Cherry Buttermilk Scones

Summary

Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 13 minutes
Yield: 16 scones
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup dried Montmorency tart cherries, finely chopped
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs, divided (2 for scone batter; 1 for egg wash)
  • Additional flour for cutting scones

Directions

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in dried Montmorency tart cherries.   In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and two of the eggs. Add liquid mixture to dry mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be soft and sticky). Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare egg wash.

Flour surface for forming scones. Turn out dough and knead two to three times. Dough will be very soft. Divide dough in half.

Roll each piece of dough into a 5-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 8 pie-shaped wedges.

Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer wedges onto a cookie sheet, arranging so that wedges are not touching. They should be at least 1 1/2-inches apart.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush a very light coat of egg wash onto the top of each scone.

Sprinkle tops of scones with remaining tablespoon of sugar, and bake for about 13 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Serve warm.