Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones

10lb. Cherry Challenge Week continues with Northwest Cherries and OXO! I showed you our cherry salsa on Monday and now it’s time for our sweet recipe!

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones

Me and the rest of the cherry crew knew we wanted to make scones from the start as our sweet cherry recipe. And what goes better with cherries than dark chocolate? I’ll tell you what – nothing! These scones are the perfect way to use up extra cherries as the scones are stuffed with ’em and then you have the perfect cherry glaze! I’ve seen a lot of cherry scone recipes that use dried cherries, but after making these with fresh cherries, I can tell you that fresh is totally the way to go!

I really like this recipe because the scones themselves are not overly sweet, but the cherries and the chocolate add just the right amount of sweetness. The glaze is optional, but I definitely recommend it!

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones
Yield: About 16 scones

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones- Delicious scones made with fresh cherries, almonds, and dark chocolate and topped with fresh cherry glaze!

Ingredients

For the scones:

  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tbs. granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 cups cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
  • 3/4 cup good-quality dark chocolate morsels
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • melted butter
  • raw sugar for sprinkling on top

For the cherry glaze (optional):

  • 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
  • 2 tsp. water
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

Instructions

For the scones:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with a baking mat, parchment paper, or spray with non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Using two butter knives, a pastry cutter, or a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs.
  3. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Fold in the cherries, dark chocolate, and almonds using a spoon or your hands.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add more flour. Divide the dough in half and form each half into 7-inch circles. Then using a biscuit cutter (or your hands), divide each circle into about 8 pieces.
  5. Place the scones onto the baking sheet. Brush each scone with some melted butter. Sprinkle some raw sugar on top. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the scones start to turn golden around the edges.

For the cherry glaze:

  1. Add the cherries and water to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
  2. Stir in the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and powered sugar. You may find that you need to add more powdered sugar if the cherries you are using are more juicy. If it seems to thick, add more water.
  3. Spoon some of the glaze on top of each warm scone. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 scone with glaze

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 5g

Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Scones