Maple-Oatmeal Scones
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This is somewhat of an embarrassing confession. I have never eaten a scone that hasn’t originated from my kitchen. I don’t do the Starbucks thing and I don’t really frequent bakeries all that often, and when I do I’m typically more drawn to the sugary-sweet and chocolate confections, rather than breakfast-type treats. So all I know of scones I have learned from reading about them and baking them myself. Although this may seem like a narrow glipse into the world of scone goodness, I have tasted and experimented with many different types of scones – those made with cream, with butter, with buttermilk. Those that are sweet, some that are savory, some great for breakfast and some you could easily enjoy for dessert. I hadn’t made scones in a little while and after catching a glimpse of the description of Saturday’s “Barefoot Contessa” episode in my DVR and seeing Maple-Oatmeal Scones listed, I didn’t even watch the episode – I hurriedly Googled the recipe, printed it and prepared to bake!
As always, Ina did not disappoint. These scones are fabulous and walk a fine line between a scone and a biscuit (which, trust me, is NEVER a bad thing). The outside of the scone is paper-thin and crisp and opens to an incredibly light, tender, and buttery crumb. So flavorful, you won’t need to look for butter, jam or honey to slather on top; these are served perfectly as-is.
If you are planning to make these for company or house guests, you can prepare the scones up to a day in advance, through to cutting them and placing them on a baking sheet. At that point cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. Once the oven is preheated, take the pan out of the fridge, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed.
Some other scones I am planning on trying in the near future are Quiche Lorraine Scones and Honey Fig Scones. Do you have a favorite scone recipe or one you’d like to see me make?
Some of my favorite scones:
Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
Bacon, Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Maple-Oatmeal Scones
Yield: 14 large scones
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup cold buttermilk
½ cup pure maple syrup
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg washFor the Glaze:
1¼ cups confectioners' sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractDirections:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs and add quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.
3. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough ¾ to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into 3-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter and place on baking sheet.
4. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.
5. To make the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes, and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of glaze. Sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, for garnish. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.
(Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
by Ina Garten)
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Do you have any recipes for low-fat scones? It seems like every recipe I’ve seen calls for a ton of butter.
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Hi Kim,
Unfortunately, I do not have any recipes for low-fat scones. I actually haven’t ever come across one. One of the keys to light and tender scones is the use of some sort of fat, usually in the form of butter or cream. I can offer you a recipe that may be lower in fat, though – my Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones. There is only 1 stick of butter for the whole recipe:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/08/25/blueberry-buttermilk-scones/
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Kim,
Try the below recipe from Cooking Light.com. They are really delicious and moist because they contain yogurt! I’ve made them for guests and got rave reviews. The recipe only contains 3 tbls of butter. I’m sure they don’t taste like the full fat kind – but for that much less of the bad stuff who cares!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=522322
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Hi Kim,
Thanks for sharing a lower-fat alternative!
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These are lovely — honestly, making beautiful scones like these, who would ever want to leave the house for purchased baked goods??
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I’ve made those same scones…they might have been the first scone I’ve ever made, too. They are delicious! Welcome to the world of scones…your hips will now hate you.
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Nice looking scones. I’ll have to try them. My Scottish grandmother used to make the most wonderful scones, but they were in no way ‘light’. Lots of butter… Yum!
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Ha, I ALMOST blogged about this recipe yesterday – had the pictures ready to go and everything. I ended up going with something else, but, yes, I made these this weekend as well!
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I just got my issues of Food Network Magazine and Ina is featured making these (or a variation of these). Yours look fantastic. If you want to try a new scone recipe I loved orange scented scones from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. When I made them I beefed up the orange zest and added chocolate chips. Could be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert. YUM.
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Thanks for blogging these – it seems like quite a few of us were intrigued by this recipe when we saw it and it’s always nice to get a review! They look wonderful! I’ve never had a scone that didn’t come from my kitchen either, so you’re definitely not alone.
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Wow, look at the tops of those things! What you have right there is the scone of everyone’s dream!
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There is no reason to be ashamed of your confession! I have never eaten a scone other than one my mom has made!
)
These look great! Never had any scones with maple in them! I’ll have to try this kind!
Thanks for sharing
(I, also, heart Ina Garten)
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Ooh this looks delicious! I adore ADORE Ina. I think it’s a lucky thing for you that you’ve never tried a Starbucks scone, because that’s the only kind I’ve ever had, and that’s why I’ve never made them myself. I thought they all tasted like that! So dry I thought I might choke…
I’m so excited to give these a try! I would also LOVE to try the quiche Lorraine scones you speak of. Yum!
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I’ve never made scones before, but I think I must try these! They sound amazing.
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Sounds just amazing…definitely bookmarking these! Wonder how they’d be with just a bit of bacon..hmm!
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Oh Julie, a woman after my own heart! Bacon! Bacon would be sensational in these! Very reminiscent of the flavors in the Brown Sugar Bacon Buttermilk Waffles! Thank you for the wonderful suggestion!
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Wow, these look fantastic! I’m a fan of scones that remind me of biscuits. I have some buttermilk to use up to, so maybe I’ll make them!
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Hi Michelle:
Probably hard to believe but where I live it’s near to impossible to get buttermilk and there are tons of recipes like this one that I haven’t been able to make. Is there any way to substitute the buttermilk in this recipe without the flavor being too far off?
Hugs!
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These scones look tasty! I’ve never had any with maple flavoring, but am very willing to try it. My favorite scones recipe comes from a class I took in university, called “Luscious Lit.” Bi-weekly we met to talk about a reading assignment related to food. The group was then given a recipe, created the dish in the kitchen while reviewing the week’s assignment, and then dined together. The recipe is for white chocolate cranberry scones. Delish!
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I don’t eat scones often enough! I rarely buy them at Starbucks, and I only bake them once in a while. But these are begging to be baked. I just can’t resist anything containing pure maple syrup!
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YUM!! I saw that episode yesterday and couldn’t wait to try these! Nice to know they taste as good as they look! Just wondering, though – would it be at all possible to use maple flavoring instead of actual syrup? My mom is coming for a visit today and I don’t have any maple syrup in the house; I’d like to make these, but I don’t want to screw it up by not using syrup. What do you think?
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Hi Amy,
Unfortunately, I don’t really think you can substitute maple flavoring here since such a large quantity is used. If it were to replace something like vanilla extract I would say yes but eliminating a 1/4 cup of liquid in a recipe would likely affect the texture of the final product.
Maybe you and your mom can run to the store once she gets there and then you can bake together?
Have a fantastic day and a great time with your mom!
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Hi Michelle,
You can actually create your own buttermilk if you don’t have access to it. Here is how to do it:
Place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough milk to the cup to bring the liquid up to the 1-cup line. Let stand for 5 minutes and then use as much as your recipe calls for (in this case, 1/2 cup).
Enjoy the scones!
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The texture of the opened one makes your scones look like brioche! And that’s a lovely thing to see, but you’re not helping with my scone kick!
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WOW, those look and sound amazing! Thanks for mentioning the Cooking LIght link, I’ll have to check that out as well. Scones are one of my favorite pastries…I wonder what a pb&j scone would taste like??
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I love scones, but it takes great recipe to make them moist and delicious. This recipe sounds like a winner. Can’t wait to make it.
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I love scones!! And I’ve never seen maple oatmeal scones before so they are definitely being added to my list. I’m kind of surprised at how many eggs are in them though. Those quiche lorraine scones sound like they’d be really good too.
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I am such a sucker for maple and these scones are calling my name. I am one of those cablevision customers who is extremely upset and angry about not having Food Network. I am ready to switch providers just because of that.
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Hi Michelle!
I had to come back and comment on this post because I made these this weekend to the LOUD applause from my in-laws and husband, and even my co-workers, on whom I bestowed the leftovers. So delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
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My great niece decided to try her hand at scones yesterday and they were very good. She used dried blueberries reconstituted in a little orange juice with lots of orange zest and believe it or not- a little Blue Moon beer bcause she was looking for the orange flavor from it. She also used that in the glaze. They were great and got me thinking I need to make scones too! I am off to the kitchen to try the pumpkin ones in preparation for Thanksgiving. (gotta try them in advance right?)
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Delicious! I made these as soon as I saw the recipe and they were a huge hit! I haven’t been disappointed with one of you recipes(: Hoping to make the irish soda bread scones soon!
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Hi, these look amazing! I am so glad i stumbled upon your blog, you have so many tasty looking recipes which i can’t wait to try!
I must make these, it’ll cost a bit for the maple syrup here in the UK but oh i’m betting it’ll be worth it
I was just wondering however if the oven temperature you provide is for a fan oven or a standard oven?
Thank you
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I know scones don’t keep well after baking – so wondering if this recipe halves well —- to just make a few….????
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Michelle on November 6th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Hi Janet, Yes, you can halve this recipe. Enjoy!
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janet kile on November 6th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Grand! look forward to trying them
)
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