Oat Scones

In my quest for the perfect scone  there is one thing I have learned over the last couple of years, a scone is not necessarily a scone. I have had a very hard time accepting this fact. You may remember I was so challenged by this fact that I actually re-named one recipe and called them Blueberry Biscuits because they were not my idea of the perfect scone. I recently ordered the Alice's Tea Cup cookbook. My main reason for ordering the book was for the multitude of scone recipes included. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that it was not a book full of recipes of my ideal scone. I have come to accept that my scone might not be everyone's scone. Some people like them more cake like, others more dry. Sometimes I actually like the scones that aren't scones. The truth of the matter is that these are really good, even if I don't want to call them scones.

Oatmeal Scones
adapted from Alice's Tea Cup

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup whole oats
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream for brushing tops
1/4 cup sugar in the raw for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Work the butter into the flour mixture by squeezing and flattening with your fingertips until it is incorporated. Add oatmeal and mix well.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the buttermilk and vanilla extract into the well. Work together until just combined, do not knead or overwork the dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface, gather and pat the dough to for a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick . Cut out the scones using a biscuit cutter and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You can gather the scraps together to cut out more scones, but be careful not to work the dough too much. Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.