These Cherry Scones are moist, fluffy and absolutely loaded with fresh cherry and almond flavor. Made with juicy fresh cherries, almond extract and little pieces of marzipan, they have a deliciously rich flavor without being overly sweet. Topped with crunchy slivered almonds and drizzled with white chocolate, every bite is so yummy - and the best part? They come together quickly, with no overnight resting or complicated steps. Perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast, brunch or a special afternoon treat.
Why I Love This
- Quick & Easy: I'm a bake now and eat now kind of person. None of this waiting all day business. These Cherry Scones come together quickly, have little resting time, a quick bake time and are best eaten fresh!
- Perfect Sweetness: These are full of perfect flavors that don't overwhelm you with sweetness (so you can totally eat more than one!). The dough is light and soft, allowing the almonds, marzipan and cherries to shine, while a touch of white chocolate satisfies the sweet tooth.
- The Almonds!: What is it about that aroma of almond that is so comforting and perfect? The combination of almond extract, marzipan and crispy almonds on top is just... so good. And totally addicting.
Try my Oatmeal Cherry Cookies for another delicious light treat or my Hot Fudge Pudding for a more indulgent dessert.
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Ingredients
- Flour - a simple all purpose flour is what works best for these. If needed you could use a 1-to-1 gluten free substitute flour.
- Butter - cold butter is essential or it will over mix with the flour creating claggy, dense scones. I like to use unsalted butter to better control the flavors.
- Sugar - I use very little sugar in the dough of the scones, allowing the fruit and almond flavors to shine.
- Cream - using cream instead of milk gives a richer, lighter scone but skim or a dairy free alternative can work as well.
- Fresh Cherries - this recipe is designed for fresh cherries but frozen or dried cherries can be used. Dried cherries will give a chewier texture, add less texture and distribute flavor less. If using frozen cherries, do not thaw before adding.
- Marzipan - I know this isn't a typical (western) household baking item to keep on hand but it is easy to find. I ordered mine on Amazon. While you can definitely make these scones without the marzipan, I highly recommend seeking it out.
- Bakers White Chocolate - a little drizzle of white chocolate is the perfect amount of sweetness and enhances the cherry and almond flavors. I highly recommend using bakers chocolate rather than chocolate chips. It has a higher content level of cocoa butter and melts into a much smoother consistency.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Quarter and pit the cherries, then dice the marzipan into small pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your hands, leaving small chunks of butter throughout the mixture. Lightly flour the cherries and marzipan, separating any pieces of marzipan, then gently toss them into the flour mixture.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and remaining liquid ingredients. Add to the flour mixture and gently stir until a shaggy dough forms and everything just comes together. Do not over-mix.
Step 4: Gently form the dough into an 8 inch round disc. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the chilled dough into 8 wedges and place them on a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet. Lightly brush the tops and sides with cream and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
Step 6: Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and cooked through. While the scones bake, melt the white chocolate.
Step 7: Let the scones cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with the melted white chocolate. Enjoy!
Hint: I cannot over-emphasize the need to NOT over-mix this dough. You want small chunks of butter to be present right until you put the Cherry Scones into the oven. It is tempting to over-mix the wet ingredients into the dry when trying to form the disc. Resist the urge. It should feel like your disc will almost fall apart. Truly only mix until the ingredients JUST come together. This gives the fluffiest scones.
Substitutions
- Gluten-Free - you can use a gluten-free 1-to-1 flour substitute like Bob's Red Mill and achieve a very lovely scone.
- Dairy-Free - while this will change the texture of the scones some you can definitely still achieve a delicious result. Use dairy free "butter" (I love Miyoko's unsalted plant milk butter) and your choice of dairy free milk. Soy is always best as it contains the highest fat content but others work well too. I often bake with oat or almond.
- Egg-Free - this is probably what will change the texture of the scones the most but flax-eggs are the most reliable substitute here.
Variations
- Sweeter Side - add white chocolate chips right into the scones.
- Cozy flavors - add a touch of cinnamon (¼ teaspoon) to the dough and lighten up on the almond extract. Drizzle with dark chocolate instead of white and you'll create a deeper, cozy flavor profile!
- Fruit-a-licious - add peaches, raspberries or even plums! Add them in with the cherries or try them on their own.
Try my Upside Down Plum Cake or this Peach and Blueberry Coffee Cake for more cozy summer treats.
Storage
The first few days: You can store the Cherry Scones in an airtight container or bag on the counter for 24 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: These freeze wonderfully. I recommend freezing them the day they are baked as soon as they are fully cooled. Again, use an airtight container or bag.
Reheating: The best way to reheat these is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place on a baking sheet and lightly brush the scones with milk/cream and loosely cover with foil. Warm for 8-12 minutes removing the foil for the last 2-3 minutes for a lightly crisp exterior.
Make Ahead
These Cherry Scones can be made ahead of time for quick baking when the time comes! There are two easy ways to keep these yummy treats ready for your oven:
- You can prepare and shape the dough, cover it well, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours until you are ready to bake. Don't forget to add the milk and almonds!
- You can slice the disc into wedges and freeze them. Pull out one wedge at a time or the whole batch and bake from frozen. Just add a couple minutes baking time as needed and once again, don't forget to brush with milk and sprinkle with almonds.
Top Tip
Three things have the biggest effect on the result and quality of these Cherry Scones:
1. Cold butter. Ensure that your butter is fresh out of the fridge. I know it's more difficult to work with but it is essential for light and fluffy scones. Secondly, don't overwork it into the flour. Allow small chunks to remain. They should be visible right until you put them into the oven.
2. Over-Mixing. As noted above, do not over-mix your dough when combining the wet and dry ingredients. Allow the dough to feel unpolished and rough.
3. Cooling. Do not skip cooling the formed disc before slicing and baking. This is essential for getting those lovely shaped scones.
FAQ
The best thing is to just leave it out. They will still be delicious scones, just with a touch less almond flavor. There really isn't a great substitute.
Yes. See the section above for how!
Small pieces of cold butter create little pockets of steam as the scones bake, helping give them their light, tender, fluffy texture. Avoid working the butter completely into the flour.
You likely did one of two things: either you over worked the butter into the flour or your over-mixed the wet ingredients into the dry when shaping they dough. See my notes above on how to avoid both these issues.
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Cherry Scones
- Total Time: 65-68 minutes
- Yield: 8 Scones 1x
Description
These Cherry Scones are moist, fluffy and absolutely loaded with fresh cherry and almond flavor. Made with juicy fresh cherries, almond extract and little pieces of marzipan, they have a deliciously rich flavor without being overly sweet. Topped with crunchy slivered almonds and drizzled with white chocolate, every bite is so yummy - and the best part? They come together quickly, with no overnight resting or complicated steps.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups (250 grams) fresh cherries quartered and pitted
½ cup heaping (70 grams) marzipan finely diced
2 ¼ cups (337 grams) all purpose flour
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
½ cup (8 ounces) butter cold
⅔ cup (160 grams) cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon (6 grams) almond extract
½ teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla
4 ounces (113 grams) bakers white chocolate
Scant ¼ cup (15 grams) slivered almonds for topping
Instructions
- Quarter and pit the cherries, then dice the marzipan into small pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your hands, leaving small chunks of butter throughout the mixture.* Lightly flour the cherries and marzipan, separating any pieces of marzipan, then gently toss them into the flour mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and remaining liquid ingredients. Add to the flour mixture and gently stir until a shaggy dough forms and everything just comes together. Do not over-mix.*
- Gently for the dough into an 8-10 inch round disc. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the chilled dough into 8 wedges and place them on a baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet. Lightly brush the tops and sides with cream and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and cooked through. While the scones bake, melt the white chocolate. I do this in the microwave in 20-30 seconds bouts at a time, stirring in between each time.*
- Let the scones cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with the melted white chocolate. Enjoy!
*All nutritional information is an estimation only. Exact nutritional value depends on exact amounts and ingredients used.
Notes
Do not over combine the butter into the flour. We want tiny chunks of butter visible.
Resist the urge to over mix the wet ingredients into the dry mixture to get it to come together. Work the batter until it JUST comes together. It will be messy, look under mixed and maybe even have pieces falling out of it. This is right. Over working the dough quickly results in claggy scones.
Don't skip brushing it with milk or cream. This gives a nice crisp finish to the exterior.
Melt the chocolate in small bouts at a time, stirring every 30 seconds. It's easy to overheat white chocolate. When it is partially melted with small chunks in it still is usually perfect. Mix until it's all melted together. It will be thicker than milk chocolate.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-18 minutes
- Category: Bread, Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Jenice Wallace says
These scones come together with all the right flavors! The undertones and bursts of almond set against the bright and sweet bites of cherries is so delightful! Best of all they come together quickly for as easy breakfast or a quick dessert!