Cherry Scone Recipe

These delightful scones are a perfect way to start your day or enjoy a sweet treat in the afternoon. Made with simple ingredients, they're surprisingly easy to whip up and come together in under an hour. Buttery, flaky, and bursting with pops of sweet cherries, these scones are sure to become a new favorite.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups (313 grams) all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ½ cup (125 ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ½ cups dried cherries, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, orange zest, and salt.
2. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a wooden spoon just until combined. A shaggy dough will form.
4. Gently fold in the chopped cherries. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until just smooth. Pat the dough into a circle about 1-inch thick.
5. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out scones. Gently gather the scraps and re-roll the dough to cut out more scones. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one.
6. Brush the tops of the scones with a little bit of milk or heavy whipping cream. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the scones cool on a wire rack before serving.
7. Tips:
8. For extra flavor, add a ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the dough.
9. If you don't have dried cherries, you can use fresh cherries instead. Just be sure to pit them and chop them into small pieces.
10. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cutting out the scones. This will help the scones to be extra flaky.
11. Don't overmix the dough. Once the wet and dry ingredients are just combined, stop mixing. Overmixing will result in tough scones.