Light and Airy Oat Scones

I'm a lover of catalogs.  Always have been.  I like nothing better than opening my mailbox and finding a big fat stack of them, but this time of year it can get a little out of hand.  On our island we don't get home mail delivery, we have to go down to the post office and pick it up.  Our teeny little boxes weren't built for the mother lode of catalogs we get during the holidays.  If I forget to stop by one day my box gets so crammed full that it takes me pulling and the postmistress pushing from the other end just to wedge them free. 

The trouble is, just when the catalogs start to pour in, time suddenly and inexplicably begins to whiz by.  And the catalogs start to accumulate. These tender oat scones will give you the perfect excuse to take a quiet moment to catch up.

Oat Scones
set oven to 425

1 cup cake flour
1 cup oat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 tablespoons sugar
5 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut in pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
sugar and rolled oats for sprinkling

Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a processor and pulse to combine.  Then drop in the butter pieces and pulse just a few times till crumbly.

With the processor going, pour in the egg and cream through the feed tube and process just until it comes together...probably about 15 seconds. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form into a plump 6 inch disc.  Cut the disk in half, and the each half into 3, for a total of 6 scones.

Gently place the scones on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle a little sugar and oats over the scones.  Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned and firm.  Cool a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a rack.

These scones are quick to make and their simplicity lets the moist 'oatty' flavor and light texture shine through.  Take a deep breath, slather on a little clotted cream and thick jam, and start plowing through that stack of catalogs.