Sour cherry yogurt scones with cardamom honey butter

There's nothing like a cup of coffee or tea and a warm scone drizzled with honey and butter on a lazy morning. Use fresh or frozen cherries for this recipe.

Some mornings just call out for decadence. Slow mornings. Mornings that include coffee made from fresh roasted beans paired with freshly baked something or other. The sun streaming in between the curtains, creating a painting of it’s own across the table’s surface. The kind you can rest your hand in and feel it’s warmth as you slowly sip your morning brew (whether that be coffee or tea). And slow mornings that include butter. As they should.

These aren’t the regular buttery scones you may be used too. Too finicky for me. Also too finicky for slow lazy mornings. They just happen to be a healthier take on the classic. So win win.

I wanted to reserve my butter intake so I could lather it on thick and watch it melt across my warm scone. Sticky, greasy honey butter oozing down the sides of the scone and dripping down my hand. Lazy mornings. Butter mornings.

Last time Joshua was in town he picked up the most wonderful cherries. The last of the season. I made this chocolate tart with balsamic stewed cherries, which was also decadent, but I still had some left over. I froze the cherries to preserve them until I could think of a recipe to do them justice. I think this one qualifies. So go ahead and use frozen cherries if they have fallen out of season where you live. Cherries that grow in Northern Alberta are quite small and if you’re using large cherries, you may want to cut them in half first. If using frozen cherries, make sure they go into the recipe frozen or you’ll have a bloody mess on your hands!

Sour cherry yogurt scones

2 cups flour (I used half sprouted spelt and half whole wheat pastry flour)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teasponn salt

2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or dry sweetener of choice)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup pitted sour cherries

2 dozen shelled pistachios, chopped (about 3 tablespoons)

Cream or 1 beaten egg with 1 tablepsoon of water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together oil, and yogurt. Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture. Mix to combine.

3. Place dough on a well floured surface. Knead lightly to to incorporate all the flour, then mix in the cherries. Make a nice ball, being careful no to over handle the dough or the dough will be tough and pink. Flatten out the dough using your hand and make an 8 inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges. Brush with cream or beaten egg. Sprinkle with nuts and press them down lightly into the scones so they stick.

4. Transfer the scones to a baking sheet sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Cardamom honey butter

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

In a small bowl, mix butter, honey and cardamom to combine.

Recipe Notes: If you want to skip the cardamom honey butter and would like another creative option, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage into the flour mixture would be a wonderful addition.