Ingredients
1 3/4 cups king arthur unbleached cake flour blend
1 3/4 cups gold medal pre-sifted self-rising flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter (frozen and grated small pearl size)
approx 1+ cup fresh chopped red cherries
approx 1 oz or less amaretto di sarono
approx 1+ cup coarse chopped roasted, unsalted almonds
approx 1 cup small chunks ‘white chocolate’
1 cup half & half
1 tbsp real vanilla extract
2 eggs (to glaze to brush on scones before baking)
approx 1 tbsp honey
Preparation
pit and coarse chop approx 30 ripe red bing cherries. lay out in single layer of a baking dish and pour in amaretto to make a shallow bath. do not fully cover cherries. place pan in warm oven (about 200F) until amaretto is evaporated and cherry pieces are somewhat dry.
flour: UK scone recipes often call for self-rising flour and significant reduction of the baking powder (or none at all), while US recipes with all-purpose flour tend to include baking powder. with this recipe, using cake flour and self-rising, the baking powder was cut in half.
mix flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, almond pieces, white chocolate chunks and blend all with hands
mix all the wet ingredients: half½, honey, vanilla extract, and a little of the amaretto (if desired) and set aside.
start with butter that is frozen solid and grate to form pea-sized or smaller pearls or curls. use both sticks and add quickly, blend with hands into dry flour mixture and put in freezer immediately (for 10-15 min) to keep the butter frozen.
mix the wet ingredients until consistent. add the wet mixture and cherries to the dry ingredients all at once and blend/fold with hands being careful not to overwork the dough as though making US style biscuits. return to freezer for about 1/2 hour.
grease/butter a baking sheet and, with hands, form scones to size 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide balls and slightly flatten. brush on whipped egg for glaze.
bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown
