Cherry Lime Scones, Heart-shaped for Valentine’s are a big deal in our house. I’m not the earliest of risers, and Marc eats breakfast immediately upon waking, so cooking brunch or breakfast for him is a rare thing. It’s really a guests thing. Complicating matters, Marc’s favorite meal of the day is breakfast. So, the best Valentine’s gift I give Marc is usually a labor of love in the form of breakfast- bright and early, just the way he likes it. This is my favorite scone recipe. It comes out perfectly every time, and it offers lots of room for changing up the flavors. And variety is the spice of life you know. My favorite combination is cherry and Meyer lemon, but who wants the same flavor every time? Be bold and experiment so you can state your favorite with confidence as well. When you’re pairing the dried fruit and citrus, as a rule of thumb, think about pairing a more tart with a more sweet. Cranberry with orange, cherry with lemon. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Blueberry with tangerine is awesome. And I haven’t even tried a grapefruit pairing yet. But today, since I was making them for Marc, I went for Cherry Lime Scones, Heart-shaped for Valentine’s.
Cherry Lime Scones, Heart-shaped for Valentine’s
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus more for sprinkling all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 2 eggs
- ½ milk I use 1%
- ½ cup dried sour cherries
- 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk for egg wash
Glaze for Valentine’s (optional)
- ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice add more if it’s too stiff, but start small
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and lime zest. Add the cold butter and pulse just until the butter is the size of peas.
- Add in the eggs and milk and pulse until just blended.
- Add the dried fruit to the dough and pulse until distributed.
- Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and form a ball. Flour your hands and flatten the dough to 3/4-inch thick.
You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured surface so it doesn't stick. - Flour a biscuit cutter and cut out dough- today we’re using heart-shaped cutters for Valentine’s.
I made three different sizes. - Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Collect the scraps neatly, form them into a ball, flatten and cut more hearts. Once all the scones are on the cookie sheets, brush the tops of the scones with egg wash.
- Usually, I leave it at that, and the end product is gorgeous, shiny scones, but there are other ways to finish them. You can sprinkle with course sugar, which is common in many coffee shops.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes.
In the photo you can see the shiny ones were egg washed and the dull ones were left plain. - As a special Valentine’s finish, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lime juice (and food coloring if you like), and drizzle over the scones.
Serve with tea or a latte and you'll have some very happy friends and loved ones. 
Notes
My go to flavor is meyer lemon and dried cherry, but I decided to change things up for Marc. He really likes lime. I also made orange cranberry. It turned out that he liked the cranberry and I liked the cherry, so go figure. You can never fully predict. Here are some other ideas, but have fun experimenting.
meyer lemon or tangerine with dried blueberries
lemon with dried raspberries
lime with dried cherries
orange or tangerine with dried cranberries
grapefruit with apricots? I haven’t tried this one yet, but it sounds good
Girl, I love everything Heart shaped for Valentine’s day and scones are one of my fav. The addition of lime and cherries–hello, goodness!
Agreed. The hearts just make everything so cute.
Cherry and lime is flavor pairing that I never see – it sounds amazing in scones and I love the pink drizzle!
I love cherry lime together. There’s a great drink called the cherry lime rickey. So refreshing.
I love lime! It brightens up any dish it’s in, savory OR sweet. Can’t wait to try these delicious looking lovlies!
Agreed. Three cheers for limes and lime leaves.
I’ve never made scones! I love your heart shaped ones!
They’re fun. I like rolling out the thick dough and stamping out the shapes. Very satisfying.
Scones are one of my favorite breakfasts, I just don’t make them often enough. I love these — they’re so beautiful!
I don’t make them often either, but that makes them special.
I love dried cherries, but have never thought of pairing them with lime – nice touch! Like you, I’m not an early riser and like your husband, so is mine. Guess I’ll have to put a batch of these in the freezer with a note on defrosting them – that’s the best breakfast my husband is likely to get from me before 10 am.
Sounds fair to me. Or maybe he can make them for you?
Awwww….sweet and perfect for ANY weekend morning!
Agreed. No need to wait for a holiday.