This recipe from Cooks Illustrated calls for whole milk, heavy cream and a whopping 10 Tbsp of butter. Yeah…that wasn’t going to happen. I figured I could get a similar consistency for the milk/cream mixture by using my trusty homemade almond milk and Fage. I wanted to use part applesauce and part some other healthier fat source in place of the butter. I tried using varying amounts of Country Crock or almond butter with the applesauce, and we thought that 1/4 cup applesauce with 1/4 cup almond butter produced the best taste and texture.
I cut back on the raisins only because we thought the 1/2 cup called for was kind of excessive. The picture above was made with 1/2 cup, so you can judge for yourself if it’s too much or not. For us, 1/4 cup is good. I was kind of on an apple-cinnamon kick when I first made these, so I had to make them again with apples instead of raisins.
I make 6 larger scones instead of the normal 8 because I think it’s a better size for breakfast.
Cinnamon-Raisin (or Apple) Oatmeal Scones Printable Version
Ingredients
4 1/2 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) rolled oats (quick oats work too)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (I use Kirkland Real Egg Product)
7 1/2 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour (see Note)
2 1/4 oz (about 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon (1 tsp for apple variation)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup raisins (or 1/2 cup peeled, diced apple)
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread oats on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and lightly browned, 7-10 min; cool on rack. Reserve 2 Tbsp cooled oats for dusting work surface later. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
Whisk milk, yogurt and egg substitute in a small bowl. Remove 1 Tbsp to a separate bowl and reserve for glazing.
Whisk flour, cinnamon, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Drop almond butter and applesauce by globs into dry ingredients. (I took the pictures earlier this week while making a batch of pumpkin scones, but the basic texture and consistency at each step looks the same for any of the variations.)
Cut globs in using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in oats and raisins (or apples). Using a rubber spatula, fold in liquid ingredients until large clumps form.
Mix dough by hand until it forms a cohesive mass. Dust a work surface with half of the reserved oats, turn dough onto work surface and dust with remaining oats.
Gently pat dough into a 7-inch circle about 1 inch thick and cut into 6 wedges.
Transfer wedges to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silipat. Brush surfaces with reserved milk mixture and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake 12-15 min, until golden brown.
Cool scones on baking sheet 5 min, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.
Makes 6 large scones.
Per Raisin Scone: Calories (kcal): 359; Fat (g) 8.1; Saturated Fat (g) 0.9; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Sodium (mg): 228; Carbohydrates (g): 63.2; Dietary Fiber (g): 4.0; Sugars (g): 17.5; Protein (g): 10.3
Per Apple Scone: Calories (kcal): 346; Fat (g) 8.1; Saturated Fat (g) 0.9; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Sodium (mg): 228; Carbohydrates (g): 59.8; Dietary Fiber (g): 4.1; Sugars (g): 14.9; Protein (g): 10.2
Note: The folks at America’s Test Kitchen (publishers of Cook’s Illustrated) measure their flour differently than any other source I have seen. Instead of spooning the flour into a measuring cup then sweeping off the excess, they scoop the flour out using the measuring cup then sweep. If you don’t have a kitchen scale and can’t weigh out the flour, make sure to scoop, not spoon, for this recipe.
To Freeze: Place the cooled scones into ziplock bags or air-tight containers and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature and reheat in the microwave for about 45 seconds.
I’m kind of a pumpkin fiend, so I had to make a pumpkin variation too. I wish I could say that I thought up using crystallized ginger all on my own, but actually, I stole the idea from this mouthwatering recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cake with Crystallized Ginger that I came across on a fellow food blogger’s site. Many thanks to Five Star Recipe! My husband says these are the best scones we’ve had. 
Pumpkin Oatmeal Scones with Crystallized Ginger
Ingredients
4 1/2 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (I use Kirkland Real Egg Product)
7 1/2 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour (See Note above)
2 1/4 oz (about 1/3 cup) granulated sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp creamy almond butter
6 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
Preparation
Prepare as above, substituting pumpkin for applesauce and crystallized ginger for raisins.
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice can be substituted in place of the cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and ground nutmeg.
Makes 6 large scones.
Per Pumpkin Scone: Calories (kcal): 338; Fat (g) 5.3; Saturated Fat (g) 0.7; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Sodium (mg): 228; Carbohydrates (g): 65.2; Dietary Fiber (g): 4.1; Sugars (g): 20.2; Protein (g): 9.6
