vanilla-glazed rhubarb oatmeal scones

I’ve got wanderlust. And I’ve got it bad.
I want to go to a place where the sun shines every single day. I want to go to a place with ancient ruins and mile-long farmers markets. I want to go to a place where they pronounce scones “skawns” and where they sit and drink tea together instead of thumbing their smartphones.
For now, I guess I’ll settle for just the scones.

These rhubarb oatmeal scones are the perfect way to kick off the early spring produce season, if you’re lucky enough to have rhubarb yet where you live. I thought my hankering for it came a bit too early and was ready to make this recipe with the frozen stuff, when lo! There, in the produce aisle, a beautiful bounty of scarlet-red stalks of fresh rhubarb awaited. I nearly kissed the display and broke out in song — but to appease the societal norm (I just want to sing!), I instead quickly grabbed a few stalks and sauntered off with my loot.

I couldn’t tell you what my favorite part is about these scones. Is it their buttery, flaky texture? The juxtaposition of tart, bright-pink rhubarb alongside sweet vanilla glaze? The texture and mild bite of the old-fashioned oats? It’s a tough call, to be sure — but a good predicament to be in, I suppose. Now all you need is a sidecar of piping-hot tea, and it’s almost like being on the other side of the pond. Almost.

Vanilla-Glazed Rhubarb Oatmeal Scones
Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen
Yields:16 scones
Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
2 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
egg wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of water)
2 cups chopped fresh (or frozen and thawed) rhubarb
1 cup powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in cold butter and knead with fingers or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla and eggs. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add rhubarb and stir until just combined.
Dump dough on a well-floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll out dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Cut into quarters widthwise, then in half lengthwise. Cut each square in half on a diagonal to yield 16 triangles. Place triangles 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Brush each with egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the vanilla glaze: Mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Add more milk or sugar as necessary to achieve a semi-thick consistency. Drizzle over cooled scones and serve.
These look great!
ileana — Thanks, lady! 🙂
Ok, so I love rhubarb, so there’s that. But I adore scones of any kind (especially scones drizzled with icing), so it get’s even better. And I’ve honestly never seen these two combined before, so genius and love it. I’m featuring this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup (with a link-back and attribution), but please let me know if you have any objections. As always, it’s a pleasure to be following your creations…
Javelin — Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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Good. Made half a recipe-16 scones are a bit much unless you’re feeding a crowd! I’m usually not a glaze lover, but these definitely need it, with so little sugar in the dough. The only technical change I made was to freeze the butter and then coarsely grate it-gives great, even distribution and keeps it nice and cold.
I made these tonight, along with the triple berry coffee cake. The coffee cake is gone, so these scones will be breakfast. I did sneak one to try and it is delicious. The only thing I did differently is I added the zest of 2 oranges, and made the glaze with orange juice instead of milk. I love the oats and whole wheat, and the tangy rhubarb hits the spot. I make scones at least twice a week, so these will be going in the rotation. Very good recipe!
I forgot to mention, I did freeze before baking, as I do with all my scones. I find it greatly improves the texture. Thanks again for such great recipes!