Start your day with these Cherry Scones! They’re packed with tart dried cherries, a hint of almond flavor, and finished with a sweet glaze.
author’s note
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cherry Scones Are Here!
I’ve been deep in a scone phase ever since I made these Pumpkin Scones. I used to think homemade scones were dry and kind of underwhelming, but after really testing and perfecting that recipe, I realized how amazing they can be!
Now I’m hooked. I’ve already made strawberry scones and chocolate chip scones, but I couldn’t stop there. I had to try a cherry version. After a few rounds of testing, I found the secret: tart dried cherries.
Trust me, these scones are something special. They’re packed with flavor and have that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes it hard to stop at just one.
Featured Comment
THE BEST recipe! I made them last week and my coworkers loved them too. Today I used your basic recipe with lime and coconut. OMG! Thanks so much.
– JB
Ingredients In This Cherry Scones Recipe
- Unsalted Butter: Frozen for flakiness and richness.
- Orange Zest & Juice: Adds citrus flavor to scones and glaze.
- Sugars: Granulated for sweetness in dough, powdered for the glaze.
- Baking Powder: Helps scones rise and become fluffy.
- Flour: Provides structure to the dough.
- Heavy Cream: Moisturizes dough; used for brushing on top.
- Egg: Binds ingredients and improves cherry scones texture.
- Vanilla and Almond Extracts: Adds sweet, aromatic flavors.
- Dried Tart Cherries: Gives tartness and chewy texture.
How To Make Cherry Scones
- Prep Ingredients: Cube and freeze unsalted butter. Zest orange and set aside.
- Make Dough: Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest. Whisk cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract separately.
- Combine: Cut frozen butter into dry mix, stir in wet ingredients and cherries until just combined.
- Shape & Chill: Form dough into a disc, slice into wedges, brush with cream, sprinkle sugar, and chill.
- Bake & Glaze: Bake. Drizzle cooled scones with orange glaze.
Quick Tip
# 1 tip: Keep the butter and dough as cold as possible! I chill the flour, freeze the butter after cutting it, and take wet ingredients straight from the fridge. The colder your dough, the better your scones will be.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Room Temperature: Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerate: Store cherry scones in a container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature.
More Cherry Recipes:
Cherry Scones
Video
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15″ x 10″) lined
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and frozen
- 2 large oranges
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour spooned and leveled
- 11 tablespoons heavy cream divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 3/4 cup dried tart cherries
- White sparkling sugar optional
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Keep all the ingredients as cold as possible; chill the flour in the fridge for 10–20 minutes if possible. Cut the butter into small cubes. Place in the freezer to chill until needed. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Zest oranges with a zester to get 2 tablespoons zest. Juice the oranges using a citrus juicer to get 2 tablespoons orange juice.
- In a large bowl, combine the orange zest and sugar. Rub the two together with your fingers until the sugar is fully infused with the orange zest. Add the baking powder, salt, and flour. Whisk until ingredients are combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup heavy cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
- Add the frozen cubed butter into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is pea sized and evenly dispersed. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. With a wooden spoon, gently combine the ingredients until a dough begins to form. As soon as a dough forms, add the dried cherries. Mix as little as possible, just until everything is moistened and mostly combined.
- Very lightly flour a surface and turn the dough onto it. Work the dough into a ball with lightly floured hands, handling it as little as possible while forming a cohesive disc. If the dough is too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour; if it’s too dry, add 1–2 tablespoons additional cream. Press the dough into a disc and cut it exactly in half, then form each half into a smaller disc about 5 inches wide.
- Chill the discs wrapped tightly in plastic for 10 minutes in the fridge, then remove and cut each into 8 equal wedges with a very sharp knife, making decisive cuts. Place the wedges on lined sheet pan about 2 inches apart, pour remaining 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream into a small dish, and brush the cream over the scones using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
- Refrigerate the scones on the pan for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake for 17–25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are just browned. Keep a close eye on the scones, as overbaking will lead to less flavor and a denser texture; mine usually take about 19–20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before using a metal spatula to transfer the scones to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice. Add additional juice for a thinner glaze, as desired. Drizzle over the scones once they are completely cooled. Let set and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic recipe! My entire family loved it. I got the tart cherries from Trader Joe’s. I did the drizzle on top but honestly, they were so good I am not sure it needed it.
Delish! So thrilled you enjoyed these Cherry Scones! Thanks Michele!
have you tried it with gluten free flour? If so, is the measurement the same?
Thank you!
I’m so sorry I haven’t!
I didn’t have that cherries. so I’m giving canned or cherries a go. I didn’t use the whole can. So I’m using the remainder in the glazing. I will let you know how it goes. Chilling them now.
Let me know how that works! Thanks Marlene! 🙂
THE BEST recipe! I made them last week and my coworkers loved them too. Today I used your basic recipe with lime and coconut. OMG! Thanks so much.
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks! 🙂