Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones

1 dozen scones

4 cups bleached all-purpose flour

4 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups “quick-cooking” (not “instant”) rolled oats

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, or more as needed

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

About 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for sprinkling on the tops of the unbaked scones

 

Mix the dough

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar. Mix in the rolled oats. Drop in the chunks of butter and, using a pastry blender or two round-bladed knives, cut the fat into the flour mixture until reduced to pearl-size pieces. Further reduce the fat to smaller flakes, using your fingertips. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the flour mixture, scatter the chocolate chips over, and stir to form a dough. The dough will be dense but moist. (If the dough seems a bit dry—due to the absorption quality of the flour or if the day is cold and arid—work in a little more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.)

 

Knead and refrigerate the dough

Knead the dough lightly in the bowl for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Divide the dough in half and form each half into an 8 to 8 1/2-inch disk. Refrigerate the disks, wrapped in waxed paper, for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 heavy cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans with lengths of cooking parchment paper.

 

Form and top the scones

Place each disk of dough on a lightly floured work surface, and using a chef’s knife, cut into 6 pie-shaped wedges. As the scones are cut, press in any chips that may stick out of the sides. Transfer the scones to the prepared pans, placing them 3 inches apart. Assemble 6 scones on each pan.

Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each unbaked scone.

 

Bake and cool the scones

Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 19 to 20 minutes, or until set and baked through. Begin checking the scones at 18 minutes. Transfer the pans to cooling racks. Let the scones stand on the pans for 2 minutes, then carefully remove them to cooling racks, using a wide offset metal spatula. Cool. Serve the scones freshly baked.

 Bake-and-serve within 1 day

 Style:

For Big Oatmeal-Walnut-Chocolate Chip Scones, scatter 2/3 cup chopped walnuts over the dough mixture along with the chocolate chips.

For Big Oatmeal-Chocolate Chunk Scones, substitute 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, for the semisweet chocolate chips.

 Credit: Chocolate Chocolate; Lisa Yockelson; Wiley