I love marzipan, I love cherries and I definitely love scones. So, “Why, oh why, haven’t I made these tremendously tasty treats before?” I ask myself. And I’ve no answer, but here they are anyway.

Makes: about 12 scones

Level: Easy

Time: 30 – 35 min hands on, then 12 – 16 min oven time + cooling

Need: Just basic stuff: baking trays, cutter, bowls etc. but use your mixer if you like.

Ingredients

125ml/4½fl oz buttermilk (or a Greek yogurt/milk/lemon juice mixture)
500g/18oz self-raising flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
140g/5oz cold butter, cubed
100g/3½oz caster sugar
150g/5½oz marzipan
150g/5½oz glace cherries
1 egg, beaten

Method

If you don’t have any buttermilk use 110ml milk or Greek yogurt + 15ml lemon juice. Mix it and stir it well then leave for five minutes before using it.

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C / Fan 190°C / 410°F / Gas 6. Line two baking trays with parchment.

2. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your food processor. Add in the salt, bi-carbonate of soda and butter. Either rub in using finger tips or pulse briefly in the processor to create a breadcrumb texture.

3. Stir in the sugar, then about 130g marzipan pieces and a similar amount of cherry halves or quarters. (If you want to decorate the scones with a small marzipan star and a half cherry; this will leave you enough of each.)

4. Make a well in the centre. Add in half of the beaten egg then the buttermilk gradually. You may not need all the liquid or possibly a little extra. Mix to create a soft dough.

5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, just to bring it all together, then roll out to about 3cm – 4cm thickness. Cut out scones using a 6cm round cutter. (Don’t twist the cutter.) Place on the baking trays and brush the tops with beaten egg.

6. To decorate as shown, roll out the remaining marzipan and stamp out stars. Add these onto the scones with the reserved cherry halves and brush again with beaten egg. (N.B. If you prefer not to have the stars darkened in the oven you could put them on the scones half way through baking.)

7. Bake for 14 – 16 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.

N.B. If I’m baking scones on two trays I like to turn them around and swap their shelves half way through the bake. Even with a fan oven I find this gives me a more even bake. Sometimes I even add a second egg wash, but I have to work quickly.

I hope you enjoy these scones. For more scone recipes click here. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please go to the contact page, or have a look at the rest of my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes.

Here’s a varied selection that may be of interest to you:

Honey and Almond Cake