You’ll love these hearty breakfast scones filled with oatmeal, nuts and dried fruit. Great if you’re looking for a healthier breakfast or snack. Awesome right out of the oven but still amazing if you need a snack on the go.

I am one of the few people who really doesn’t like sweet breakfast food in the morning. muffins and soft cinnamon rolls with frosting are great for brunch or an afternoon snack, but I don’t want them first thing in the morning.
Taylor brought a friend home to watch football and I experimented on them with this hearty scone recipe.
They have oatmeal and toasted walnuts and I added dried blueberries, but any dried fruit will work. Finishing them with a little turbinado sugar added just enough sweetness for me.
While I love the light and fluffy scones like fresh blueberry scones, this version is great if you’re looking for a heartier breakfast or snack. Not too sweet but still buttery and delicious. If you have a little more time try making an apple oatmeal bread filled with apples and walnuts.
These look a little more rustic which is how I think scones should be. You can add any type of dried fruit or nuts. I’ve tried dried cherry scones which were awesome too.
Why you’ll love breakfast scones
- These hearty scones will fill you up without giving you that sugar rush
- You can change up the dried fruit, pick your favorite
- Perfect for a quick breakfast on the go.
- Make some to enjoy, freeze a batch for later!
You may be wondering if there is any difference between a scone and a biscuit. My Southern biscuits are very similar to a breakfast scone. However, you wont find oatmeal, or whole wheat flour in a Southern biscuit, it will make it too dense and you won’t get the light and flaky layers.
While you might add fresh fruit to biscuits, like with blueberry biscuits and strawberry biscuits, adding dried fruit and nuts will also weigh down a biscuit.
What you’ll need
- Dried fruit – try dried blueberries or cherries, but cranberries, or apricots or raisins will be delicious add ins.
- Oatmeal – you will need the old fashioned type
- Walnuts – toast the walnuts first to bring out their flavor. You can substitute pecans.
- Buttermilk – as with biscuits, buttermilk gives these a great flavor and texture.
Pro tip: If you’re out of buttermilk, you can make your own with just two ingredients. Here are three different methods for how to make your own buttermilk.
- Butter – you’ll need 2 ½ sticks of cold butter.
- Turbinada or Demerara sugar – these are coarse sugars that are great for topping breakfast scones.
- Flour – I used both whole wheat and white. Using all whole wheat makes them too dense but adding a mixture adds flavor without sacrificing the texture.
- Pantry staples – sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon an egg.
Pro tip: As with biscuits, you want the butter to be very cold and you want to handle the dough as little as possible.
How to make dried fruit scones
Step 1
Similar to making biscuits, combine the dry ingredients and add very cold butter. Use a food processor or pastry cutter to incorporate the butter so that it’s about pea size, then add oatmeal and dried fruit and nuts.
Step 2
Combine cold buttermilk and an egg and barely mix it with the dry ingredients.
The dough should barely be mixed together.
Now you have two choices depending on how you want your scones to look. Use an ice cream scoop to place it on a cookie sheet. Brush with a little of the buttermilk/egg mixture.
Or you can shape the dough into a circle and cut it like a pie into triangles.
Step 3
Bake for a few minutes at 400º then reduce the temperature to 375º, they should be a beautiful golden brown.
You’ll want to let these cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack before serving.
Give these a try if you’re looking for a healthier breakfast or snack. They freeze great so you can take one out of the freezer the night before and have a fabulous breakfast that you can eat on the run or enjoy with your tea or coffee.
What to serve with scones for breakfast
Since scones with oatmeal are pretty hearty, they’re a breakfast all by themselves. Although, I can’t resist adding a little honey butter when you are eating them warm right out of the oven. To make honey butter, just combine an equal amount of soft butter and honey.
FAQs and tips
Just like with biscuits, you need to start with very cold butter and be careful not to over mix the dough.
You can make scones healthier by adding whole wheat flour and reducing the sugar.
MORE breakfast ideas
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Breakfast Scones with Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups butter cold and cut into ½ inche pieces
- 2 ⅓ cups oats
- 1 cup dried fruit
- ¾ cup toasted walnuts chopped
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda and process until they are combined. Add butter and process again until the the butter is the size of peas. Transfer to a large bowl and add oats, fruit, and walnuts stirring until just combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Remove ⅓ of the mixture and set aside. Pour the remaining liquid over the dry ingredients and lightly and briefly stir them together, just until everything is moistened. Don’t over mix , it should look shaggy.
- Use an ice cream scoop and scoop dough onto baking sheets. Don’t try to press them down or squeeze them together. Using a pastry brush, dab the reserved buttermilk mixture over the tops and sprinkle them with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes reduce heat to 375º and bake for 5 minutes longer until deep golden brown on both the top and bottom. A toothpick in the center will come out clean. Remove from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You can substitute any type of dried fruit.
- Pecans will work instead of walnuts.
- Make sure the butter if very cold and handle it as little as possible.
- Do not over mix the dough.
- If you want triangle shaped scones, pat the dough into a circle and cut it like a pie into triangles.
Hi! Are these the same scones made at Amy’s Bread?
I haven’t been to the bakery, but the recipe is from their cookbook, The sweeter side of Amy’s Bread. Next time I’m in the area, I hope I can try it out in person.