Autumnal, rustic and offhandedly impressive: Walnut and Boozy Cherry Scones

Dried tart cherries are plumped in bourbon, then baked into easy-to-make, not-too-sweet scones. Recipe below.

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]S[/su_dropcap]cones are the perfect baked dessert for someone who doesn’t bake much and prefers baked goods that aren’t too overly sweet. In other words, me.

Scones are infinitely customizable too. There are so many things you can add to them—fruits, nuts, lemon, chocolate, herbs… For these, walnuts and dried tart cherries create an autumnal dessert—or breakfast pastry or teatime snack or even just a “hey, that looks good” treat.

Even the cherries in this recipe are not overly sweet. They are, in fact, tart—Montmorency tart cherries. According to the Montmorency U.S. Tart Cherries website, the varietal is named for “a valley in the northern suburbs of Paris, France, where tart cherries were first cultivated in the 18th century.” Here in the U.S., they are primarily grown in Michigan and Wisconsin; 75% of this country’s harvest comes from Michigan. Since the cherries you use for this recipe are dried, you can find them pretty much year-round in lots of places.

Rehydrating these cherries before baking with them makes them tender and plump, not chewy. We halved them before soaking them in bourbon—it lets more moisture get in and makes for more bite-sized pieces in the finished scones. You can also use water, but we like the subtle flavor note the bourbon (or brandy) adds.

Throughout the recipe, you’ll see ingredients being chilled or even popped in the freezer. Keeping the butter cold makes for flakier finished scones.

As I said, these scones are really easy to make. They do require some prep work and some do ahead—especially roasting the walnuts so they can cool. But nothing is difficult. And using a food processor even simplifies cutting the butter into the flour mixture. The results are delicious—and impressive, in that offhanded “oh yeah, I made some scones” sort of way.

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Walnut and Boozy Cherry Scones

Dried tart cherries are plumped in bourbon, then baked into easy-to-make, not-too-sweet scones.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 2 ounces bourbon, or brandy or water (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling (see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup or more half & half (or cream or milk), plus more for brushing

Instructions

• Roast walnuts ahead of time. Place them in a dry skillet over medium-low flame. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they begin to brown and become fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl and let them cool completely. Chop or break into small pieces.
• Prep the cherries and the butter slightly ahead of time. Using a sharp knife, halve the dried cherries and place them in a small saucepan. Add the bourbon and heat over a medium flame. As it starts to bubble, reduce heat and barely simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and pop it in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes. Drain completely and keep chilled until ready to use.
• Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes, place in a bowl and pop in the freezer while you prepare the dry ingredients. (If you're not baking until later, just keep the butter in the fridge—the point is, you want the butter to stay as cold as possible until you're actually baking the scones.)
• Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a food processor. Pulse several times to thoroughly mix everything. Beat egg in a bowl and add 1/3 cup half & half. Set aside.
• Go time. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone baking mat and pop it in the fridge. Add cubed butter to dry ingredients in food processor and pulse until the mix resembles a coarse meal. This will happen deceptively quickly; I stirred the mix with a wooden spoon, expecting to find lumps of butter, but did not.
• Transfer flour mix to a mixing bowl and stir in the cherries and walnuts. Pour egg/half & half mixture over everything and stir to combine. If you're still finding dry flour pockets, stir in a little more half & half, a tablespoon at a time. Your goal is a dough that barely holds together, not something that sticks to your hands. I added 2 tablespoons to get there.
• With flour-dusted hands, transfer mix onto a lightly floured surface. Working quickly, form it into a ball and flatten into an 8-inch disk, slightly mounded in the center. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges.
• Transfer wedges to baking sheet, leaving space between them. Brush scone tops with half & half and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake on a center rack until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer baked scones to a wire cooling rack and cool either slightly or completely, depending on your will power.

Kitchen Notes

Make more walnuts. You're only going to use 1/2 cup in this recipe, but these lightly roasted walnuts are so tempting, you should probably roast at least a cup so you have some to snack on.

Booze or no? Bourbon or brandy add a nice extra something to the cherries as they rehydrate and plump up—and to the scones as well. But you can indeed use water.

How much sugar? We really like the mildly sweet flavor 1/4 cup of sugar delivers. If your sweet tooth demands more, use 1/3 cup, but no more than that.