Crumbly and tender, these cherry scones come together in 40 minutes. They can be frozen and baked to order, so you eat warm, out-of-the-oven scones every time!

After a huge storm that flooded many areas of this city last week, including my neighborhood, we're finally having what can be referred to as wonderful spring days. The perfect way to start the week.
But the holiday season calls for berries, chocolate, and baking, doesn't it?
I dream of cranberries.
I love them, their acid sweet flavor, beautiful deep color, and the way they have of livening up any sweet or savory thing they get thrown into.
So when the polls were closed, and cranberries emerged as the winner of the November challenge, let's say I was challenged more than ever. The closest I had found were sour cherries. They taste surprisingly like cranberries and have that deep red hue. But they only grow in cold climates, south of the country, and never make it to the city.
Scones have very simple ingredients, but a few pointers should be followed if you want soft, tender ones that are nicely risen.
Tips for making scones
- Very cold ingredients. I'm not kidding when I say frozen butter, at least very cold. And don't take the cream half an hour before mixing the scones. Butter, and cream, belong in the fridge until you need to scatter and pour them.
- Handle the dough lightly. Don't overwork the dough. It needs to remain as cold as possible so the butter doesn't start to melt and you get that crumbly texture.
- A rather high oven. They need that extra heat to rise however they can in spite of all that butter and cream. And if by any chance you forgot to turn the oven on before you start with the mixing, please don't leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer for the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.
Freezing scones.
One of the best parts of making scones is that you can have them frozen, and unbaked until you need them.
Cut and put in a cookie sheet that fits into your freezer. Freeze in the tray until completely solid. You can transfer to a plastic bag until ready to use or pop the whole tray in a pre-heated 375°F oven. No need to defrost them.
What type of chocolate should we use?
- A good semi-sweet chocolate bar cut into chunks is my first option. Or use the packaged chocolate chunks. I prefer them to chips because they are larger and melt better, but you can use your favorite chocolate chip if that's all you have.
They turned out wonderful, not only the scones but the pairing of chocolate with the berries.
So yes, the whole scone turned out good, very good, a cross between breakfast and tea time. Or a snack. They are not too sweet and have those dark and somewhat sour stumbles when you bite into them.
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Chocolate Sour Cherry Scones
Crumbly and tender, these scones come together in 40 minutes.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 small scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tbs sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbs buttermilk. cold
- ½ cup sour cream, cold
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate, in chunks
- ½ cup sour cherries (pitted), fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF/190°C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl mix sour cream with baking soda.
- In the bowl of a food processor put flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Process a few times to mix. In a bowl mix butter, egg, buttermilk, and sour cream with baking soda.
- Pour over flour mixture and process with a few on/off pulses just until it begins to come together. Don't over mix.
- If making by hand put dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl and add. Mix with a fork until it becomes a shaggy mass. Continue as instructed below.
- Transfer the shaggy mass to a bowl and add the chocolate and cherries. Lightly mix with a fork to distribute.
- Dump the dough onto the lightly floured work surface and fold it over itself a few times, enough to gather it all together but without kneading. Don't overwork. It will be irregular and spots will be dry.
- Pat the dough and cut rounds using a cookie cutter.
- Put on the baking sheets, freeze for 10 minutes, and then bake for 20 minutes, until they are golden.
- Let cool a bit on a wire rack.
- Eat warm.
Notes
You can substitute the sour cherries for same amount of cranberries or raisins.
Freezing: freeze the scones, unbaked, until ready to bake. Tranfer directly, without defrosting them, to a preheated 375°F oven.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Scones & Biscuits
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: cherry scones, cherry chocolate scones
Adapted from Ann Pillsbury's Baking Book, 1950 edition
Suzanne Perazzini says
There so something so homely and comforting about scones and these are super special ones. Great addition to the party.
Patty says
Love your scones with the sour cherries- great choice for a substitution;-)
Beautiful photos-they look so delicious!
pinchandswirl says
Paula, you're my baked good guru. When you post things you've baked I find myself bookmarking the recipe again and again. I have a little dream of a baking lesson from you in Buenos Aires someday. 🙂
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Fabulous, Paula! I say let's replace dinner rolls with these for Thanksgiving. Yum!
thelittleloaf says
Chocolate and cherry has to be one of the best combinations ever. Your scones look (almost) too good to eat, delicious!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
OH-EM-GEE I laughed so freaking hard at the "20 people to immediately unfriend on Facebook." The people's comments to the ridiculous statuses were priceless. And seriously, what the hell is up with the "buffalo buffalo buffalo..." Wiki post? My eyes glazed over as I was reading it. Thankfully I had your beautiful scones to bring me back to myself. Cherries and chocolate are a perfect match and your scones are gorgeous! I need to learn to bake a scone as good-lookin' as these.
www.you-made-that.com says
I made some similar scones back in Feb. for Valentine's so I know these are wonderful. Chocolate and cherries go together so well, great job on your scones.
Jean | Lemons & Anchovies says
I love the sound of these scones. I made cranberry scones last year but didn't even think to add chocolate to them. I bet these had the perfect balance of flavors between the tart cherries and the sweet chocolate. Pretty pictures!
yummychunklet says
Love these round biscuit-shaped scones!
Cher Rockwell says
Sorry to hear about the flooding in your neighborhood. I hope all is well with you and yours.
Cherry scones sounds like a great idea! It makes me sad that you can't get cranberries down there though 🙁