Peachy Keen
For the past few weeks, I have been getting rather dire predictions from my produce manager about the state of this year’s stone fruit crop. The short version is this: small crop, big prices. (Thank you Mother Nature). I look forward to stone fruit season every year. Even my kids have been asking if it is time for nectarines yet but the outlook hasn’t been great.

Imagine my surprise when, the other day, I was walking through our produce department and saw a lovely stack of peaches from California. It made me stop in my tracks and stare for a while because if anything is a beacon of Summer and warmer weather, it is the arrival of the peaches.

I have to admit I have been losing hope of there ever being summer weather. Last Saturday I sat in the bleachers at a baseball tournament freezing to death. (It was Cinco de Mayo! It should be warm enough already to melt your margarita not cold enough for Kahlua and coffee!) This weekend looks to be a bit better and Sunday is Mother’s Day—the perfect opportunity to make something I want…‘cause it’s all about me!

So I‘m gonna make these Peach Scones. They are a perfect tasty treat for Mother’s Day brunch, or just because. And, the peaches are there to remind you that summer is not too far away. One thing to be aware of, early peaches aren’t necessarily sweet peaches, You might need to toss ‘em in some sugar before you use them…or go with frozen.

Peach Scones Recipe
Yields 12 scones
The simplest way to make these scones is to drop the batter by the 1/4-cupful onto a baking sheet. If you want to get fancier, you can form the dough into a disc that is about 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick, and slice it (like a pizza) into 12 sections—first, cut cross-wise at right angles, and then divide those four sections into three wedges each. Either way, make certain there is enough space on the baking sheet for the scones to rise while in the oven.

Ingredients
For the scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs
1/3 cup whole vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup diced peaches, peeled or not; fresh, frozen/thawed

For the glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions
Make the scones
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder.

Work in the butter, using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry blender.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, and almond extract.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Add the peaches, stirring just until everything is combined. The dough should be wet and sticky.

Drop the dough by the 1/4 cupful onto the prepared pan—a muffin scoop works well here.

Bake the scones until they’re light golden brown (about 20 to 25 minutes). Remove them from the oven, and let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to continue cooling.

Make the glaze
Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. If the glaze seems too thick, keep adding more cream one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Pour over the scones and enjoy…