Toasted Oatmeal and Lemon/Blueberry Scones

I love the versatility of this scone recipe. Start with a base recipe and change the flavor with additions of raisins, or blueberries and lemon zest. It’s another one of my tried and true America’s Test Kitchen favorites. They are the perfect comfort food on a cold winter morning with a cup of tea or coffee. The best part about these is that you can either refrigerate the cut, unbaked scones for a day, or freeze them for up to 1 month before baking them.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or substitute the cream and milk for 1/2 cup half and half)
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled.
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally while toasting to re-distribute the oats. Let cool on a wire rack; when the oats have cooled, measure out 2 tablespoons and reserve for dusting the work surface.
2. Increase oven temperature to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the milk, cream, and egg together in a large measuring cup. Measure out 1 tablespoon of this mixture and reserve for glazing the scones.
3. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a food processor and pulse 3 times to combine. Scatter the butter evenly over the top of the mixture and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 12 to 14 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in both the cooled, toasted oats and the raisins. Fold in the milk mixture with a rubber spatula until the dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
4. Dust the counter with half of the reserved oats. Turn the dough and any floury pieces onto the counter and dust the top with the remaining oats. Pat the dough into a 7-inch round, about 1-inch thick. You may need to use a bit of flour in addition to the reserved oats in order to work with the dough. Cut the dough into 8 evenly sized wedges.
5. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, brush with the reserved milk mixture, and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until the tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Variation: Lemon – Blueberry Scones

Add 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest with the butter and substitute 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries for the raisins. Mix the dough by hand after adding the blueberries to keep them plump and whole.

Recipe Credit: America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Photo credit: Rose Kesting