into a thick disk about 8 inches in diameter.
  • Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges, but don't separate the wedges. The dough is sticky, and you'll need to dip the knife in flour in between cuts.
  • Bake the scones on the center oven rack for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, and cut the scones again, then nudge them apart.
    While cutting the scones in this step, the center of the dough can still be a bit sticky since it's not cooked through yet. It's easiest to cut the scones with something nonstick, like a silicone spatula.
    Return the pan to the oven and bake the scones for 5 more minutes, until cooked through. Set aside while you make the icing.

Icing

  • Whisk together the powdered sugar, almond extract and milk until you have a smooth, thick drizzling consistency.
  • Drizzle the icing over the hot scones. Immediately, before the icing sets, sprinkle with the chopped almonds.
  • Cool for several minutes, then serve warm.

Notes

  • Scones are best eaten fresh from the oven, but they are still great for several days after.
  • Although the icing will quickly set and crust over, once you store leftover scones in an airtight container, the icing will soften and get sticky.
Keyword Almond, Scones
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/

Filed Under: Breads, Biscuits, Muffins and Doughnuts

Previous Post: « High Altitude Cookies and Cream Cupcakes (Oreo Vanilla Cupcakes)
Next Post: High Altitude Nutty White Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. La Table De Nana

    August 21, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    Like everything you make=perfect!
    You need a cup that says:3:)

    Reply
  2. Kompucer

    August 21, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!

    Reply
  3. Toni

    October 27, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    5 stars
    Came out nice, I made with a circle biscuit cutter.

    Reply
  4. Unknown

    June 26, 2017 at 5:20 am

    What can you substitute for the almond paste? I would love to try, but have a nut allergy in our home.
    Thank you,
    KD

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      June 26, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      Almond paste is a combination of finely ground almonds and sugar, with a bit of water to bind it. I can't think of a suitable replacement for the almonds, but you can leave out the almond paste completely and just add a half cup or so of sugar to the recipe and I would imagine it would work just fine!

      Reply
      • Kelsey

        April 30, 2022 at 4:01 pm

        5 stars
        Would it be possible to freeze the scones before baking?

        Reply
        • Heather Smoke

          April 30, 2022 at 10:30 pm

          I’ve never tried it, so I’m not sure how they would turn out.

          Reply
  5. Lori

    February 23, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    I make a paste out of brown sugar a little flour , almond extract or flavoring to taste and milk till the consistency you want.

    Reply
    • Julie

      February 18, 2022 at 6:13 pm

      Can I substitute almond flour for the all purpose flour?

      Reply
      • Heather Smoke

        February 18, 2022 at 9:19 pm

        The dough wouldn’t have the same structure, and I’m not sure how the scones would hold together and bake. It’s possible you could swap a small amount, but not all of it.

        Reply
  6. Jen Wagner

    May 25, 2021 at 1:19 am

    I share your love for almond pastries and these look amazing! Do you know how I would change the recipe for baking at sea level?

    Reply
    • Heather

      May 25, 2021 at 2:45 pm

      I don’t think this recipe would need to be adjusted for sea level.

      Reply
  7. Cooky

    July 31, 2022 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    Everyone loved these almond scones. They were fabulous. Going to make them again tonight for all my friends tomorrow at coffee at my house. Cookys cafe

    Reply
  8. Ms Vicki

    October 5, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    5 stars
    I have never made scones before, but this recipe turned out beautifully!! I live in Colorado, so I searched for a high-altitude recipe and landed on this one. I had to make the almond paste (first time for that as well) as I didn’t have that on hand. I was super concerned about the dough because it seemed too sticky, but just follow the directions and you are good to go! Thank you for the easy and DELICIOUS recipe 🙂

    Reply
  9. Patti Drake

    January 29, 2023 at 2:26 pm

    5 stars
    I love this scone recipe and would love to attempt creating other flavors. What could be substituted for the almond paste if I wanted to create a fresh lemon or mini chocolate chip or something that the almond might not compliment. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Heather Smoke

      January 29, 2023 at 3:04 pm

      If you want to leave out the almond paste, you’d just need to replace it with sugar to sweeten the scones. Maybe about 1/2 cup of sugar. In my experience, the sugar makes the scones spread more, so they don’t hold their shape as well, and you might have better luck baking them in a scone pan to help maintain the shape.

      Reply
      • PattiLynne Drake

        February 15, 2023 at 1:07 pm

        5 stars
        I have had tremendous sucess creating other flavors and leaving the almond paste in. Ive done Triple Lemon, Orange Mini Choc Chip, Almond Cherry, and will be attempting a Bear Claw version.

        I live at 8000 feet. Perfect.
        This recipe is heavenly! I tell everyone about them and share the recipe! Thank you!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome

I'm Heather, and welcome to my Colorado kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes, baked goods and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something delicious with me!

A graphic on how to make perfect American buttercream.
A graphic on how to stack, fill, crumb coat and frost layer cakes.

Recipe Index

  • Breads, Biscuits, Muffins and Doughnuts
  • Breakfast
  • Brownies and Bars
  • Cakes
    • Buttercream
    • Cake Decorating
    • Classic Cake Flavors
  • Candy and Snacks
  • Cheesecakes
  • Christmas and Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Cakes
    • Christmas Cookies
  • Cookies
  • Crisps, Crumbles, Cobblers and Puddings
  • Cupcakes
  • Drinks
  • Halloween
  • How To Guides and Resources
  • Ice Cream and Frozen Treats
    • Frozen Custard
    • Ice Cream Sandwiches
    • No Churn Ice Cream
    • Popsicles
  • Jams and Sweet Sauces
  • Pies and Tarts
  • Savory
  • Uncategorized
A graphic on how I improved my food photography with Foodtography School.
A graphic on how to make flaky pie dough.

Recent Posts

  • High Altitude Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes
  • High Altitude Pastel Party Birthday Cake with Lambeth Piping
  • Flower Shaped Strawberry Lemon Sandwich Cookies
  • High Altitude Pecan Caramel Sticky Buns (Caramel Rolls)
  • High Altitude Red Wine Chocolate Cake
  • High Altitude Carrot Crumb Coffee Cake
  • High Altitude Mini Eggless Funfetti Cake for Two
  • High Altitude Flourless Monster Cookies (GF, Dairy Free)
  • Soft and Chewy High Altitude Chocolate Chip Blondies
  • High Altitude Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies (Dairy Free)

Archives

  • about
  • faqs
  • recipes
  • portfolio
  • work with me
  • contact

Footer

I'm Heather, and welcome to Curly Girl Kitchen, where you will find high-altitude tested recipes for beautifully photographed cakes and sweets. I believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home, and everyone is welcome in mine. So stay a while, sip a cup of coffee, and bake something sweet with me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Privacy Policy

About

FAQs

Work With Me

Contact

Copyright © 2023 Curly Girl Kitchen on the Foodie Pro Theme