An Old Favorite

With the coming of warmer weather and brighter days, I have found myself waking up earlier on weekends than I have over the winter. There is something about beautiful weather that makes me not want to miss any of it. Because of this, my weekends feel longer and fuller. Though I am not really a morning person, I have to admit that it's been nice. This past Sunday was one of those early days. Since the day wasn't hot yet (the temperature would creep up to 80), I turned on the oven and made Scottish scones for breakfast.



I have been making these scones since I was in high school. They are as simple to make as they are tasty. My sister, Rachel, originally tried the recipe from my mother's copy of the Pillsbury Baking Cookbook. I believe most of the recipes were chosen in various Pillsbury baking contests over the years, so I can honestly say that the recipes in this book were all winners. I've tweaked the recipe just a tiny bit to make it reflect the way my family and I have come to make the scones over time.

The end result are scones that can be eaten for a delicious breakfast, brunch or snack. The texture is at once soft and crumbly. The flavor is sweet, but not overly so, and there is no need for butter or jam. The scones aren't exactly nutritious, but using whole wheat flour and the oatmeal would make them acceptable for a breakfast-time treat.

Scottish Scones

Adapted from the Pillsbury Cookbook

Scones:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

¾ cup "quick cooking" oats (Quaker Oats or something else that you would use for oatmeal)

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup butter

½ cup milk

Topping:

1 tbl butter, melted

1 tbl sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and ½ tsp cinnamon. Blend well. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in ½ cup butter, until mix is crumbly. Add milk all at once, stirring just until moistened. On a well-floured surface, gently knead dough five or six times, or enough to work the dough into a ball.

Placed on baking sheet; press into six inch circle, about one in thick. Brush top with melted butter. In small bowl, combine sugar and ¼ tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Cut dough into eight wedges. Separate slightly. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes eight scones.