Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Scones
These oatmeal raisin scones almost remind me of eating cookies for breakfast! They have the same flavors as my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies — lots of cinnamon, sweet raisins, and those delicious oats — but they’re much faster to make! Leftovers will keep for at least four or five days (if not longer) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ⅓ cup (53g) raisins (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add in the oat mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the raisins with a spatula.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. (Don't separate them!) Bake at 425°F for 24-27 minutes, or until the tops and sides are golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will make your scones turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of milk in the dough.)
OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. (They're not the ones that come in individual brown paper packets with flavors like "apple cinnamon" or "maple brown sugar." Instant oats only have one ingredient: oats!)
To make your own out of old-fashioned rolled oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Although I don't recommend it, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter in a pinch, but the texture of the scones will be affected because it has a much lower melting point compared to butter. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
For a better dairy free option, I recommend using stick-style vegan butter instead. (I really like this one and this one.)
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I don’t recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. They usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
RAISINS NOTE + TRICK: If your raisins are older, drier, or not very plump or juicy… Add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and pour water on top until they’re completely covered. Seal plastic wrap over the top (or place a lid or plate on top), and microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute. If you let the raisins sit while mixing together the scone dough (or for 10-15 minutes), this little trick hydrates them so they’re really soft and juicy!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For a gluten free version, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
DAIRY FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), your preferred dairy free yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt (ie soy-based, almond-based, etc), and dairy free milk in place of the nonfat milk.
HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.
I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating them! It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again! I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.
These scones also freeze really well!
{gluten free, egg free, clean eating, vegan option, dairy free option, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.