I used to make brunch every weekend. More recently I haven't been able to, as we've had races or other things to go and do. It feels like it's been a while since I've baked breakfast on the weekend, even if all that's really happened is that I've gone from making brunch once or twice every weekend to making brunch once every other weekend or so.
For some reason I wanted to make Cranberry-Oat Scones this weekend. Not entirely sure why. I guess I wanted something that tasted bright to complement the crisp fall air that's been around this week.
This was as simple a scone recipe as any I've made. (Although it was apparently recipe #358 of my 365 recipe challenge.)
I mixed together ½ cup whole wheat flour, plain flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda, and cut in 1 stick of margarine with my pastry cutter (affiliate link). (I omitted salt since there's salt in the margarine.) I stirred in oats and dried cranberries, and the zest of an orange. I mixed in about ⅔ cup sour milk (made from 2 teaspoons lemon juice topped off with enough milk to reach ⅔ cup) - I say about because I accidentally had ¾ cup in my measuring cup. Once the dough was moist, I turned it out onto a floured surface and kneaded the dough gently about 5 times, folding the dough over itself. I patted the dough out to a 7-inch circle and cut it into 8 wedges. I separated the wedges on the baking sheet, brushed them with a little remaining sour milk, and sprinkled them with sugar so they'd be pretty.
I don't know how long I baked them because I forgot to set a timer for them. Also, my oven thermometer read 350F instead of 375F this time around, and I added a tiny bit too much milk to them. I assume the time of 15 minutes given in the recipe would be about right.
They smelled great as they baked, and tasted great too. It's been a long time since I've had orange zest in a baked good; I'd forgotten how lovely it can be. The orange complemented the dried cranberries, which were sweet and tart. The oats gave the scones a chewy texture, which they would have otherwise lacked, and made them a little more dense than scones usually are. The scones were pleasant to eat while warm, but were still pretty good at room temperature the next day.
This was a pleasant, bright-tasting scone recipe that brings cheer to crisp autumn days. I'd make these again.
Love cranberries and want to try some other recipes? Try Fresh Cranberry-Lemon Scones, Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti, Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake, and Soft Cranberry Orange Cookies. You can also see lots of other scones recipes here.
📖 Recipe
This delicious cranberry-oat scone recipe is a great autumn breakfast. Easy to make, tender and sweet, they're made a little healthier with the addition of rolled oats, with zing from dried cranberries and lemon zest.
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter (diced)
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- Zest of one lemon or orange (optional)
- ⅔ - ¾ cup buttermilk or sour milk (which is 2 teaspoons white vinegar, plus enough milk to make ⅔ cup)
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Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon (if using). Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like crumbs. Stir in oats, cranberries, and zest (if using). Use a fork to mix in ⅔ cup buttermilk, stirring until the dough just comes together, adding a little more milk if necessary.
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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times. (I sometimes do this carefully in the bowl instead.) Pat into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Place scones on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Brush tops with cream or milk and sprinkle with sugar.
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Bake at 375F for 15-18 minutes, until tops are browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
adapted from Joy of Baking
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