I have a confession to make. For the past couple of weeks, I've been pigging out on strawberries.
Big, fat, ruby-red California strawberries, that is. The kind I've sworn up and down and sideways and back again to avoid, mostly because they're usually watery and flavourless.
This year, though, I just couldn't help it. For one, this year's crop actually seems to taste like proper strawberries, though they still don't come anywhere close to the glory of Ontario berries at their peak.
Yes, I know that strawberries the size of ping pong balls can't possibly have gotten so large through natural means.
And yes, I know that anything that arrives at my doorstep this luscious and beautiful despite having traveled across the better part of a continent should be regarded with great suspicion.
But oh my, is it ever a treat to bite into a ripe berry that tastes of something after months of avoiding those anemic, watery strawberries that plague us the rest of the year. And besides, isn't it technically strawberry season in California right now, which at least makes these somewhat seasonal?
Please, just humour me. It's been a bad month, so a few extra creature comforts are very necessary.
While I'm more than happy to just eat fresh berries either straight up or with a splash of liqueur, a few of them somehow managed to end up in these pretty little scones dotted with chunks of bright red strawberries.
This recipe uses coarse-ground oatmeal to give the scones a slightly denser texture and nuttier flavour than the usual white flour scones, plus a little vanilla and brown sugar for a heady aroma that doubles as instant mood-improver. Trust me, any guilt or stress or frustration you may be feeling will disappear the moment these little golden-brown beauties pop out of the oven.
Of course, you'll get the best results if you inhale these scones still-warm from the oven with a generous slathering of butter and the biggest, frothiest latte you can get your hands on. Hey, when it comes to guilty pleasures, there's no point in half-assing it... right? :)
(And yes, I'll be giving up this nasty little habit of mine as soon as the local berries arrive at the market a couple of weeks from now... hurry up, summer, I'm waiting for you!)
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- 1 cup quick-cook oatmeal
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup roughly chopped strawberries
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk (reserve 1 tbsp)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 2 tbsp quick cook oats
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Using a food processor, process the oats into a coarse flour.
- In a large bowl, stir together the ground oats, flour, brown sugar, baking power and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, working until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in strawberries.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently knead 5-6 times until you have a soft, stiff dough (don't worry if the strawberries get a little smooshed in the process - that's normal). Carefully shape into a 1" thick round.
- Cut the dough into 8 equally-sized wedges. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with remaining 1 tbsp milk, then sprinkle with demerara and oats.
- Bake scones in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
MOLLY says
THESE LOOK DELICIOUS. HOW MUCH VANILLA? A TSP? THANKS!
Isabelle says
Goodness me, I was really out to lunch when I proofread this one, wasn't I?
Thanks for catching the omission, Molly. There should be a 1/2 tsp of vanilla in the ingredients. Recipe has been fixed.
Emily @ Life on Food says
It can be so frustrating when strawberries don't taste like their magnificent selves. I love them though and always have to try and hope they will be the right ones. Your scones look amazing. Thick and wonderful!
Jeff says
Mmm... beautiful! What's better than a scone that doesn't need jam? A scone that can strawberries AND strawberry jam! Hurray!
Asiya says
Ohhh these look so great...I'm waiting for strawberry season here in Toronto to take the kids strawberry picking..nothing like local produce :)
DB-The Foodie Stuntman says
These look delicious, and congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
Kim Bee says
Good lord, and these scones look to die for. Sorry, I have a house full of teenagers and it grew quiet and was freaking me out.
Kim Bee says
I can't believe our berries aren't ready yet. It's driving me mad. Next year I want to put a small patch in our yard. I've been doing the same as you. I keep picking them up at Costco and they are like mutant strawberries but they are really good right now. Mini-me also picks through them at work and brings home the good ones. Gotta love a kid who works in produce for one job and pizza for the other. My two fave things.
Beth Michelle says
Absolutely nothing wrong with pigging out on juicy delicious strawberries!!! These scones look amazing. They would not last very long in my home!
Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi) says
Gorgeous. I love the addition of yogurt and oats. Wow! These sound killer.
szkent says
How many strawberries go into the scones? I think they are missing from the ingredients listed.
Isabelle says
How embarassing! I blame a strawberry overdose.
Thanks for catching my boo-boo. I've fixed the recipe with the missing ingredient - there should be 1 cup of roughly chopped strawberries in there.
bellini says
I'm all for eating these straight out of the ovn and slathered in butter.
movita beaucoup says
Oh! I was just thinking about making some scones. And here you are, making things easier for me. You see, I was going to eat a bagel. I was all excited. Got the toaster out. Found the cream cheese in the fridge. But someone ate them all. Every last bagel. So, I'm in need of another breakfast treat. And these look perfectly lovely what with the oats and strawberries! And I will not be sharing with any bagel thieves.
I'm sending you wishes of creature comforts...
Isabelle says
Gasp! Eating the last bagel without alerting other members of the household of the bagel outage should be a capital crime (along with not replacing the toilet paper roll if you finish it, and putting the milk carton back in the fridge with exactly 2 tbsp of milk left in it).
I'm sending you wishes of sneaky, scone-filled retribution on shameless bagel thieves.