Some days lend themselves to creative activities like writing a novel, painting or in my case, baking. Last Saturday was one of those days: a little damp and too cold to go outside. So instead, I experimented with the recipe for these scones; and I have one word for you…Yum!

Now, I like scones. They may be an acquired taste in that some people find them too doughy or thick or heavy. But to all those scone skeptics: try these, please! The tartness of the blueberries, the slightly crunchy outside, soft inside and brown sugar just might make you switch sides on the great scone debate.

Ingredients
Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks
1/4 cup good quality maple syrup (no aunt jemima, sorry!)*
6 T. milk
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
11 T. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 T. brown sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Whisk together the maple syrup and milk in a small cup, and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl.
3. Pour flour mixture into food processor. Add butter into the flour mixture, pulsing until it resembles little pebbles in a beach of sandy flour (about 20 quick pulses).
4. Add the maple syrup/milk mixture . Pulse until the dough just comes together – don’t over mix. If the batter is too dry add more cream a bit at a time.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface, kneed once or twice, just enough to bring the dough together. Then add blueberries (your hands may turn a light blue when you’re done – but don’t worry, it washes off.)
6. Arrange the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Then slice the dough into nine equal-sized squares. Arrange the scones next to one another on the prepared baking sheet, 1/4-inch distance between each of them. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes

Voila!

*According to the February edition of Cook’s Illustrated, the Dark Amber Grade A syrup is the best.