Mighty Fine Oatmeal Scones

Adapted from a recipe from "The Quaker Oats Treasury of Best Recipes" by the Kitchens of the Quaker Oats Company, 1992. I love oatmeal, and I especially like baking with it. I wanted something I could make ahead and freeze or store to eat for breakfast, and I think these scones work well -- they're pretty filling, they've got a bit of protein from the oats and the nuts, and they're not overly sweet. I suppose if you wanted, you could add the dried fruit of your choice, but you might need just a tiny bit more liquid. I use steel-cut oats because I like the texture, but you could use just old-fashioned oats if you don't have any steel-cut.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 12 scones

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup old fashioned oats
• 1⁄2 cup steel cut oats
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  cup pecans or 1  cup walnuts or 1  cup hazelnuts, evenly ground
• 1⁄3 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup milk (regular or soy both work)
• 1  egg, slightly beaten
• 1  tablespoon real maple syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the first six ingredients (flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt) and mix well.
3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Using a food processor, grind the nuts to a coarse crumble. (You may use one of the nuts listed, or a mix of all three.) Add nuts to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Add milk and egg to the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is moist and there is little dry material left. Add maple syrup and mix again.
6. Form dough into a ball and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead six or seven times.
7. Grease a baking sheet. Move the dough to the sheet and pat into an eight or nine inch round, about an inch high. With a sharp knife, cut the round into 12 wedges. Keep them in a circle.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted into the widest and deepest part of the wedges comes out clean. Let stand a minute and cut apart entirely.
9. Serve warm with butter or jam.