Happy New Year (Apple Oatmeal Scones with Honey)

As someone who loves holidays and special occasions, I’ve figured out the secret to happiness. Marry someone of another faith so that you have twice as many holidays to celebrate. That’s what I did.

One of the things that I love so much about most holidays is that each has its own specific food theme. Thanksgiving has turkey, Fourth of July has barbecue, Christmas has cookies, Easter and Passover share eggs, and Rosh Hashanah has apples and honey. Sunset tonight marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

At Rosh Hashanah apples and honey are supposed to bring sweetness to the new year. Regardless of your faith or which holidays you choose to support, apples and honey together is a flavor combination anyone can get behind. While certainly not a traditional Rosh Hashanah food, these scones embrace the flavors of the holiday. The sweetness of the apples and honey make this a treat that everyone will enjoy. Even with lots of calories, they are healthier than an average scone thanks to a generous dose of hearty oats, whole wheat, and apples. This recipe is loosely based on a recipe from Martha Stewart which can be found here. Enjoy!

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Apple Oatmeal Scones with Honey – Click here for a printable version of this recipe
makes 12 scones
Because of the honey, the dough feels sticky and a little tricky to work with. Heavily dusting the work surface and your hands with flour helps.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2” pieces
2 tart firm apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4” pieces (such as Granny Smith)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix honey and buttermilk together and set aside. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.

Cut butter into mixture using a pastry cutter or food processor until the pieces of butter are the size of peas.

If using a food processor, transfer to a mixing bowl. Toss apples and oats into mixture making sure to coat all the apple pieces with the flour mixture.

Pour buttermilk and honey mixture into dry mix and fold in until just combined.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface. The dough will be very sticky. Flour your hands and form the dough into a long rectangle about 15 inches long and 4 inches wide. Cut into 3 5-inch sections then cut each of those in half. Cut each half in half again on the diagonal to form 12 triangles.

Using a spatula, move the triangles to a baking pan lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes until the scones are golden brown and fragrant. Let them cool on the pan before removing. You may need to cut between any scones that touch each other.