As we sink deeper and deeper into summer, I can’t seem to stop turning on my oven.

Which is totally typical of my stubborn self, you know. It’s sort of like how I buy $100 of groceries then stuff as much as I can into 5 plastic bags which inevitably rip once I’m in the parking lot, splattering their contents all over the concrete because I’m too headstrong to use the correct amount of bags that require pushing a shopping cart.

Or like when I go ahead and force myself to use a sixth bag instead of just the typical five, which make it past the parking lot and into my car, but are waaaay to heavy to carry upstairs into my kitchen, which I attempt anyway because um, WHO wants to walk up the steps again? Yeah yeah… groceries all over the basement floor. Sweet.

It’s also reminiscent of how my clean yet unfolded laundry remains piled in a laundry basket until used and the clean dishes remain in the dishwasher as long as they possible can, because I “forgot” to unload them. Lies. All lies.

So yeah, I can’t stop turning on the oven. It’s consistently 90 degrees and up, and I’ve been roasting chickens and frying donuts and baking cookies and baking scones. I’m a rebel without a cause.

Oh but I did eat an entire cantaloupe last night. That makes up for all the oven use and what not. And… it was SO good. So juicy. So sweet.

It’s just like… the fact that it’s so hot out and I’m not SUPPOSED to turn on the oven makes me what to turn it on even more. The fact that I SHOULD be craving crisp salads and fresh strawberries makes me adamantly decide to have the kind of creamy mac and cheese that gets so hot and bubbles over the edges onto the oven floor with an encore of hot blueberry crisp. WHY CAN’T I JUST BE NORMAL?

It’s like I’m such a bratty toddler. Whatever you tell me to do, I’m doing the exact opposite. And whatever you tell me not to do, I’m crawling out of my skin until I can do that exact thing immediately. And this sorta kinda maybe applied to pushing the fire alarm in the parking garage during my sophomore year of college. I mean, I was way too much of a wimp to do it, and I’m definitely not cool enough to try and get in trouble on purpose… but yeah. I may have been involved. Or made my best friend do it.

What I’m trying to say… short story long… is be a rebel and bake some scones in this heat wave. Fresh cherries (you know, the kind that you eagerly grab in the grocery store, that appear to be *on sale* for $6.99, only to find out at the checkout counter that they are $6.99 a POUND and you bought 3.2 pounds… I mean who the heck has time to read the fine print?!) and huge chunks of rich dark chocolate oozing out of dough… it’s like it was meant to be. These are seriously addicting and seriously delicious. Especially when it’s 90 degrees out.

Fresh Cherry + Dark Chocolate Chunk Scones

[adapted from my favorite scone recipe]

makes about 16 scones

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

6 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped

melted butter for brushing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Using your fingers, a fork or a pastry blender, cut in butter until it forms coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla, just somewhat combining, then fold in chocolate and cherries. Stir with a spoon until a dough forms, using your hands to bring it together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, adding a bit more flour if sticky.

Divide in half and pat into 7 inch round circles. Brush each dough round with melted butter. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges, or use a biscuit cutter to make smaller rounds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes (wedges) or 9-11 minutes (rounds). Top with fresh cherry glaze!

 

Fresh Cherry Glaze

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

2 teaspoons water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

Add cherries and water to the bowl of a food processor, blending until smooth (or almost smooth). Transfer puree to a large bowl, add in vanilla, then stir in powdered sugar. The amount of sugar you need to add is highly dependent on how juicy your cherries are. Ideally, you want a runny glaze. If the glaze seems TOO runny, add more sugar, whisking continuously until smooth. If it seems too thick, add in more water one tiny drop at a time, whisking constantly. Drizzle on top of scones while warm, and grate additional chocolate on top if desired.

Summatime WHAT.