Cherry Cheesecake Scones

This is a sit-down scone. Grabbing one of these to eat in the car on the way to work just will not do; get a cup of coffee or brew a pot of tea, get comfortable and slowly enjoy what has to be one of the absolute best scones I've ever tried.

I've never seen a recipe for pr photo of cheesecake scones but when a reader mentioned them and asked how I would incorporate chunks of cheesecake into a buttery scone, I could not resist the temptation to invent a recipe. With some ripe juicy cherries in the fridge to provide a little extra inspiration, this recipe idea came to luscious life. How perfect would these be a a birthday brunch or other special weekend celebration?

You will need to prepare the cheesecake the previous day so you can freeze it overnight.

To prepare the cheesecake mix together:

One 8 ounce block cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Pour into a parchment lined loaf pan. (I have some small silicone loaf pans that were perfect for this purpose)
Bake at 300 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is set. Cool completely before placing in the freezer overnight. Remove the parchment paper from the cheesecake and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Return the frozen cubes to the freezer until ready to add to the scone dough.

I start the scone dough in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:
3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar
6 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Cut in:

¾ cup very cold butter, cubed

Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

6 ounces good quality chopped white chocolate

Mix together:

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. When the flour is almost incorporated, fold in:

1 1/2 cups pitted cherries
the frozen cheesecake cubes

Frozen cherries work well too because they are less delicate and easier to incorporate into the scone dough It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large scones.