Fat Cherry and Almond Scones

In a small saucepan, bring cherry juice and almond extract to a boil. Remove from heat, add cherries, and cover the pan. Refrigerate at least an hour, and up to overnight, before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 350 F and position a rack in the center of the oven.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle the pieces of butter over the top. With your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture until no large chunks remain.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, maple syrup, and egg. (I like to stick the bowl of dry ingredients and butter in the freezer while I do this, to make sure they don’t start to warm up.) Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Drain the cherries and stir them into the batter along with the toasted almonds.

If you’ve come this far without licking batter off your fingers or the spoon … well, you have much more self control than I do.

Drop mounded scoops of dough onto a baking sheet (unlined is fine) with at least an inch in between. The scones won’t spread much, but better safe than sorry! Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the scones cool, make the tart cherry glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and cherry juice. Add more cherry juice as necessary to make a smooth glaze. Brush over the tops of the cooled scones. Don’t be afraid to glaze the scones 2, even 3 times, waiting a few minutes for the glaze to dry in between. The cherry glaze gives the scones this beautiful pink color, plus some extra cherry flavor!

The scones taste best on the day they are made, but can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.