Apple Oat Scones

I don't know what is inspiring this recent interest of mine in baking.  I used to bake a lot as a child, under the gentle encouragement and tutelage of my grandma when she visited.  She never liked to let me eat sweets - "Honey, that will spoil your dinner ..." - but somehow our joint projects were often exempt.  I spent many hours with her in the kitchen, learning the proper way to measure flour, her tips and tricks for a perfect pie crust.  I spend most of my kitchen time now on savory dishes, but have been dabbling again in baked goods.  Maybe it's just that I really miss her.  I was certainly thinking of her while making these scones. 

I saw this recipe for apple and oat scones in Martha Stewart's Living (February issue), and had to give them a shot.  The recipe, while dish-intensive, is pretty straightforward but I did make a few adjustments.  After thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients, I grated in the butter, which is a great technique for dealing with frozen sticks of butter in a pinch.  I added the apples and buttermilk to form the dough, patted it into shape on a floured surface and cut squares with a pizza cutter.  Not being a true baker, I did not have parchment paper on hand, but used ungreased padded cookie sheets with no problem.

The end result was a light and airy breakfast bread (not your dense coffee shop variety).  Not overly sweet and in fact, a little too good an afternoon snack!  I might have just spoiled my dinner...