Indulge in Homemade Perfection: The Ultimate Cherry Scones with Sweet Glaze

Start your day on a truly delightful note with these incredible Cherry Scones! Imagine biting into a perfectly flaky, tender scone bursting with the bright, tangy flavor of tart dried cherries, subtly enhanced with a hint of almond, and finished with a luscious, sweet glaze. This isn’t just a recipe; it’s an invitation to experience the joy of homemade baking at its finest, creating a breakfast pastry that feels both elegant and comforting.

From the Baker’s Heart

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cherry Scones: A Journey to Perfection!

I’ve always loved baking, but I used to be intimidated by scones. For the longest time, my attempts at homemade scones resulted in dry, crumbly, and frankly, underwhelming pastries. It was a misconception I held until I truly delved into perfecting a scone recipe. After countless tests and tweaks, my Pumpkin Scones breakthrough completely transformed my perspective. I realized that with the right technique and ingredients, scones could be incredibly moist, tender, and unbelievably flaky.

Since that discovery, I’ve been on a passionate scone-making spree! I’ve explored various flavors, from vibrant strawberry scones to classic chocolate chip scones. Each batch has been a delicious adventure, but I knew I couldn’t stop without trying a cherry version. Cherries, with their beautiful color and unique tartness, seemed like the perfect candidate for a truly special scone.

After several rounds of dedicated testing, I finally uncovered the secret to truly exceptional cherry scones: the magic of **tart dried cherries**. While fresh cherries are wonderful, dried tart cherries offer a concentrated burst of flavor and a delightful chewiness that holds up beautifully during baking, preventing the scones from becoming watery. Paired with a subtle hint of almond extract, these scones are transformed into something truly extraordinary. They boast a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes it genuinely hard to stop at just one. Prepare to fall in love with these cherry scones; they are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and a testament to the fact that homemade truly is best!

Key Ingredients for Flawless Cherry Scones

Crafting the perfect batch of cherry scones requires attention to quality ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving that coveted flaky texture, rich flavor, and delightful aroma. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need:

• Unsalted Butter (Frozen): This is arguably the most critical ingredient for achieving flaky scones. Using frozen, cubed butter ensures that it melts slowly in the oven, creating pockets of steam that separate the dough layers. The result? A scone that’s incredibly light, tender, and famously flaky.
• Orange Zest & Juice: Fresh orange zest infuses the scone dough with a bright, aromatic citrus note that beautifully complements the tart cherries and almond flavor. The fresh orange juice is then used to create a vibrant and tangy glaze, adding a burst of flavor and a lovely sheen to the finished pastries.
• Sugars (Granulated & Powdered): Granulated sugar provides the perfect level of sweetness within the scone dough, balancing the tartness of the cherries. Powdered sugar, with its fine texture, is essential for creating a smooth, lump-free glaze that drapes elegantly over each scone.
• Baking Powder: A leavening agent crucial for light and fluffy scones. It reacts with moisture and heat to create carbon dioxide bubbles, helping the dough rise beautifully and achieve an airy, tender crumb.
• All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of our scones. Make sure to spoon and level the flour, rather than scooping, to ensure accurate measurement. Too much flour can lead to dry, dense scones.
• Heavy Cream: Provides essential moisture and richness to the dough, contributing to its tender texture. A small amount is also brushed on top of the scones before baking, encouraging a golden-brown crust and a beautiful finish.
• Large Egg: Acts as a binder, helping to hold the scone ingredients together. It also contributes to the overall richness and slightly softer texture of the finished scones.
• Vanilla and Almond Extracts: Vanilla extract adds a classic warmth and depth of flavor. The almond extract, though optional, truly elevates these cherry scones, creating a delightful pairing that enhances the fruit’s natural taste without overpowering it.
• Dried Tart Cherries: The star of the show! Unlike fresh cherries, dried tart cherries offer an intense, concentrated flavor and a chewy texture that holds up well during baking. Their tartness is key to balancing the sweetness of the dough and glaze, creating a sophisticated flavor profile.
• White Sparkling Sugar (Optional): A fantastic finishing touch! Sprinkling coarse or sparkling sugar on top before baking adds a beautiful sparkle and a delightful textural crunch to the scone’s exterior.

Baking Your Own Batch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Cherry Scones

Baking homemade scones might seem daunting, but with these clear and concise steps, you’ll achieve bakery-quality results right in your own kitchen. The key lies in keeping ingredients cold and handling the dough gently to ensure that beautiful, flaky texture.

1. Prepare Your Ingredients and Tools: Begin by cubing your unsalted butter and placing it in the freezer to chill thoroughly. This is crucial for flaky scones. Next, zest your oranges to collect 2 tablespoons of zest, setting it aside, and then juice them for 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. If possible, chill your flour in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes – colder ingredients mean better scones!
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the orange zest and granulated sugar. Use your fingertips to rub them together until the sugar is fragrant and fully infused with the orange flavor. This simple step significantly enhances the overall taste of your scones. Then, add the baking powder, salt (consider using high-quality salt for best results), and the measured flour. Whisk everything together until well combined, ensuring no lumps remain.
3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate, small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of heavy cream, the large egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), and the optional 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract until smooth.
4. Incorporate Butter and Wet Mix: Add the frozen cubed butter directly into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter (or your fingertips, working quickly), cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces still visible. Create a well in the center of these ingredients, then pour in your whisked wet mixture. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to come together. As soon as a rough dough forms, fold in the dried tart cherries. Mix as little as possible, just until everything is moistened and mostly combined. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to tough scones.
5. Shape and Chill the Dough: Lightly flour a clean work surface. Turn the dough out onto it and, with lightly floured hands, gently work it into a cohesive ball. Handle the dough as little as possible to maintain tenderness. If the dough feels too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour; if too dry, incorporate 1-2 tablespoons more cream. Press the dough into a disc, then cut it exactly in half. Form each half into a smaller disc, approximately 5 inches wide and about 1-inch thick. Wrap these discs tightly in plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. This chilling period is vital for a good rise.
6. Cut, Brush, and Chill Again: After the initial chill, remove the dough discs. Using a very sharp knife, cut each disc into 8 equal wedges, making decisive, clean cuts rather than sawing motions. Place these wedges on your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Pour the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream into a small dish and brush it over the tops of the scones using a pastry brush. If desired, sprinkle them generously with coarse sparkling sugar for an extra touch of sweetness and crunch. Return the baking sheet with the scones to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes to ensure they are thoroughly chilled.
7. Preheat and Bake: While the scones are chilling for the second time, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
8. Bake to Golden Perfection: Bake the chilled scones for 17-25 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; you want the edges to be lightly golden brown and the tops just barely browned. Overbaking can lead to a dry, dense texture and diminish their wonderful flavor. In my oven, they typically take about 19-20 minutes. Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Prepare and Apply Glaze: Once the scones are completely cooled (this prevents the glaze from melting), whisk together the powdered sugar and the reserved orange juice. Add additional orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired glaze consistency – thicker for a more opaque coating, thinner for a delicate drizzle. Drizzle the glaze generously over the cooled scones. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving and enjoying your perfectly baked cherry scones!

Pin Recipe
Print Recipe

5 from 10 votes

Cherry Scones

By
Chelsea Lords

With dried tart cherries, almond flavor, and a delightful glaze, these Cherry Scones are the perfect way to start your day!

Prep Time:

25 minutes

Cook Time:

18 minutes

Chilling Time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour 13 minutes

Servings:

16 scones

Recipe Video (Not available for static HTML)

While the original content included a video player, it relies heavily on JavaScript for functionality. For a static HTML output, we recommend embedding videos via an iframe from a service like YouTube, or simply describing the visual steps covered in the video to complement the written instructions.

Equipment

• Sheet pan (15″ x 10″) lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat
• Pastry cutter (or two knives, or your fingertips)
• Large mixing bowl
• Small mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Citrus zester and juicer
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

For the Scones

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and frozen
• 2 large oranges (for zest and juice)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 11 tablespoons heavy cream divided (8 tbsp for dough, 3 tbsp for brushing)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but highly recommended)
• 3/4 cup dried tart cherries
• White sparkling sugar (optional, for topping)

For the Orange Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from the oranges used for zest)

Instructions

• To ensure maximum flakiness, keep all your ingredients as cold as possible. If you have the time, chill your flour in the fridge for 10–20 minutes. Begin by cutting the unsalted butter into small cubes, then place these cubes in the freezer to chill thoroughly until you’re ready to use them. Prepare your baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Zest both oranges with a zester to yield approximately 2 tablespoons of zest. Set this aside. Then, juice the oranges using a citrus juicer to get about 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. Keep this also for the glaze.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the fresh orange zest and granulated sugar. With clean fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar for about a minute. This process releases the oils from the zest, infusing the sugar with a beautiful, vibrant orange aroma and flavor, which will carry through to your finished scones. Next, add the baking powder, salt, and the measured flour to the bowl. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly until they are uniformly combined, ensuring an even distribution of the leavening agent.
• In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, the large egg, vanilla (or vanilla bean paste), and the optional almond extract. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and well-emulsified.
• Now, add the frozen cubed butter into the large bowl with your dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter (or two knives, or even your fingertips if you work quickly to avoid warming the butter), cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue until the butter pieces are about the size of small peas and are evenly dispersed throughout the flour mixture. Create a well (a hollow space) in the center of the flour and butter mixture, and pour the wet ingredients you prepared in the small bowl into this well. With a wooden spoon, gently combine the ingredients. Mix just until a cohesive dough begins to form. As soon as you see the dough coming together, add the dried tart cherries. Mix as little as possible, only until the cherries are just moistened and mostly incorporated into the dough. Overmixing will develop the gluten, leading to tough scones rather than tender ones.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface. Turn the scone dough out onto this surface. With very lightly floured hands, gently work the dough into a ball. The key here is minimal handling. Avoid kneading. Instead, gently press and shape the dough into a cohesive disc. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add just a tiny bit more flour, a teaspoon at a time. If it appears too dry and crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of additional heavy cream until it comes together. Press the entire dough into one large disc, then cut it exactly in half. Take each half and gently form it into a smaller, uniform disc, about 5 inches in diameter and roughly 1 inch thick.
• Wrap each dough disc tightly in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes. This helps the butter firm up again and makes the dough easier to handle. After chilling, remove the discs and, using a very sharp knife, cut each disc into 8 equal wedges. Make quick, decisive cuts rather than dragging the knife, which can smear the butter and impede the rise. Arrange these wedges on your prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are about 2 inches apart to allow for even baking. Pour the remaining 2–3 tablespoons of heavy cream into a small dish. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the scones with the cream. If you desire, sprinkle them with coarse white sparkling sugar for a beautiful shimmer and extra crunch.
• Place the baking sheet with the prepared scones back into the refrigerator to chill for an additional 20 minutes. This second chill is crucial for maintaining the scone’s shape and promoting a high, flaky rise. While the scones are chilling, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Bake the chilled scones for 17–25 minutes. Pay close attention to them as they bake. You’re looking for the edges to turn a beautiful light golden brown and the tops to just begin to color. It’s essential not to overbake them, as this will lead to a drier, denser scone and less flavorful results. In my experience, they typically reach perfection around the 19–20 minute mark. Once baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then, using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the warm scones to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
• Once the scones are entirely cooled (this is important, otherwise the glaze will melt and run off), prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the 2 tablespoons of reserved fresh orange juice. If you prefer a thinner glaze, add additional orange juice, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Drizzle the delightful orange glaze generously over each cooled scone. Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy your freshly baked, flaky, and flavorful homemade Cherry Scones!

Recipe Notes

Storage Tips: Keep these delicious cherry scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days to maintain their freshness. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Alternatively, for extended enjoyment, individually wrap each cooled scone in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy a frozen scone, simply thaw it at room temperature and warm gently if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal |
Carbohydrates: 43g |
Protein: 4g |
Fat: 9g |
Saturated Fat: 6g |
Cholesterol: 38mg |
Sodium: 136mg |
Potassium: 46mg |
Fiber: 1g |
Sugar: 18g |
Vitamin A: 519IU |
Vitamin C: 2mg |
Calcium: 48mg |
Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation. It may vary based on specific brands and preparations.

Loved this recipe? Share your thoughts below!
Your feedback helps our community of bakers!