Recipes

Preheat oven to 425F.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles small peas.

Stir the buttermilk, vanilla and almond extracts together and add all at once to the mixture.

Stir with a fork until the dough becomes sticky and shaggy.

Stir in cherries and almonds.

Turn your dough out onto a generously floured work surface. Knead the dough about 10 times.

Divide the dough in half and pat each half into an 8-inch circle about 1/2-inch thick.

Sprinkle each circle with 1 tbsp sugar (if using) and press the sugar gently into the surface of the dough.

Using a sharp knife cut each circle into 8 wedges.

Repeat with other half. (Or you can just divide the dough into 16 round patties like I did.)

Bake the scones until light brown and slightly puffy, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Cool about 5-10 minutes before serving.