Mom’s Cran-Apricot Oat Scones

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather lately, and when I get this way I find that I always crave the foods that remind me of home. This morning I woke up thinking about the delicious cranberry apricot scones my mom makes. Eaten hot, straight from the oven, these scones are light and chewy inside, crunchy golden on the outside, and pure comfort all over.

Start by preheating the oven at 375 degrees F.

Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour
½ c. rolled oats
½ c. sugar
¾ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter
½ c. dried cranberries
½ c. dried apricots, chopped
½ c. pecans, chopped
¾ c. buttermilk (* a trick if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can substitute with ¾ c. milk plus 1 tbsp. white vinegar)

The PennySaver shot

In a bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until dough is crumbly. If you have a food processor, you can whir this up in a flash. If you’re like me and are without a foodpro (sad face), no worries, your trusty hands (or pastry cutter) will do just fine.

Fold in the cranberries, chopped apricots and chopped nuts.

buttermilk

Add the buttermilk and stir lightly with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. The dough will be sticky, but resist the temptation to overwork it, or else your airy scones will come out more like hockey pucks.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a large circle about 2 inches thick. Cut the dough into wedges.

scones closer to being

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top with egg wash (one egg beaten) or cream if you prefer. I like egg because I think it results in a better golden color.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Eat while still warm!

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