I’m glad I’m no longer addicted to bread products, but I still feel an occasional twinge of nostalgia for scones — crusty, with a tender crumb, and just a touch of fruity sweetness.
After months of testing, I’ve finally landed on my favorite: dark chocolate and cherries. With an almond flour base, these scones marry three of my favorite ingredients, and they just so happen to taste fantastic together. But just to be sure, I figured I needed to make one more batch. (All in the name of responsible recipe development, of course. It had nothing to do with my love for chocolatey scones. NOTHING!)
Once the kids were off to school, I had the house to myself for a few hours this morning, so I cranked up the oven and broke out the chocolate. Less than an hour later, my kitchen was filled with the warm scent of freshly-baked scones.
Makes 8 scones / Hands-On Time: 10 minutes / Total Time: 40 minutesIngredients:
- 3 cups blanched almond flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, as cold as possible (preferably frozen)
- 2 large pastured eggs
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces of 80+% cacao dark chocolate, cut into bite-size chunks
- ⅓ cup dried cherries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.

Use your hands or a pastry cutter to work the pieces of cold butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture is produced.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk together the eggs, apple cider vinegar, honey, and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour the egg mixture into it.

Gently mix with a spatula until a wet, chunky dough forms, and then throw in the chocolate chunks and cherries.

Combine the ingredients with your hands, and form two small balls of dough.

On a sheet of parchment paper or a nonstick surface, gently flatten the balls with your hands. The rounds of dough should be about ¾-inch thick. (If the dough’s a little too sticky to handle, refrigerate it for a half hour to firm it up before proceeding.)
Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut each round of dough into 4 equal-sized wedges, and arrange all 8 pieces on the parchment-lined baking sheet.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The scones are ready when they’re golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the scones onto a wire rack to cool before serving.
I’m not the only one in the house who fell victim to the charms of these chocolatey scones today.