It never fails. Every time cherry season rolls around, it takes me back to being a little girl. I’d spend all day outside when the weather began to warm and the daylight lasted well past dinner time. I loved to play in my playhouse that sat all the way at the back end of our yard. Just on the edge of our property, our neighbor had a cherry tree. I’d watch as the tree would bloom into a billion beautiful flowers that would eventually “snow” onto my playhouse, then transform into ripe, juicy, tart cherries! Ahhhh…I know, and I knew that they were the neighbor’s, but they were calling me! I mean, they were five feet away from my playhouse! And when you’re out there all day, you get hungry. And quite honestly, if I didn’t eat them, I’m pretty sure the only other thing that would were the birds! Soooo, I’d squeeze through a row of bushes, stand there completely still, like a spy, surveying their yard. As soon as I was sure no one was around, I’d climb into their tree, picking cherries as fast as I could, stuffing them into my shirt (and mouth), then I’d jump down and run into my playhouse…to devour them all myself! I’m not sure my Mom knew I was doing that, or if anyone knew. Well…I guess they do now. So, Mr. and Mrs. R….I’m sorry.
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These scones came to be through lots of inspiration. First, I’ve had a can of almond paste in my pantry for a month or so and I’ve been trying to decide how I wanted to use it. I love the classic combination of cherries and almond. I wondered how the almond paste would work in a scone. While doing some investigating I found that it’s been done…and quite beautifully (see Notes below). But, I wanted to reign in the loads of butter and fat that usually accompany scones. Almond paste is already high in fat, it’s a good fat, but it’s still fat. So, in developing this I use the almond paste as the butter. It works beautifully. These scones are sweet, but not overly so. They are tender, yet the almond paste adds a rich flavor that you cannot get without it. Then, the fresh cherries, with their sweetness and tartness, all at once. Ahhh…I’m in love with these scones!
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I was fortunate to have received a package from OXO of summer fruit tools! I’ve got lots of great posts coming up in the next few weeks (one of them is a refreshing cocktail!). For this recipe, I used their Good Grips Cherry/Olive Pitter. If you’ve ever pitted cherries with a pitter, you may know how messy and inconsistent that can be. Juice splatters everywhere and sometimes the pit comes out…and sometimes it doesn’t! I was impressed with this one! The pit easily popped out and with the clear splatter guard, there was very little mess. The pitter washes up in the dishwasher and locks closed to keep in your drawers. And…it’s my favorite color, red.
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Fresh Cherry and Almond Paste Scones
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour + more for rolling out
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounce can almond paste
1 large egg
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 teaspoon for brushing on top (regular milk is fine too)
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
1 – 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (or a scant tablespoon of regular sugar)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In the bowl of your food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Pulse several times to mix. Add the almond paste and pulse until combined with the flour. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly and add the milk. While running the processor, stream in the milk mixture until the mixture becomes one.
The dough will be a bit wet, so prepare your counter by spreading a sheet of parchment (about the size of your baking sheet) down on the counter. Generously flour the parchment. Carefully remove the dough from the processor bowl and dump it onto the floured surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/2″ thick. On one half of the rectangle, spread the chopped cherries. Using the parchment to help you, fold the other half over to form a square-ish loaf. Press down, just lightly. Brush the top with a bit of almond milk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Lightly score the top into 12 to 16 pieces. Do not cut all the way through. Remove excess flour from the parchment. Lifting the parchment from the sides, move the loaf onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool for as long as you can stand it…then cut through the squares and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee!
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| Fresh Cherry and Almond Paste Scones |
Notes:
- This recipe was inspired by this gorgeous recipe for Cherry Marzipan Scones by The Bojon Gourmet.
- This dough is quite delicate and may seem difficult to work with. Using flour generously on your board helps and try not to overwork it. Roll it out without trying to mess with it too much. It’s not meant to be perfect. It’s homemade!
- If you’d like to purchase this OXO Cherry Pitter, you can get one here.
Question: I am going to make these tomorrow, but I don’t have a food processor. Can I just cut the almond paste into the flour, as if it were butter? What will the consistency be like BEFORE I add the milk? Doughy or crumbly?
Thanks for your advice! I’ve been waiting a year for cherry season to make these…I live in the heart of Washington State’s cherry country!
Hi Anna! You’ve probably already figured it all out by now, but I have only made this with the processor. I’m not sure how it would turn out by hand. The dough will be a bit crumbly before adding the milk. If you gave it a try, I’d love to hear your results! Oh, you are surrounded by the best cherries in Washington! I visited Stemilt, in Wenatchee, a few years ago and it was heavenly! Hope you love these scones!
I made this recipe this morning and tweaked it and it was still delicious! I used a full 12.5oz can of almond paste, 1/3 cup of sugar and buttermilk in place of the almond milk. I used frozen organic cherries from Costco. Totally workable dough. I patted into a round and cut 8 wedges with my pastry cutter. Fantasic scones.
Ooh, I bet the buttermilk created a great texture, Melissa! I’ll have to try that. I also need to pick up some of those frozen cherries! It’s not cherry season here, but I’m suddenly craving these. Thanks so much for sharing your tips and for your kind words! :)
I made these scones and they are totally delicious, the almond flavour going right through them is amazing BUT I am not sure about the amount of milk. I did use the 3/4 of a cup and thought it funny when you said it would make a slightly wet mixture. I could have poured mine out it was a thick liquid. I added an awful lot more flower and I mean a lot, until it was useable and it was still too sticky to roll.
However, although the recipe seemed a bit random after me sticking in so much more flour … it was still the nicest scone that I have ever eaten and the family and friends love them too. I will make them again (I plan on making some more tomorrow) but will add the milk slowly to see how much I need. Is it a misprint in the recipe? Either way, these are going to be my show-off scones in the future. Thank you for the recipe xxx
I’m so glad the scones turned out well, Annette, despite the wet dough! This dough is pretty wet, but not to the point of being soupy. The only thing I can think of is a possible difference in measuring the flour. Currently, I’m trying to publish baking recipes using weight along with volume measurements. When measuring flour, especially, weight can be off by as much as 25% when using volume only. I will retest these this week and I’ll be sure to edit the recipe with weight measurements to be sure it turns out perfectly for you next time! Thank you for sharing your experience with me! x
I love scones. I also love anything with almonds. Thank you for all your effort! I will try this next season.
I love them too, Kathy! Thanks so much for your kind words! I hope you get a chance to make these! :)
These sound so good. I love anything with cherry in. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Hey there, love your blog! I see you’ll be attending the Big Summer Potluck this July. It will be my first time going and I’m looking forward to meeting you! xo
Hey Natalie! Thanks so much! It will be my first time there too…I’m really looking forward to meeting you too! From what I’ve heard from others, it’s a really great time! So glad you got in touch!
Yum, I want these for breakfast! These look absolutely gorgeous and have a combination of flavors! The cherry pitter rocks!
Thanks so much Lisa! I do love this combination too…the almond flavor is crazy good! And the cherry pitter…it’s just so cool!
Caroline, these look lovely!!! Is almond paste the same as almond butter???? yumm!! :-)
Thank you very much Sarah! I’m so glad you stopped by! I’m glad you asked that question…I’m sure there are other people wondering too! Almond butter is just like peanut butter. It’s basically ground roasted almonds. Almond paste is much more dense and not as oily. It is ground unroasted almonds with added sugar. If you taste it out of the can, it’s like candy…I think it’s delicious! That sweetness is the reason this recipe doesn’t call for much additional sugar. I hope that helps!
I love the little video! And I would like to thank you in advance for sending me some of these :D
Awww…thank you Jen! I owe all credit for the video to my daughter…I’d be lost without her help! Keep an eye on your mailbox! ;)
I love your images of the whole and cut cherries – beautiful! I really ought to invest in a proper cherry pitter. I have a super old-school one that my boyfriend’s mom gave me, but it splatters juice everywhere, and doesn’t even always get the pits. :/ I never would have thought to use it for olives!
I love that you used almond milk as the liquid here – that is brilliant! So glad to have helped inspire this recipe! A good friend of mine also makes classic scones with blobs of almond paste mixed right into the batter, which bake into gooey almondy pockets. Crazy good! Oh, and that Bon Appetit recipe for cherry ginger scones with rye flour looks awesome!
I had a really old pitter too, Alanna, and I know what you mean…splatters everywhere! Thanks so much for the sweet compliments! I absolutely love that idea of keeping the almond paste a bit chunky to get those yummy bits! Hmmmm…I’m going to experiment with that! I love that stuff…I could eat it straight out of the can! :)
I’m absolutely in love with my cherry pitter!! I love cherries but hate dealing with the pits….this little gadget is such a game changer :)
I love all things almond…these scones are totally calling my name!
I love this one too, Kelli! I love OXO products, this one is no exception. That splatter guard makes all the difference. If you love almond, you’ll love these. The almond flavor is so rich…it’s like a sip of Amaretto! :)
Looks good. What can I use instead of almond paste?
Thank you Anne! Hmmmmm…you may have stumped me. You could try using butter for the almond paste, but I haven’t tested it that way, so I’m not sure what the results would be. Honestly, I’ll try to find you a basic scone recipe that you could add fresh cherries to. I know you’re concerned about nut allergies and I think that may be the trick!
Anne, I found this Cherry Ginger Scone recipe from Bon Appetit: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/03/cherry-ginger-scones There are no nuts in it, but it does use some rye flour. Then, also from Bon Appetit, are these Adare Manor Scones: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/05/adare-manor-scones They are pretty basic and you can probably play around with some different add-ins.