Cherry Scones
These cherry scones are perfect for a quick breakfast that'll make you feel like you're at your favorite coffee shop. They're tender and buttery, with a light almond flavor and sweet roasted cherries in every bite - an easy recipe to make the most of cherry season!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
- Category: biscuits and scones
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Cherries
- 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) pitted and quartered bing cherries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Scones
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (142 grams) cold butter, cubed (salted or unsalted)
- 3/8 cup (74 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/8 cup (88 grams) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) whole milk
Glaze and Garnish
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- sliced almonds, for garnish
- coarse or sparkling sugar, for garnish
Instructions
Roasted Cherries
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. In an 8" square glass baking dish (or similar), toss chopped cherries with granulated sugar. Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until cherries are fragrant and have released some of their juices. Turn off oven and cool briefly at room temperature before transferring cherries to refrigerator to cool completely. (Cherries can also be placed in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to speed up this process.)
Scones
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter (or rub into flour with fingertips) until no large pieces remain. Add the cooled cherries (fruit only, reserve thickened juices for another use) and toss in until well-dispersed and coated in flour mixture.
- Drizzle the cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract over the flour mixture. Use a spatula to fold the liquids in until partially incorporated. Drizzle the milk on top and continue to fold until the dough comes together.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and use your hands to fold the dough over onto itself 2-3 times before gently shaping it into a 1" thick round. Chill in the freezer for 1-2 hours before baking.
Glaze, Garnish, and Bake
- Towards the end of the chilling period, preheat oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream and almond extract to make glaze.
- Remove scones from freezer and use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles, like you would cut a pizza. Separate the scones out on the baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush each scone with the cream mixture. Sprinkle scones with sliced almonds and coarse sugar, and gently dab a bit more cream on top.
- Bake scones in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, just until turning golden-brown along the edges. A toothpick inserted into the center of one should come out clean. Cool scones on pan for about 15 minutes, and then move to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy while still warm.
Notes
Ingredient Notes:
- To use frozen cherries, toss with sugar and roast directly from frozen. Roasting time may need to be increased by about 5 minutes.
- 2% milk and standard whipping cream can be used in the scone dough in place of whole milk and heavy whipping cream.
- For the best flavor and texture, use European-style butter.
Dietary Adaptions
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Nut Free: Omit the sliced almonds and use a nut-free almond extract.
Storing and Reheating
- Leftover scones can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top storage bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in a toaster oven at 450ºF for about 5 minutes.
- Scone dough can be kept frozen after step 5, and fully-baked scones can also be frozen. For more information, read my post on how to freeze scones.
