Name: Fresh Cherry Scones
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 37 min
Ingredients: 2 c. flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 stick (½ cup cold, salted butter); ½ c. sugar; 1 egg; ⅓ c. sour cream; 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 c. sweet cherries (pitted); coarse sanding sugar

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Delicate, buttery scones studded with sweet, fresh cherries are the ultimate afternoon treat or breakfast when served with a smear of butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Every year I wait until summer when cherries finally start entering the grocery store. I usually have to wait several weeks before they lower the price and I’m able to grab a few pounds.

There’s an orchard about an hour away from us where you can pick cherries yourself and they are super cheap but that usually only lasts a week or two and sometimes I can’t get there to grab them. When I can’t I have a friend who is usually willing to grab me a few pounds.

So when I saw that cherries were on sale at the market I grabbed two pounds and brought them home. I had no idea what I was going to make with them but I was just glad to grab them.

After looking through dozens of recipes I gave up and decided on Fresh Cherry Scones. I just bought a container of sea salted butter and I knew it would be perfect in this recipe.

Ingredients:

flour
baking soda
baking powder
salted butter
sugar
egg
sour cream
sweet cherries
vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add in the cold, salted butter and mix it into the flour with your fingers until it resembles wet sand.

Then in a separate bowl combine the sugar, egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a dough. Carefully mix in the cherries taking care not to mash them into the dough.

Next I pat the dough into a circle and used a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 8 scones. If you want you can sprinkle the scones with sanding sugar before baking. I generally choose to do this if I’m not making a glaze for my scones.

Bake for 20-22 minutes and remove from oven. Cool completely.

There are two really important things to know about making these scones. The first is that your butter should be very cold. You can even freeze it for 30 minutes prior to baking.

If your butter is frozen the best way to use it is to grate it. If you are using it from the refrigerator you should cut it into small pieces before adding it to the flour mixture.

The other important thing to remember is that it will take some time to gently combine the cherries into the dough. A few may get smashed but try to keep them together.

How do I pit all the cherries?

Honestly, buy a cherry pitter. I bought this one for $12 and it’s the best thing ever. I generally don’t like gadgets that only do one thing but it makes pitting cherries super easy. Instead of cutting around the pit and leaving a ton of cherry this just spits the pit out and leaves the cherry mostly intact.

Should I cut the cherries in half or leave them whole?

That’s really up to you. I tend to do half and half. I think biting into a whole cherry is a lot so I cut half of mine in half but whenever they are cut in half it’s messier to make the dough.

My dough is sticky. Is that normal?

Yes! It’s because the cherries add so much moisture to the dough. You can spray your hands with cooking spray to help you shape the dough into a circle before cutting.

Can I glaze these scones?

Sure! Just mix up some powdered sugar with a little bit of vanilla extract and a few tablespoons of milk and drizzle over the tops of the scones.

What can I use in place of sanding sugar or coarse sugar?

You can use clear sprinkles or just regular sugar. Regular sugar doesn’t show up as well but it works just as well. Clear sprinkles are pretty much just coarse sugar.

Can I use unsalted butter?

Yes! However, if you do I would recommend adding in 1 teaspoon of salt to your dough.

These scones came out of the oven and looked great. The sugar was sparkling on the top and I could smell the butter and cherries.

There are so many options for what you put on your scones but I like the simplicity of butter. In this case I used salted butter and it really made these scones amazing.

Other spreads to use include fresh whipped cream, Devonshire cream, cherry jam, or any berry preserves. Of course you can simply enjoy them plain as well.

More Cherry Recipes:

Scones are delicious served room temperature with a cup of hot tea or coffee. However, if you are adding butter sometimes it’s nice to warm them up. Simply place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and it will be warm and soft and ready to eat.

If you’ve tried my Fresh Cherry Scones or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on: