one of my favorite scenes from calvin and hobbes is from when they’re getting ready to play with some modeling clay. hobbes wants a smock. hilarity ensues:

i thought of this strip this morning as i was making breakfast. i decided on oatmeal-cranberry-white-chocolate-chip scones. i love scones. they’re just healthy enough that i don’t feel bad eating them but just sweet enough you feel like you’re eating dessert for breakfast. scones.

scones, scones, scones.

point is, the word smock to me is a lot like the word scone (see what i did there).

thankfully, my oatmeal-cranberry-white-chocolate-chip scones came out pretty good today. as they should. i could make them in my sleep. which is also good, considering i’m invariably making them before my first cup of coffee. so anyway, here there are:

(note my cuppa joe there to the right)

they’re incredibly simple to make. would you like to know how? thought you’d never ask. since i really only slightly modified an old better homes & gardens recipe (as opposed to, say, my damn-good chocolate chip cookies) it’s not really a secret. i’m feeling generous. here’s the recipe:

oatmeal-cranberry-white-chocolate-chip scones (or, ocwcc scones, for short)

1 cup a/p flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries, and
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg, beaten or 1/4 cup egg substitute

milk + pure vanilla extract

pre-heat oven to 400°f. line a cookie sheet with parchment. in a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. using a pastry cutter (or a couple of forks, or knives – whatever) cut in the butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. stir in the rolled oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips (to save time and dishes, i usually chop the dried cranberries and chocolate chips together in a mini-food processor). combine the 1/4 cup milk and egg, then mix into the dry mixture (dough will be sticky).

on prepared cookie sheet, sprinkle a little flour; dump dough onto parchment, sprinkle some flour on top, then pat down into a 7 – 8″ circle. cut the circle into 12 segments (or less, if you want the scones to be larger). in your measuring cup (since its already used anyway – save dishes!) mix an ounce or two of milk with a splash of pure vanilla extract. brush this mixture over the scones. separate the scones by a few inches across the cookie sheet. pop them in the oven for 11 – 13 minutes.

this is generally just enough time to clean up your mess and brew your joe (or tea, i suppose). the scones don’t really brown much beyond the edges; so don’t be tempted to over-bake them; if you do, they get very dry and very tough.

if you’re not big on cranberries (wha?) or white chocolate (wow!), you can easily make these with just about any sort of mix-in, provided it totals a half cup; raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, etc. i don’t know how crazy i’d get with the mix-ins, they may alter the consistency of the scones.

you don’t have to be english to love scones. and you don’t have to be a baker to make scones, either.

enjoy your scones!