Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Scones

I’m one of those people who absolutely has to eat breakfast every day. In fact, breakfast is just about the first thing I think about when I wake up. I get bored easily, though, and hate to have the same thing all the time. I’m always looking for new recipes and, in particular, recipes that can be made ahead of time. This scone recipe caught my eye the other day and the best part about it is that you can either refrigerate the cut, unbaked scones for a day or freeze them for up to 1 month before baking them.

I’ve got a ton of breakfast options in my freezer right now so I made these for my father-in-law and his coworkers. I figured if they liked them I could make them for myself after I’d emptied my freezer a bit. I made the dough the night before, stuck them in the fridge right on the baking sheet and the next morning popped them in the oven so they’d have fresh from the oven scones to enjoy. I’m told there were other pastry options at the office that day but still these scones got a lot of attention. People said the flavor was awesome (kind of understated like a scone should be) and that the texture was great – held together well but not too hard or dry. With reviews like that, I’m definitely looking forward to trying them soon!

Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Scones
from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

1 1/2 cups rolled old-fashioned or quick oats
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
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

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.

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.

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.

Dust the counter with half of the reserved oats. Turn the dough and any floury bits 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.

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.