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This month’s 5 Star Makeover theme is “Gourmet Picnic Food” in honor of upcoming Memorial Day. Since this theme is so wide open, I had a lot of fun with it and chose a more non-traditional picnic theme: teatime! For my picnic, pack a thermos full of tea (spiced black tea is fantastic with these scones!), some finger sandwiches, and these Olive Oil Scones with Cinnamon Figgie Butter…
I love the light, fluffy texture and buttery taste of cream scones, so when I was coming up with this recipe I decided to keep them somewhat traditional with the addition of cream. I also knew that I wanted the main flavor of these scones to be somewhat untraditional — the fruity, peppery flavor of extra virgin olive oil — so I highlighted that flavor with subtle notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. The Cinnamon Figgie Butter is the perfect finishing touch for these scones.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that these scones are the best I’ve ever had. Their texture is perfectly light and fluffy inside, with a slightly crunchy sugar top. They have a subtly sweet yet spicy flavor, with different spice notes hitting your palate at different times.
But maybe the best part about these scones is that they can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes including bake time, and the dough (which handles like a dream) can be made entirely in the food processor.
If you have the chance, I highly recommend making them!
Olive Oil Scones with Cinnamon Figgie Butter
(Yield: 8 scones)
Olive Oil Scones:
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more to roll out the dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch black pepper
3 tablespoons sugar, plus a little more to sprinkle on top
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon milk, to brush on top
Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg and cream; set aside.
Add the following to the bowl of a food processor: flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and sugar; pulse to combine. Gradually stream in olive oil while pulsing; once olive oil is incorporated, gradually stream in egg/cream mixture while pulsing. The dough should come together nicely. (Alternatively, you can make the dough by hand…just whisk together the dry ingredients, cut the oil in with a fork, and then stir in the wet ingredients.)
Turn the dough out a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a 3/4 inch-thick circle. Use a floured 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter to stamp out the scones, then gather up the dough scraps and repeat (you should get about 8 scones total).
Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with milk, and sprinkle on a little sugar. Bake until light golden brown, about 9-11 minutes. Serve with Cinnamon Figgie Butter.
Cinnamon Figgie Butter:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 preserved fig, minced
1 teaspoon liquid from preserved fig (or honey)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch fine salt
Mix together all ingredients; roll into a log shape using plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill. Cut into thin slices to serve.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I’m positively intrigued by the flavours and spicing in these scones and will have to give them a whirl, not to mention having some of that cinnamon figgie butter to go alongside – sounds divine :)
Whata wonderful idea. You are creative, Faith. Do me a favor and please link this to Bake with Bizzy. What a nice recipe to share with others.
http://bizzybakesb.blogspot.com/2011/06/bake-with-bizzy-3.html
Ooh la la, Faith… the butter melting on the scone is magical. Always looking for a new way to do them.. this is a winner for sure with the figgy butter… and adorable to say as well!
Love these scones. First time here and what a beautiful site you have, fantastic photographs.
Wow! Love the use of olive oil instead of butter (nothing wrong with butter, though) to give these scones a unique flavor. And the fig butter is such a perfect accompaniment. I LOVE tea (as you probably already know) and am hosting Tea Week on my blog all this week!! I hope you’ll check it out :) Tomorrow I’m sharing an awesome scone recipe as well, which is the best scone I think I’VE ever made. Go us ;-)
i love how you thought outside the box! and your table-settting if fabulously chic!
They do look incredibly light, and I love the idea of having tea on a picnic – so civilized!
I think I was on the phone with you while these were baking :) I see they turned out amazing! That cinnamon figgie butter is calling my name too…yum!
You might be the first to run out of food. The flavor profile of the scones is just right. A good entry for anytime.
I like the light, fluffy texture and buttery taste of scones too! most scones are too dry for me but yours look moist and pluffy! figgie butter sounds fantastic. It’s easy to make but looks elegant-great idea for a party!
I can believe that these are the best—olive oil does remarkable things in baked goods–so do Figs. Terrific recipe. Thanks, Faith!
A picnic would not be complete without a little something like this to nibble on. The figgie butter sounds amazing!
although the scones are lovely, your compound butter is far and away the best part of this for me–yum!
These look wonderful Faith! And I love how you’ve paired them with a cinnamon figgie butter! :D And hehe I’m so thrilled that you called them scones instead of biscuits! Silly aren’t I? :P
Do you think whole wheat pastry flour might work in this recipe? These look delicious! :)
Marissa, I definitely think whole wheat pastry flour might work here! If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! :)
I see olive oil being used in so many savory and sweet pastries nowadays. I would love to give this a go. Thanks for sharing!
Mmmmm, this sounds fantastic!
oh those are way to cute! wish I had one now!
gourmet picnic food is right! ahhhhhh yum! bake for meeee!
Olive oil scones! You’re so creative Faith. I am sure that I’d adore these, figgie butter or no.
I think they would make an elegant breakfast food or perhaps something to accompany brunch as well as for a picnic… perhaps to wine country.
I adore your take on the picnic – I could picture us sitting in the midst of spring blooms enjoying a cup of tea and these fluffy scones! And the cinnamon figgy butter really caught my eye, beautiful :-)
Oh yummy!!! Your photos and scones just transported me back to my time in the UK. That cinnamon figgy butter sounds delicious and perfect to go with the scones. Perfect picnic snacks!
I can imagine the good smells emanating from your oven…Mmm!
Those scones look wonderfully delicious. Figgy butter…that sounds so tempting!
You’ve got a winner here, Faith! I adore cream scones (and yours look light and delicious) and the combination of flavors is really pushing my buttons this morning.
Copying right now!
Total drool!
These have my name written all over them. They are a definitely “must try”.
Dang! Remind me to make sure I bring you along on my next picnic. These are the best tasting scones I’ve read about all year. Not only are they quick to whip up and look delicious, but you’ve finished them off perfectly with your cinnamon figgie butter. What a great recipe, Faith!
Wow. And I thought scones not made with butter would be scandalous…Guess they are scandalously good, because the pictures have convinced me that they ARE the best scones ever!
Hi Faith – your scones sound perfect! Great idea for a picnic, we’d take those and your tea to watch the sunrise down along the coast.
LL
Those are some picture-perfect scones. And the figgy butter dresses up wonderfully for company. ;)
These look wonderful! Love that they have cream and olive oil in them…I can imagine they’d be nice and soft even many hours after baking?
I am not much of a sweet tooth person and this scone recipe is making me very happy :)
These look so elegant and simple…I’ll bet they taste amazing!
These are unusual but they look and sound delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Those look very tasty!
These scones both look and sound fantastic! And the Figgie Butter is an added WOW factor to portable food delights :)
Wow Faith! Your pictures are beautiful! I bet these scones taste as good as they look too! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll definitely be adding these to my list of things to make!
mmmmm. I’m not a tea girl, but I’m pretty sure these would go really well with a nice cup of coffee too :). I am a HUGE scone fan- I just love the density and the crumble. And the cinnamon figgie butter? What a great touch!
Darn near perfect combo!
So little sugar! They sound fantastic! And your photos are stunning as ever!
Scones looks absolutely delicious,stunning and flavourful..
Oh my. These are EXACTLY what I was looking for. My daughter and I wanted to make her teacher a gift. She’s a foodie and I think she will love this. Thanks’s for sharing.
Never seen olive oil in scones..Sounds so healthy and inovative.I love how flaky & perfect your scones look..they have risen so well..must try for me!
A tea time picnic–what a cute idea! I will have to have one of those soon. The scones look perfect and that figgie butter is such a great accompaniment. Makes me want to go have tea right now.
Faith,
What a great idea to make scones. They look so light and fluffy. I am sure they are awesome. Another winner by you.
Your scones look awesome! And I’m all about fast recipes. I love the flavor of olive oil in baked goods… kind of fruity, a bit rich… lovely.
Beautiful scones! I bet they tasted wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
How much I would love a picnic right now! These scones look like the perfect treat for such an occasion!
These scones look wonderful indeed, perfect with the cinnamon fig butter, Junior and I would definitely love to make them!
I love your picnic! Nice treat from the usual picnic fare I’d have made :) I think I would love that figgie butter. I know I would.
I’d so love to try these. I love olive oil in cakes, it makes them so nice and soft and moist, so I bet these scones must be scrumptious. Also, the cinnamon figgie butter sounds to die :D
*kisses* HH