Chocolate and Cherry Oat Scones
Chocolate and Cherry are a match made in heaven! These two flavors come together to create a perfect way to wake up in the morning…scones!! Scones are a favorite of mine because they are rich and tender but also a little crumbly, so they go great with coffee or tea (which I definitely need first thing in the morning).
Tips for Chocolate and Cherry Oat Scones
Use cold butter and cold buttermilk! This will help to make the outcome nice and tender.
Make sure your baking powder is fresh. If it’s over 6 months old, toss it or mix it with some paint to create a cool ceramic look on whatever you paint.
If you want to freeze these, place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can place them in a freezer-safe bag and label with the date.
I have oats flour and regular oats in the recipe for a couple of reasons. The oat flour creates a nice texture within the scones AND it also absorbs a lot of the buttermilk, so it makes the scones really tender and moist. I add in additional oats within the dough that are not finely ground to create additional texture. It just works! Trust me!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oat flour (you can make your own, see below for details)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats (old fashion or quick-cooking both work) + more for topping
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, I like kosher
1/2 cup unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to make Chocolate and Cherry Oat Scones From Scratch
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
If you do not have oat flour, make your own by scooping a heaping 1/2 cup of the oats into a food processor and process until the oats are a finer grain.
Add in the flour, the other 1/2 cup of oats, the brown sugar, baking powder and salt into the food processor. Process until just combined.
Add in the butter and process until you get small pea-sized pieces of butter, slightly larger pieces are ok.
With the mixer running, pour in the buttermilk and process until the dough starts to form a ball.
Pour the dough into a bowl and add in the cherries and chocolate. Use a spatula (or your hands) to mix them into the dough, being careful not to over-mix.
Once it all comes together, place the dough on a lightly floured board and form a disc with the dough. Fold the dough over itself in half and roll back out into a disc. Repeat another time. This folding creates great layers in the scones.
Roll back out to a disc that is about an inch or so high.
Place the disc of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Use a knife to cut the disc in half one way and in half another way to create a cross cut. Then, cut each of those in half so that you have 8 scones.
Bake at 375 for 22-27 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden and the center is cooked and not doughy.
Allow to cool on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then break the scones apart and serve!
