I discovered we have forsythia on our new property this month, as the bright yellow flowers began their springtime bloom! I had heard they had some medicinal value, and I'm all about knowing everything I can about the plants in my environment. What can forsythia be used for, I wondered? Well, how about this recipe for making forsythia-cherry scones?

Did you know forsythia flowers are edible? And that they have some medicinal properties? You can find out more about forsythia here, but in the meantime, I decided I'd try my hand at a delicious baked forsythia treat! Here's my recipe for Forsythia-Cherry Scones---and since they turned out GREAT, I'm sharing this with you!

Here is the recipe and directions for your enjoyment---and by the way, they are PERFECT for Mother's Day or any Spring holiday!

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How to Make Forsythia-Cherry Scones

This recipe is really quite easy, and doesn't take very long either. Mr. V. watched the whole process while he was getting work done, and he sure gave them the thumbs up! Here you go:

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

4 tsps baking powder (see note below)

1/4 cup honey (you can substitute with sugar if you want)

3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup dried cherries (or you can use raisins or any dried fruit)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup forsythia syrup (If you don't have forsythia, you can just use a simple syrup of 1 part water to 1 part sugar.)

NOTE: Can you substitute baking soda for anything else?

Are you wondering why there is so much baking powder and no baking soda? The recipe I used that inspired my adjustments and creation of my own forsythia scone recipe actually called for 1/2 tsp baking soda and only 2 1/2 tsp baking powder.

But then....HORRORS!

I was halfway into making these scones, and I realized my baking soda was still packed away (we are still in the process of getting moved into our new home). I had NO idea where it was. I sure didn't want to waste the ingredients I had already mixed, so I quickly researched baking soda substitutions.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

Luckily, it turns out, if you leave out the salt, you CAN substitute baking soda with baking powder. Who knew?

The only thing is, it's not a 1:1 substitution. You have to 3X the amount of baking powder to baking soda. Also, it's helpful if you have an acidic ingredient. Since I was using buttermilk, I figured we were good in that area!

That's the forsythia syrup on the right. You can find out how to make it, plus more info about Forsythia in the link. If you don't want to make it (although if you have forsythia around, it's easy!), just substitute with a simple syrup.

Directions for Forsythia-Cherry Scones:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

2) Mix the dry ingredients well.

3) Add the butter. I used a fork to stir it together until it became somewhat crumbly.

Getting the butter mixed into the dry ingredients. You want it crumbly at this point.

4) Add the honey, buttermilk, forsythia syrup and cherries

5) I kneaded the dough in the bowl about four times (too much will make these tough, so take it easy here).

6) Take out half the dough, form it into a ball, and press down so it's about 1 to 2 inches high.

7) Cut this round into eighths or fourths, or whatever sizes you like. Mine aren't even, and they turned out just fine.

8) Grease a pan (or better yet, use parchment paper---I just couldn't find mine....moving you know) and place the scones on the pan with a little room between them.

9) Bake them for a total of 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top. I let mine go a couple minutes longer, and you can see how they turned out--still delicious, but a little darker than I would have wanted.

10) Remove, cool for a few minutes.

11) Enjoy warm or cooled completely!

These are a really great treat for any Springtime holiday or just a good breakfast when you're feeling like something special!

Final Thoughts on Forsythia-Cherry Scones

I love scones. I just do. They are a little like biscuits, only with a little touch of sweetness. Wonderful for breakfast or a snack during the day! Yum!

These scones turned out perfectly flaky, with a great texture! If you like things sweet (like a cookie), you might want to add just a little more sugar---but I like mine with less sweetness, personally.

Truly, what I really really love, though, is that I can use an herb from our property to make these delights! So, if you have forsythia, I hope you'll consider giving these a try! Let me know how they go!

You might also enjoy these related articles:

Forsythia Golden Syrup for Cooking or Cocktails

Rosemary Sour Dough Tortillas

Traditional White Bread from the 1600’s

Seed Bread: Delicious and Keto Friendly

And there are lots more on the blog! I hope you’ll go explore!

Hugs, Health & Self-Reliance,

Heidi

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