Cherry Scones

What a pleasant treat to have these scones amidst cereal and toast the last two plus months of cocooning. You may have seen these in my Instagram stories so I am sharing the recipe here. I love including cherries because it reminds me of how we lived beside a cherry orchard when we were in California. The wild parrots (here’s a photo of them) would snack on the cherries then come to our roof to hang out midmorning. I like to think it was their version of a front porch where they could chat about their latest news.

Cherry Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (110g) cold cubes of butter

2 eggs

1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk

3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Flour for the surface

1. Preheat oven to 450F/230C degrees.

2. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar) together.

4. Being careful to use a utensil so your hands do not warm the butter too much, mix in the butter cubes with the dry ingredients.

5. Separately mix the eggs, milk (all but 2 tablespoons), and cherries together before folding it to mix with the dry ingredients.

6. With a light dusting of flour on your surface, turn out the dough mixture and shape without over working while gently folding in the dried cherries, so it takes on a round shape.

7. Cut the circle into triangle-like wedge shapes or rounds (your choice) and place them on the lined baking sheet with ample space between them.

8. Bake for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 425F/220C degrees remove briefly to brush the top with milk and bake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

9. Cool on racks for 10 minutes before eating.

Serve with a selection of jams (like my blackberry-apple jam), honey, and butter. Best enjoyed alongside a cup of tea.