Gasp! Strawberry season came early this year, and here I am allowing this scones recipe to sit unpublished in my blog archives! What have I been doing with my time? Oh, that’s right, parenting. I guess there are some things worth sacrificing scones for…

But these scones were pretty good. Slices strawberries, sweet maple, hearty oatmeal…what not to like? It’s like a healthy breakfast scone! (Don’t quote me on that…)

But my first attempt at these scones, while enjoyed by my book club, felt imperfect to me. I think the consistency of the dough was a bit soft, while the scone itself could have been a bit sweeter. I had planned a maple syrup icing, but never got the chance to make it. Perhaps the next time I find strawberries for a good deal at the grocery store, I will try this again.

Yield: 16 scones
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

Scone:
2 cups flour
1.5 tbsp baking powder
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp cold diced unsalted butter
3/4 cup half & half
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp maple extract
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 lb (1 box) strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Combine dry ingredients, flour, salt, and baking powder, and whisk to mix.

2) In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the maple extract, maple syrup, half & half, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk lightly to mix.

3) Add the butter to the dry ingredients and work in with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

4) Add the oatmeal and toss to mix.

5) Add the strawberries to the dry ingredients and toss with a wooden spoon until mixed in evenly.

6) Whisk the liquid mixture again lightly to recombine, and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until almost coming together. Add additional half & half if needed, but try to keep the dough on the dry, firm side.

7) Bake at 450°F until browned on top, about 10-12 minutes.

8) Remove and allow to cool for several minutes before enjoying. Enjoy with clotted cream or maple drizzle icing (recipe here), or some maple butter (recipe here).

Results:

These scones were well-liked by my book club ladies, but I found them a little plain and on the bland side. When I make them again, I would add a maple drizzle icing, and that would significantly help sweeten up the scones. Regardless, they are a less sweet, fresh fruit scone that is both refreshing and simple.