These cherry scones are made with dried plump cherries that give a sweet yet tart note to the buttery scones. They are lightly flavoured with almond extract, giving the cherry scones a hint of nutty flavours.
Cherry scones are a fun change to a classic recipe and perfect to enjoy alongside a hot cup of tea. They only take a few minutes to whip up and an even shorter time to enjoy! The best part about making scones is the simplicity of them. They are effortless to make, need only a few ingredients and don’t require any appliances (just your hands and some basic tools).
Scones are one of my favourite things to bake (and enjoy). It’s fun to try new flavour combinations that you haven’t tried before. Although cherry and almond go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly I had yet to try this particular combination in a scone! And I’m happy I did!
Ingredients
When it comes to this recipe and a successful scone, the key is not to ‘overdo’ it with extras! The more you add to the scone the less flaky it will be. Here, all they need is just a simple scattering of tart dried cherries throughout! The rest of the flavour comes from the almond extract that is combined with the liquid to be absorbed through the batter. You can find both plump dried cherries at your local Bulk Barn Foods store and pure almond extract that you should always have in the pantry!
- Dried Cherries are packed with vitamins and nutrients, especially vitamin A. They are tart but when baked their tartness mellows and becomes a tad earthier. They are also sweeter than fresh cherries as the sugar content becomes higher when the water content is reduced while drying.
- Pure Almond Extract should always be the first option before using imitation extract. When it comes to baking and particularly these cherry scones, the higher the quality of ingredients the better. When recipes like this have few ingredients you’ll notice the quality. The notes are strong and nutty. It can be used interchangeably with vanilla extract but almond extract will give you an exciting flavour profile that you don’t see with vanilla.
Tips on How to get The Perfect, Flaky Cherry Scones
- Use quality ingredients, pure almond extract, butter and fresh plump dried cherries.
- The colder the butter, the better! Try not to overwork the butter, as it will soften. Cold butter makes scones rise higher.
- If your butter isn’t cold enough, pop it into the freezer to firm up.
- Cut butter into cubes before cutting it into the flour mixture.
- Don’t be tempted to add more liquid! The dough should be slightly crumbly, if there is too much liquid the scones will be tough.
- Careful not to overmix the dough or your scones will become tough. Use a light hand and pat the dough together as little as possible.
- Keep scones as cold as possible until they are ready to go in the oven. This will help make them rise. You can always pop them into the freezer for 5-8 minutes to firm up the butter again.
How To Make Cherry Scones
Use the tips as a guideline to make fluffy, light and flaky scones. Here you can get a visual of some important steps within the recipe.
Step One: In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until fine crumbs form.
Step Two: Add wet ingredients and dried cherries to flour mixture. Using a fork mix ingredients together until ragged.
Step Three: Pour mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together gently (be careful not to overmix). Pat and shape into a 1 inch thick circle. Using a large sharp knife cut the circle into 8 triangles.
Step Four: Brush the tops of the scones with whipping cream and sprinkle the tops with sugar.
Step Five: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned and scones have puffed and set in the middle.
Dried Cherry Scones
These cherry scones are made with dried plump cherries that give a sweet yet tart note to the buttery scones. They are lightly flavoured with almond extract, giving the cherry scones a hint of nutty flavours.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Total Time: 33 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Quick Bread
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (76g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 2/3 cups (100g) dried cherries from Bulk Barn
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or soured milk*
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Whipping cream for brushing the tops
- Large sugar crystals for the tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture until fine crumbs form.
- In a separate bowl whisk together milk, egg and almond extract.
- Add wet ingredients and dried cherries to flour mixture. Using a fork mix ingredients together until ragged.
- Pour mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring together gently (be careful not to overmix). Pat and shape into a 1 inch thick circle. Using a large sharp knife cut the circle into 8 triangles.
- Place each triangle on the prepared baking sheet approx. 2 inches apart.
- Brush the tops of the scones with whipping cream and sprinkle the tops with sugar.
- Place the baking sheet with the scones in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Remove scones from the freezer and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned and scones have puffed and set in the middle.
Notes
*Soured milk – Add 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice to 1/2 cup milk and let sit for 5-8 minutes until milk starts to curdle.
Scones are best enjoyed the same day. To store, place scones in a tin for up to 2 days.
Freeze scones in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 3.9g
- Sodium: 155mg
- Fat: 8.7g
- Saturated Fat: 5.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25.4g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 4.2g
- Cholesterol: 44mg
Keywords: Dried Cherries, Scones, Biscuits, Breakfast, Tea Time,
FAQ’s
It’s best to store scones in a tin or an airtight container. You can also freeze scones for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Let scones come to room temperature or warm up in a preheated oven at 350˚F for approx. 8-10 minutes.
Scones can last up to 2-3 days although they are best enjoyed the day of, as they will start to get stale and lose their flakiness. To refreshen day old scones, pop them in the oven to warm up; 350˚F for approx. 8-10. minutes (or use a toaster oven or microwave).
Making your own buttermilk is fast, easy and you only need 2 ingredients. For every cup of milk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for 5-8 minutes until milk starts to curdle.
Yes, you most definitely can use fresh cherries instead of dried cherries. The scones will be more tart than sweet with fresh cherries and it may be a good idea to chop the cherries into smaller pieces (quarters will work fine). Although this recipe is designed to use dried cherries.
This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your baking needs! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this simple dried cherry scone recipe!
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