Currant Scones

May 30: National Scone Day

Of all the scone recipes we have tried, these currant scones are Highlander’s favorite because it is both flavorful and fragrant. They are also moist, light and lower in fat than other traditional currant scones. We bake them for breakfast, have them as a Scottish-style snack, eat them as a tea time treat and make them to commemorate National Scone Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Great Good Food by Julee Rosso)

Ingredients

• 1 cup currants
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

Plump up the currants by soaking them in orange juice for an hour. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Blend in the buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla. Add the soaked currants with the orange juice. Do not overmix the batter or the scones will become hard.

Using a small cookie dough scoop, drop the scones on a lightly greased baking sheet about two inches apart. Or fill halfway with batter the cavities of a buttered mini scone pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Scones may be served warm, if preferred.

Notes

• We halved the original recipe to serve just the two of us but bake the whole batch for breakfast when Highlander’s family comes to visit.
• We bought our mini scone pan from Williams-Sonoma.
• Search our blog for more scone recipes.