Cherry & Almond Sour Cream Scones

Cherries, the small and sweet dark red fruits that are full of flavor and fiber are found in plenty in summer. I paired my fresh Cherries with the ever classic Almonds and sour cream to bake these delicious Cherry-Almond Scones. Packed with anti-oxidants and beta-carotene, Cherries are aptly called the "latest super-fruits"! These breakfast scones taste heavenly right out of the oven, and serve to be a perfect weekend brunch with hot tea! Combined with whole-grain flour, sour cream and a pinch of nutmeg, my Cherry Almond Scones were the best way to enjoy the fresh fruits; however, you could easily make these with dried cherries as well. If you enjoy cherries, its hard to resist these scones!

Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh or dried sweet cherries - pitted and chopped
** If you use dried cherries, soak them in warm water for an hour to plump them up
2 cups whole-grain pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cold butter - cut into chunks
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
a pinch of nutmeg (optional, for aroma)
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

With a pastry knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it is granular in appearance, like sand, just more grainier.

Mix the sour cream, egg, nutmeg and almond extract together in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture.

Fold in the slivered almonds and cherries, leaving a few for garnish. Stir with a spatula just until moistened. (Note: DO not mix a lot else the cherries will leave out juice and color the entire dough)

Dust the countertop with all-purpose flour and turn the dough out. Pat the dough into a disk about 12 inches in diameter. Cut the disk into small discs or wedges, whatever shape you like.

Place them on an ungreased baking sheet with room around them to expand. (Note: Do not use grease as that can turn your scones more brown in color!) You can use a parchment paper if you want.

Top each scone with split cherries and pinch them slightly in the dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack till they cool down.

Variations: Try these with golden raisins or dried currants, and use shredded coconut instead of almonds.

These scones taste wonderful straight out of the oven; the tartness of cherries is wonderfully paired with alomnds, and sour cream imparts a smooth rich texture. Top them with some butter or jam, kids would love a topping of whipped cream too! I simply enjoyed my Cherry-Almond Scones with a cup of hot tea for my breakfast!

Related Recipes:
Cranberry-Walnut Scones (Eggless)
Mango Streusel Breakfast Cake
Wholegrain Blueberry Pancakes