Much to my chagrin, I have recently come to the realization and subsequent conclusion that I cannot, or should not, eat gluten. It just doesn’t work for my body. Let’s just say it doesn’t….digest well. TMI? This makes me feel all “WAH WAH WAH” inside. Incase you didn’t know, those are crying sounds. Because I love gluten. I love the taste of all-purpose flour in baked goods, it makes the texture smooth and supple. It provides the girth and dense sponginess inside of a perfectly baked baguette, which is probably my favorite thing to eat. But it does nothing for my health. Wahhh.

I’ve found that if I eat gluten that’s mixed with just a bit of health, it fares better. Not totally for the best, but better. At least in my brain. I can deal with that. These scones are an example of just that. They are substantial and delicious. They have oats, whole wheat flour, and real maple syrup. Yummmmm. I liken them to perfect hearty rectangles of sweet breakfast love. They’re also easy to whip up, on a weekend morning like today, where all you want to do is stay inside and eat something warm and comforting.

Eat the flour with the oats. Sometimes. Feel healthy-ish. At least every once in a while….gluten can be appropriate when it tastes this delicious.

Maple oatmeal scones

Adapted from Ina Garten via Janine Sciarappa

Ina says this recipes make 14 scones….but that means we’d be eating scones the size of tires. I say you can get at least 25-30, depending on how large or small you cut them. Remember a little goes a long way.

Notes: if you don’t have whole wheat flour on hand, feel free to substitute all-purpose.

I realize this recipe has one pound of butter and that in and of itself shatters my gluten problems in terms of what is healthy. But this recipe makes a lot of scones! Does that make it better? I’m not sure…make sure you keep the butter & buttermilk coldcoldcold as that’s where you’re gonna get the good buttery scone flavor.

Once again, Aunt Jemima is not maple syrup. Please use the real stuff here as it is far, far, far superior to any “pancake syrup.”

For the scones

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats, plus additional for sprinkling

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 pound cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup cold buttermilk

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water, for egg wash

For the glaze

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Set the oven at 400 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, brown sugar and salt. Blend the cold butter in at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, maple syrup and eggs; add this mixture quickly to the flour-and-butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough may be sticky.

Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4 to 1-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough, we want that! Cut the scones into rectangles or squares or whatever shape you wish. You could also use cookie cutters. Place scones on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are crisp and the insides are done.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. When the scones are done, cool for 5 minutes and drizzle each scone with 1 tablespoon of the glaze. Sprinkle some uncooked oats on the top, to garnish and let people know there are oats inside. The warmer the scones are when you glaze them, the thinner the glaze will be.