These White Chocolate Cherry Scones bake up tall and fluffy, and are a delicious surprise for a Valentine’s Day breakfast or snack. Serve with good butter or clotted cream and a cup of coffee or tea.
They’re irresistible!
Start your Valentine’s Day off with a tender, buttery, flaky treat . White chocolate and dried cherries make these scones extra special. I love the sweet tart combo and they’re perfect with a cup of strong espresso or a glass of milk.
You can make the dough the night before or knock these out in the morning while everyone’s sleeping. Who wouldn’t want to wake up to this incredible breakfast?
They’re so easy to make and you’ll be everyone’s hero for serving up warm baked goodies for breakfast.
INGREDIENTS
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great for this recipe.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar, Make sure to whisk it to get all the lumps out.
- Baking Powder: Gives the scones some lift.
- Heavy cream: I use heavy cream in this scone recipe. It adds lightness and tenderness to the scones without drying them out. The heavy cream should be cold before adding to the dough.
- Vanilla extract: Don’t go with imitation here. Make sure to use real vanilla extract.
- White Chocolate: I use good quality white chocolate chips, but chunks would work too.
- Dried Cherries: I use unsweetened dark sweet cherries, but you can use any dried cherries, including the tart variety. I chop the cherries into smaller pieces before adding to the other ingredients.
HOW TO MAKE SCONES FROM SCRATCH
Full instructions in the recipe card!· In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder.· Add the chocolate chips, heavy cream and cherries to gently form a dough. ·
Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and pat to form a ball.· Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.·
Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, press down to cut out heart-shaped scone dough. Repeat, keeping the cookie cutter as close to the last cut-out as you can.
You want to maximize the number of heart scones.· Place each heart on a parchment lined baking sheet pan. Brush each heart with melted butter.·
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown· Let cool while you prepare the icing.
CAN I MAKE SCONES IN A FOOD PROCESSOR?
Yes, it’s pretty simple to make them by hand, but if you prefer the food processor, go for it! Start by combining the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor, pulsing until mixed.
Don’t over mix here. Add the heavy cream, pulsing until the dough comes together in shaggy clumps. The dough will be sticky and come together easily.
Put the dough on a board or on the counter and form into a circle. Follow the directions for shaping, cutting and baking the scones.
PERFECT SCONE BAKING TIPS
· Don’t overmix the dough. Overmixing causes flat, tough scones and we don’t want those.· Keep the dough from over arming, otherwise your scones will spread too much when baking and you won’t get that nice height..
If you feel like your dough is melting, put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes before shaping and baking.· Don’t overbake the scones or they’ll be dry and hard.
I recommend taking them out of the oven when the centers have set and they’re starting to turn golden on the bottoms.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SCONES
- clotted cream
- jam
- lemon curd
- honey or maple syrup
- room temperature butter - the good yellow kind
MAKING SCONES AHEAD OF TIME
Make the dough and shape it into hearts. Place the unbaked scones in an airtight container or resealable freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.
Bake as instructed the next day. To store already baked scones: bake the dough then let cool and store them in a resealable bag at room temperature for several days or in the fridge for up to a week.
FREEZING SCONES
Freezing the dough before baking: Place scone dough triangles on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Place the mostly-frozen scones in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To bake the scones from frozen, place them on a baking sheet and add a few minutes to the bake time in the recipe. You can also thaw them overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed.
Add glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar before serving. Freezing already baked scones: Bake and cool a fresh batch leaving any frosting, glaze or sugar off the tops.
Freeze the baked and cooled scones in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container. Put the frozen scones in the fridge overnight to thaw, or leave them out on the counter for a few hours.
To warm, microwave for about 20 seconds or put them on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 6-10 minutes. Add glaze or sugar after rewarming.
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