Sour Cream Cherry and Almond Scones

Yes, my dears, I am still here and making magical goodness in my kitchen.  I know it's been a while, and I'm trying to be better about posting.  I had a request for this recipe, so here we go.

I made these for the Philly Swappers food swap at Reading Terminal Market last night.  (Side note: It was a great time and I'll be posting about it in a while.)  The decision to make these came fairly last minute and was inspired by the fact that I had sour cream in my fridge that I needed to use and dried cherries in my pantry.  I think if I were to make them again, I would do something to make the almonds adhere to the top more- maybe pressing them down a bit before baking or doing a milk or egg wash before sprinkling them on top.  The dried cherries I had were a bit big and though I cut them in half before adding them to the dough, I think it would have been better for them to be chopped just a little bit more.

This started out as a recipe from Land O Lakes, and I didn't tinker with it too much.  I'm not familiar enough with making scones to feel safe making major changes.

Sour Cream Cherry and Almond Scones

For the topping

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 Tbsp sugar

For the scones

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup dried cherries

1- Heat oven to 375°F. Combine all topping ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
2- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until crumbly.
3- Combine sour cream, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Add cherries.
4- Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times until smooth and cherries are well-distributed.
5- Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a 7-inch circle. Place 2 inches apart onto large ungreased baking sheet. Score each circle into 8 wedges; do not separate. Sprinkle topping evenly over dough.
6- Bake 25-30 minutes or until scones are lightly browned. Cool 15 minutes; separate scones. Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature.