Buttery scones studded with sweet cherries and semisweet chocolate make for a wonderful breakfast or teatime treat. A cup of sourdough discard adds a perfect tangy background to the medley of flavors.
Click here to jump to recipe
Who here loves cherries? I’ve definitely been quite the cherry monster lately. They’re tangy, sweet, and so, so juicy, especially when they’re in season. My parents used to buy them as a treat for me and my sister, and a fresh bowl of cherries still brings me back to childhood summers.
While I believe nothing really beats a fresh cherry, I also think they are the perfect baking add-in. Pair them with chocolate and you have a winning combination for any baked good. Every bite of these scones is full of roasted cherries and melted pools of dark chocolate – scrumptious!
Outside of the fantastic flavor combo, there are 2 reasons why I love this scone recipe. First, it is super quick and easy to pull together so you’ll have hot scones in less than an hour! Second, it uses a full cup of sourdough discard which is PERFECT if you’re like me and your sourdough starter is super prolific. If you haven’t made a sourdough starter yet, I walk you through the steps to in this post.
Ingredient substitutions
- The recipe calls for heavy cream because it adds a wonderful richness you can’t quite get from milk. If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use whole milk instead.
- If you don’t have sourdough discard, you can sub the cup of discard with a 1/2 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of all purpose flour.
- You can use dried cherries or fresh cherries.
- If chocolate and cherry is not your thing (even though it is an A+ combination), you can sub in 1/2 – 1 cup of fillings of your choice, like chopped nuts or dried fruit.
Tips and tricks for perfect scones
- Freeze and grate the butter. The little pockets of butter in the dough will melt in the oven and help your scones puff up.
- Chill before baking to help the dough set up, as I find these scones do spread a little bit while baking.
- Don’t overwork the dough, as this will make your scones tough instead of tender.
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear how it went! You can leave a comment below or tag me @halicopteraway on Instagram.
Chocolate cherry sourdough scones
Equipment
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- 1 baking tray
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (188g) all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp rough sea salt or kosher salt
- 5 tbsp (70g) frozen butter
- 3/4 cup chopped cherries, fresh or frozen
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup (250g) sourdough starter discard
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, plus extra for brushing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil
- In medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Grate in frozen butter. Use hands to gently combine flour and butter until course crumbles form. Add in cherries and chocolate.
- In separate mixing bowl, combine sourdough starter and cream. Pour sourdough mixture into dry ingredients. Combine with a fork until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and gently knead to combine, being careful not to overwork the dough. Gently pat into an 8 inch circle and cut into 8 triangles (Alternatively, you can make drop scones by spooning and dropping the dough onto your baking sheet, which should make 10 – 15 smaller scones). Place your scones on your prepared baking sheet about 2 – 3 inches apart and and brush tops with heavy cream. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator and bake for 18 – 25 minutes until tops and edges are golden brown. Serve warm.
These scones look amazing, Hali! The cherry and chocolate combination is one of my absolute favourite and I love that you are using so much sourdough discard here! I need to make these this weekend! Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Thank you Katerina! Sourdough discard recipes are always my favorite… such a great way to bring in a tangy flavor and reduce waste.
Can’t wait to try these! Do you have any tips for overnight fermentation for these?
Hi Francesca, no fermentation is needed on these! If you’d like you can make ahead and freeze, then bake straight from the freezer