Dried Cherry Scones are the perfect breakfast treat or afternoon tea recipe. Made with dried cherries and a simple almond glaze, these scones are easy to put together and ready in 30 minutes!

Cherry Scones on a white countertop with dried cherries in the background.

This Cherry Scone recipe is so simple and quick to put together. If you are intimated to make scones, this recipe will definitely convert you. The end result is a slightly sweet and dense buttery treat that’s great with coffee or tea.

For more tea time treats, be sure to try my Pumpkin Biscotti or Almond Ricotta Cookies. For a delicious snacking cake, don’t miss this Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake recipe. And, for a fun treat, be sure to check out this recipe for Biscoff Toffee! And, if you love pancakes in the morning, don’t miss my recipe for fluffy Homemade Pancake Mix!

Why these Dried Cherry Scones are the BEST!

If you’ve never had a scone before you should definitely give it a try. They are delicious and buttery dense biscuits that are slightly sweet and full of flavor.

These cherry scones are some of my favorite to make because of the sweet and slightly tart dried cherries. They pair perfectly with the addition of ½ teaspoon of almond extract and a simple almond glaze.

Scones are one of these treats that only feel like a lot of work. Initially I felt intimated to make them, but they are actually quite easy and only take about 30 minutes total to prep and bake.

Once you have a great base recipe for your scone, like this one, you can play around with the ingredients. If you aren’t an almond fan, omit the extract and add vanilla. Or, if you only have dried cranberries or raisins, use those instead of the cherries.

Scones are great served for breakfast, or a midday treat. Commonly served at tea time, these scones will have you snacking on them all day long.

Ingredients

overhead photo of ingredients including flour, baking powder, butter, sour cream and almond extract.

To make Cherry Scones you will need: flour, butter, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sour cream, almond extract, an egg, sugar, and dried cherries.

  • Butter: the butter for this recipe will need to be very cold. I recommend putting it in the freezer for a few minutes before using. Use a box grater to grate the butter into the mixture for easier incorporation.
  • Sour Cream: scone recipes will traditionally call for either buttermilk or heavy milk. I like to use sour cream because it’s more readily available and it holds up better in the scones. The scone texture is flakier and more well balanced with sour cream.
  • Dried Cherries: dried cherries add a tart and sweet bite to these scones. If you don’t have dried cherries, you can substitute dried cranberries or raisins. I don’t recommend using fresh cherries here as it will make the scones too wet.
  • Almond Extract: I love the subtle almond flavor of these scones. The recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of almond extract so that the flavor isn’t too overpowering. If you don’t like almond flavor, just omit it or add a teaspoon of vanilla in its place.

How to Make Dried Cherry Scones

To make cherry scones, first start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Also, place your butter in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

process shots showing how to make recipe including grating the butter into the flour and mixing the sour cream and egg.
  • Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and almond extract until well combined. Set aside.
  • Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a box grater to grate the very cold butter into the flour mixture. You can do this directly over the bowl or on a cutting board and then transfer it to the bowl.
  • Step 3: Use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Continue working until the mixture resembles a coarse texture without any large chunks of butter in it. Mix in the cherries, breaking up any cherries that may have gotten stuck together.
  • Step 4: Pour the sour cream mixture into the flour butter mixture and use a fork to stir together. The mixture will resemble a crumbly dough, just continue mixing until it starts to come together.

How to Shape, Bake and Frost the Scones

process shots showing how to make the recipe including adding the almond glaze.
  • Step 1: Once the dough comes together dump it out on to a lightly floured surface. Continue shaping the dough until it forms a 7-8 inch disk. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into 8 equal-sized slices. Place on baking sheet and bake in lower third of oven for 16-17 minutes.
  • Step 2: You will know the scones are done when they are golden in color. Remove from oven and let cool before adding glaze.
  • Step 3: To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk, and almond extract. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can substitute half the amount of regular milk in its place.
  • Step 4: Once the cherry scones are cooled, drizzle the glaze over top. Let the glaze harden completely before moving them.
Cherry scones with almond glaze on a wire baking rack.

Store leftover scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to a month. Delicious served with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!

Tips for Making Scones

  • Keep the scones as cold as possible before baking. Once the dough is ready, cut and bake. If you plan on baking later, keep dough in the refrigerator.
  • Make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go before making the scones. You want to get them in the hot oven as soon as they are ready.
  • The sour cream in the scone add a richness to the batter. If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute heavy cream or half and half.
  • The scone batter will be slightly sticky, this is fine.
  • Be sure to not over mix scone batter; you don’t need to knead it like other doughs.
  • Dried cherries are a nice addition to this sweet scone. You can find dried cherries next to the raisins and dried cranberries in most grocery stores.
Cherry Scones with almond glaze and dried cherries on a white countertop.

Scone FAQs

How do I make flaky scones?

The secret to making deliciously flaky scones is to start with very cold ingredients. Unlike other recipes, you don’t want your ingredients to be room temperature. Be sure you are using cold eggs, sour cream, and very cold (even frozen) butter. This will make the scone bake up light and fluffy rather than dense.

Do scones need to chill before baking?

If you are using very cold ingredients and being careful not to over work the batter, then there is no need to chill the scones before baking. Just be sure to work quick to get them into your preheated oven.

How to cut butter for scones?

Scone butter should be very cold before starting. You can dice the butter into small pieces, or grate it into the flour mixture using a box grater. Either way, once the butter has been added, mix the batter using your fingertips just until combined, and bake the scone immediately while the butter is still cold.

How to make Dried Cherry Scones?

The trick for making cherry scones is to use dried cherries instead of fresh. That way you don’t get too wet of a batter. Flavor the scones with a dash of almond extract for even more flavor.

Cherry Scones with Almond glaze.

More Sweet Breakfast Treats!

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Cherry Scones

Dried Cherry Scones

Cherry Scones are the perfect breakfast treat or afternoon tea recipe. Made with dried cherries and a simple almond glaze, these scones are easy to put together and ready in 30 minutes!
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 14 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 327kcal
Cost: 6-7

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • box grater

Ingredients

  • ½ cup sour cream, cold
  • 1 large egg, cold
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (275 grams)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter, frozen or very cold
  • ½ cup dried cherries

Scone Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and adjust the baking rack to the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and ½ teaspoon of almond extract; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture using the large holes of a box grater. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse crumble. Then, add in the dried cranberries.
  • Pour the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture and use a fork to mix together. Then, use your hands to shape the dough into a disk shape.
  • Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8-inch circle. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 equal triangles and place on preparing baking sheet about an inch apart.
  • Bake scones in preheated oven for 16-17 minutes until golden in color. Cool on cooling rack before adding glaze.
  • To make the scone glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, milk, and almond extract. Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled scones.

Video

Notes

  • Use cold sour cream, egg, and butter to keep the scones as cold as possible before baking. Once the dough is ready, cut and bake. If you plan on baking later, keep dough in the refrigerator.
  • Make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go before making the scones. You want to get them in the hot oven as soon as they are ready.
  • The sour cream in the scone add a richness to the batter. If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute heavy cream or half and half.
  • The scone batter will be slightly sticky, this is fine.
  • Be sure to not over mix scone batter; you don’t need to knead it like other doughs.
  • If you don’t like almond extract, simply omit it or substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in its place. 

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
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Recipe Rating




16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made these scones twice and each time, they were moist and delicious. I didn’t have almond extract, so I used vanilla. They were a huge hit each time. I’ll be making another batch today. This is my new go to recipe for dried cherry scones.

    Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    These are delicious! And you nailed the glaze proportions to have it be thick and perfect to drizzle on.
    I only had Fage greek yogurt which worked perfectly. I added more cherries and also brushed the scones with heavy cream and added sliced almonds to the top before baking. They couldn’t be more delicious! Thank you!

  3. Didn’t have sour cream, so I made it with Greek yogurt. Also added a little of lemon zest and vanilla due to personal preferences, otherwise followed everything as written. Can’t believe how fast, easy and tasty these scones are. Enjoying them in 40 minutes with a cup of hot tea. 10/10. Will make it again.

  4. These delish scones were a gift from my sweet friend and they were so moist and good! Now, I have the recipe! Thank you

      1. 5 stars
        Very good scone recipe. Took a little effort to form a disc, but alas. I think next time I will add a little more almond extract. I do have a question. Like I said, took a little effort to form a disc. Should I add a little more sour cream or a little cream?
        Thank you.

  5. 5 stars
    These cherry scones are so delicious and perfect all year round. Made them for brunch and they were a hit. Thank you!

  6. 5 stars
    The cherries with the almond extract were such a delish combination! And I was surprised at how easy they were to make! Thanks for the great recipe.