Cherry Scones

If you've been following along, you know my love affair with cherries continues. Seriously, my cherry pitter and I are best friends these days, and with good reason—especially when recipes like these cherry scones come along.

We devoured these! The flavor combination is pure perfection: bright cherries mingling with fragrant orange zest and lemon zest, a hint of warm almond extract, and classic vanilla extract. Each bite is a little burst of flavor. And the lamination of the layers was not bad!

This particular recipe comes from the Two Cups of Flour blog, which was a new discovery for me. And let me tell you, I'll be back for more! Beyond the fantastic recipe itself, I was impressed with their presentation. They listed the ingredients, followed by the method, but here's the genius part: after each instruction, they re-listed the specific ingredients and measurements needed for that step. No more endless scrolling back and forth to double-check "how much flour was that?" or "how many tablespoons of baking powder?" It's a small detail that made a huge difference in my baking flow. Such a nice touch!

I've included the recipe for these cherry scones below, though I've adapted the presentation slightly from the original blog.

Cherry Scones, from Two Cups of Flour-

Ingredients-

Cherries-

185 grams fresh sweet cherries, pitted, cut into quarters

1 tbsp granulated sugar, *to toss with the cherries

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Scone Dough-

313 grams all-purpose flour

67 grams granulated sugar

15 grams of baking powder

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

84 grams unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

120 grams (½ cup) cold heavy cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 large egg, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

Scone Toppings-

3 tbsp heavy cream

turbinado or sparkling sugar, for sprinkling

Method-

Prep the Cherries

Fresh cherries can release a lot of fruit juice. 

To prevent your scone dough from being too wet, place cherry slices in a bowl, toss with the granulated sugar and let the juices drain for about 10 minutes. 

Discard the juice.

Make the Scone Dough

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, orange zest, and salt.

Cut in cold butter cubes with a pastry cutter and/or fingers until it resembles cornmeal.

Place the flour mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Remove the flour mixture from the freezer, and pour in the egg and cream mixture. 

Stir together with a wooden spoon until just combined. 

Mix in the cherries and any leftover flour to form a shaggy dough in a loose lump.

Place the dough on a well-floured surface and gently knead to combine any loose flour. Careful not to overwork the dough.

Using floured hands, pat the dough into a 7 to 8-inch circle about 1 inch thick. 

Cut the circle in half with a bench scraper or sharp knife, and then each half into thirds for a total of six triangles. (I made 12 rectangular scones)

Transfer the scones onto the baking sheet, spacing them 1.5-2 inches apart.

Use the 3 tbsp heavy cream to paint a thin coating on top of the scones.

Generously sprinkle with coarse or sparkling sugar.

Chill the cherry scones in the fridge for about 15 minutes while the oven preheats.

turbinado or sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 400℉ .

Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden on the edges.

Let the pan cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes before removing the scones.