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Cranberry Maple Oatmeal Scones
This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, but all opinions are my own.
These Cranberry Maple Oatmeal Scones are a lovely pair with your morning cup of coffee. Filled with the cozy flavors of rich maple, chewy dried cranberries, and nutty toasted oats, these American-style scones are a sweetly nourishing part of the start to your morning!
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If you’re a “dessert with breakfast time” kind of person, you’re going to love these sweetened cranberry maple oat scones — they taste like a giant oatmeal cookie. What’s not to love?
About This Recipe
When it comes to pastries, I’m an equal opportunist. I love moist and tender quickbreads, ooey gooey cinnamon rolls, and all kinds of Mexican pan dulce. It therefore tracks that I’m also a fan of all kinds of breakfast scones – sweet or savory, American, British or Scottish – they’re all good to me!
This yummy recipe for oat scones is no exception. Studded with sweet-tart dried cranberries and laced with quintessential breakfast time ingredients like chewy rolled oats and luscious maple syrup, these delightful treats rival anything you could find at your favorite coffee shop.
One thing I simply love about these baked scones is that even though they taste like dessert, they’re made with whole grain oats. That’s why I adore making them during the holiday season, when my sweet tooth is on high alert.
I’m also a fan of how easily customizable these tasty treats are – swap in your favorite dried fruit, add nuts or chocolate chips, or give them a drizzle of sweetened glaze. The options for making these oat scones your own are endless!
They’re also great for last-minute hosting – you can whip up a batch of the dough and keep it in the fridge or freezer to bake them off at a moment’s notice. As if that weren’t enough, scones are also much more forgiving than other pastries; they’ll last for 4 to 5 days at room temp.
One batch of these cranberry maple oatmeal scones makes 10 pastries, which is great for our family of four. Feel free to bake off just half and keep the rest in the freezer if you live in a smaller household.
How to Make
Toast oats: Heat a skillet on the stove top over medium-high. When the skillet is warm, place the oats in the skillet and allow them to heat up for about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the oats frequently to encourage even toasting. When the oats have turned a golden-brown color, remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool.
Want fewer dishes? In lieu of toasting oats on the stove top, spread the oats on a baking sheet and pop them in an oven heated to 350 degrees F. Toast them for 10 minutes, turning occasionally to encourage even toasting.
Prep: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make dough: Whisk milk, cream, egg, and maple syrup in a large bowl; remove 1 tablespoon and reserve for glazing. Pulse the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined, about 4 pulses. Scatter the cold margarine evenly over dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 12 pulses.
No food processor? No problem! Use a hand-held pastry cutter to make the dough instead.
Add mix-ins: Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in cooled oats and cranberries. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the liquid ingredients until large clumps form. Mix the dough by hand in the bowl.
Cut and bake: Dust a work surface with flour and gently pat into an 8-inch circle about 1 inch thick.
Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 10 wedges and set on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
Brush the surfaces with the reserved egg mixture.
Sprinkle with sugar, if using.
Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes; cool on a baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips & Tricks
- Use cold margarine and cream. Similar to making biscuits or pie dough, you want your fats to be chilled when making scone dough. Keeping the margarine cold creates little pockets for steam throughout the dough, which results in the flaky, crumbly consistency we want on the inside, and a nice, crisp exterior. YUM!
- Don’t overwork the dough. You want to have tiny bits of margarine throughout the dough to ensure good loft and texture. DON’T MIX IT TILL UNIFORM! These are not cookies; treat them accordingly.
- Use margarine that comes in sticks, not in tubs. Keeping your margarine cold will only do so much if you get the wrong kind. Be sure to grab the type that comes in stick form – it will be firmer than the spreadable stuff in tubs, which is what we want for cutting into the pastry dough.
- Toast the oats for deeper flavor. While this step is technically optional, the extra 2 to 3 minutes it takes is well worth the nutty, toasty flavor.
- Make ahead for easy entertaining. Scone dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 7 days before baking, or frozen for up to two months.
Optional Variations & Serving Suggestions
These cranberry maple oatmeal scones are a real winner, but you don’t need to feel limited by my flavor preferences! Use the basic scone recipe as your base and then feel free to make them your own with any of these tasty suggestions:
- Add-ins – There’s no easier way to amp up your scones than by adding in some of your favorite things. Try: nuts like toasted pecans or almonds; warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice; an added boost of flavor using extracts like maple or vanilla.
- Swaps – If dried cranberries aren’t your favorite, try raisins or another dried fruit of your choice, or opt for white or dark chocolate chips. You can also edit the flavor profile by using a different sweetener like honey for the maple syrup. You can also use butter instead of margarine, or ½ cup half-n-half for the milk and cream.
- Toppings – If you want to make your oatmeal scones a little fancier, try making a simple glaze with powdered sugar, milk and some vanilla or maple extract. Or take a cue from our friends across the pond and serve your scones with an assortment of spreads – citrus curd, clotted cream, compound butter/margarine, or jam are all excellent options.
If you come up with a winning scone recipe the world should know about, tell me about it in the comments below!
How to Store
Scones should be kept in an airtight container to prevent them from going stale. They’ll last for about five days at room temperature, or you can freeze them (unglazed and unfrosted) for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can either opt to freeze the dough before you bake it (it should last for up to two months) or freeze baked scones (before glazing or frosting) for up to a month.
Absolutely!
I personally prefer the heartier, chewier texture of old fashioned (sometimes called rolled) oats. That said, you can use quick cooking oats in a pinch! Just don’t reach for steel cut – the texture doesn’t work well for this recipe.
Sure! The resulting oat scones will be a bit softer due to the additional moisture content of the fruit, but they will be delicious. I recommend using about ½ cup of fresh cranberries that you chop finely or pulse in a food processor prior to adding.
More Tasty Options
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Cranberry Maple Oatmeal Scones
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted margarine, chilled and cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar, (optional for sprinkling)
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Instructions
- Heat a skillet on the stove top over medium-high.
- When the skillet is warm, place the oats in the skillet and allow to heat up for about a 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss the oats frequently to encourage even toasting.
- When the oats have turned a golden-brown color, remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk milk, cream, egg, and maple syrup in a large bowl; remove 1 tablespoon and reserve for glazing.
- Pulse the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined, about 4 pulses.
- Scatter the cold butter evenly over dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 12 pulses.
- Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in cooled oats and cranberries. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the liquid ingredients until large clumps form.
- Mix the dough by hand in the bowl. Dust a work surface with flour and gently pat into an 8-inch circle about 1 inch thick.
- Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into 10 wedges and set on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Brush the surfaces with the reserved egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar, if using.
- Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes; cool on a baking sheet on wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- No food processor? Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter with dry ingredients.
- Want fewer dishes? In lieu of toasting oats on the stove top, spread the oats on a baking sheet and pop them in an oven heated to 350 degrees F. Toast them for 10 minutes, turning occasionally to encourage even toasting.
- Baked scones will last for up to 5 days at room temperature.
- Scone dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to a month.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
