It’s no secret that I love scones, and these Cherry Almond Scones are no exception. I made a couple of batches recently in preparation for my THV11 This Morning appearance this month for National Cherry Month and managed to only eat part of ONE! My love of scones extends to my waistline and hips, ya’ know. But a girl’s gotta splurge on occasion, and these scones are definitely worth the splurge.
One of the issues with scones and biscuits, I believe, is that cooks tend to overwork both. Scones are often cut into squares or triangles to avoid rerolling the dough which. This helps ensure light and flaky scones. You can, of course, cut them into shapes with a biscuit or cookie cutter but avoid as much excess as you can. Just remember to dust your knife or cutter with a little flour prior to cutting.
Too often scone recipes call for too much sugar, I feel. That’s probably an American tendency since British scones are not overly sweet. A little extra sprinkle of sugar on the top of the scones before they are baked adds a tad more sweetness without the dough being too sweet. Granulated, sanding and turbinado sugars are all good for this. It really is just a matter of preference.
Try serving these with Cherry Butter made like this Raspberry Butter. Cherry jam or sweet cream butter wouldn’t be bad choices either.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or freshly grated nutmeg
- 6 Tablespoons frozen butter, grated on a box grater
- 3 ounces cream cheese, chilled and diced
- 1 1/4 cups dried cherries
- 3/4 cups chopped toasted slivered almonds
- 1 cup heavy cream plus more for brushing the tops
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and nutmeg.
- Add in the butter and cream cheese, rubbing with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add in the cherries and chopped almonds mixing throughout the flour mixture.
- Combine 1/2 cup of the heavy and the extracts and add to the flour mixture working it throughout the dough. Continue to add the remaining cream until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 turns.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle 1-inch thick. Cut 8 large or 10 smaller wedges from the dough and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
- Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar; bake 15-20 minutes (depending on size) until lightly brown. Turn the pan halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve warm with Cherry Butter.
- These may be wrapped individually and frozen up to one month. Warm before serving.
