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Almond Cherry Scones with Orange Glaze.

Perfect Almond and Cherry Scones with Orange Glaze

Julie Hession
These fluffy and buttery cream scones are enhanced with tart dried cherries, toasted almonds, and a sweet orange glaze, three flavors that complement each other beautifully. They can be shaped and chilled in advance and then baked first thing in the morning....or in the afternoon for a special treat.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Servings 16 scones
Calories 283 kcal
5 from 3 votes
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Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper (see Notes)
  • pastry brush

Ingredients
 
 

Scone Dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 sticks very cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 large orange, zested
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup tart dried cherries
  • 1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon cream (for egg wash)

Orange Glaze

  • 1½ cups confectioner's sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoon orange juice (use the orange you zested)
  • ¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions
 

Prepare the scone dough

  • Preheat your oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add the cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
  • Using your fingers, rub the cold butter into the flour, until you have pieces that are roughly the size of peas. Some pieces will be bigger than others--that's ok! You just don't want any large pieces of butter remaining, and you are looking for a mixture where the butter is evenly distributed.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together cream, orange zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
  • Add the dried cherries to the flour mixture in the bowl along with the wet ingredients.
  • Gently toss gently the ingredients until a dough begins to form. Mix just until everything is moistened and mostly combined. The mixture will still be in pieces and with bits of butter visible.
  • Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into two equal portions and then form each portion into a flat disk, about ¾-inch thick. At this point, you can either wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill or freeze for later (see Notes), or you can shape and bake the scones.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut each round into eight equal wedges. Carefully transfer each wedge to the prepared baking sheet(s), spacing apart.
  • Brush the tops of each scone with the egg wash. Bake until scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 16-24 minutes (Scones that have been refrigerated will take closer to 20 minutes. Frozen scones will take closer to 25 minutes.)
  • Remove scones from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Carefully transfer the scones to a wire rack set over paper towels or parchment paper (helpful for catching the glaze!)

Prepare Orange Glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk the confectioner's sugar with enough orange juice to get a smooth glaze that is slightly thick but thin enough to drizzle with a spoon or a wire whisk.
  • Drizzle the glaze evenly over the scones and then sprinkle with the toasted almonds. You can glaze the scones when they are still warm or completely cooled. Let glaze set at least 5 minutes and enjoy!

Notes

  • The entire batch of scones can fit on a larger sized baking sheet, but you can space them out more by using two standard baking sheets.  Place the pans in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and switch positions halfway through the baking process. 
  • Scone dough can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to one month.  Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cutting into wedges and baking.  You can also pre-cut the dough into wedges and freeze it that way.  Bake the scones one at a time or by the batch, straight from the freezer. 
  • Dough can be shaped and refrigerated overnight before baking. 

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 857IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg
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