Can you believe it’s almost Easter? Already! These dried cherry and almond scones would be an easy and delicious addition to your brunch table.
Although I have other scone recipes on the blog, this recipe is actually the first one I ever made. I was never really a scone fan until I made this recipe. This recipe is a bit more moist than a traditional scone recipe. I think that because they are more on the moist side they were a hit with my family. The almond drizzle really makes the scone. I’ve made these for friends on a few occasions and they have always been well received.
Typically scone recipes only make a few, about six or eight. If you’re thinking of serving them on a brunch buffet you may want to consider offering a selection. Apple cinnamon scones with salted caramel drizzle and strawberry scones with lemon glaze would also be nice to offer guests. If you wind up with leftovers, they are easily warmed in a low oven. I’m sure you could warm them in a microwave but that’s not my preferred way.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried cherries
- About 1 cup boiling water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup butter, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel, or zest
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, for topping
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus extra
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Coarsely chop the cherries, then place in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over dried cherries to cover. Let stand for 5 minutes, then drain water well.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add drained cherries and orange zest, tossing to coat. Make a well in the center and set aside. In another small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolk and sour cream. Add mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Using a fork, stir until combined. Mixture may seem dry.
- Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by folding and gently pressing for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 8 to 12 wedges. Arrange wedges 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Top each wedge with sliced almonds, gently pressing into the dough.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients. Stir in enough additional orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle warm scones with almond glaze. Serve warm.
Friday Easter Week Recipes
- Brussels Sprout Potato Cakes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Candied Lemon Zest Jalapeño Deviled Eggs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Carrot Cake Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
- Curried Deviled Eggs by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Dried Cherry and Almond Scones by Family Around the Table
- Easter Bunny Cake by Everyday Eileen
- Easter Egg Sugar Cookies by The Redhead Baker
- Eggs Benedict Breakfast Bake by Cookaholic Wife
- Greek Lamb Keftiko by Caroline’s Cooking
- Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Maple Apple Baked Oatmeal by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Peeps Cookie Bars by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Easter Bread Cheesecake – Pasca by All that’s Jas
- Spring Veggie Crudités with Fresh Pea Hummus by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Vanilla Bean Mocha Biscotti by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Vegetable Breakfast Casserole by Simple and Savory
Easter will be here before we know it. I love doing fun and special things for my family, even though my boys are teenagers now. Sometimes people ask me why I do these things when I only have boys. Like boys can’t be made to feel special too. Do I think my boys think I go overboard a bit? Probably. Do I care? Nope. Do I think they secretly enjoy fun and silly things even last teenagers? Absolutely!
Now, when you make these bunny cinnamon rolls you will loose some of the cinnamon when you unroll them. Not to worry, just press it back onto the dough. I baked these a bit longer than the time on the package so be sure to keep an eye on them if they need more time. Once they are out of the oven ice them individually and decorate so the icing doesn’t begin to harden. If that happens the colored sugar and chocolate chips won’t stick.
Monday Easter Week Recipes
If you’re hosting an Easter, or even Spring celebration, you need to make these Easter muddy buddies. They are just so festive. You should probably even make a double batch. They are that good and they will go fast. You use a whole box of either rice Chex or corn Chex, you need 9 cups. Those boxes a slightly more than what you need so I just used the whole box (I divided it evenly) so I didn’t have any leftover because it wasn’t even enough for a bowl of cereal.
If you’ve read any of my other blog posts that involve strawberries you know how much we love them. To my dismay, strawberry season has come to an end for this year. The last batch I bought was to make these fun carrots for Easter.
