Variations on a theme

Admittedly, I am quite the creature of habit. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day, and often fall back on the usual suspects in the produce department to take center stage for my other meals. Sometimes I have my moments when I completely partially go out on a limb (like eating pancakes instead of a fried egg for breakfast, oh boy), but for the most part I stay within my comfort zone. Call me predictable, but when something tastes so good that it hits the spot every time, I can't help but get tunnel vision.

Enter the cranberry--a juicy, tart, jewel-hued delight of a fruit that has found a comfortable place in my repertoire for winter cooking. I can't get enough of them. Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about cranberry-ginger oatmeal? After spooning out bowls and bowls of the stuff for myself every morning for a week or two (talk about breaking with habit!), I began to crave something a little sturdier, a little crumbly. I wanted a scone.

I had made oatmeal scones before from a recipe I found on Gourmet's website, and after stocking up on a few bags of Vincent Family cranberries, I thought I'd dress up my new favorite breakfast treat with a little soft butter and creamy buttermilk. Perfect to tuck into my bag before running off to school, or to nibble on with a cup of coffee sitting at my parents' Thanksgiving (or Christmas!) table. I've made these with dried and fresh cranberries, but I have to say that nothing beats the burst of tart, syrupy juice from a whole, fresh berry nestled right into the crumbly, dense scone. I might just be forming a cranberry habit yet.

CRANBERRY OATMEAL SCONES

Adapted from Gourmet

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups plus 2 tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk plus additional for brushing (I used 2/3 cup of heavy cream mixed with 2 tsp of white distilled vinegar as a substitute for buttermilk--just let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it curdles)

1/2 cup fresh or dried cranberries (if using dried, try to find some with no sugar added)

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425ºF.

2. Sift together flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a food processor. Add 1 1/3 cups oats and pulse 15 times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms. Add cranberries and fold in to the batter.

4. Pat dough into a 9-inch square (1/2 inch thick). Cut into 9 (3-inch) squares. Cut each square diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. For larger scones, simply shape each of the 9 original squares into triangles.

5. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown, about 16 minutes.