CHERRY ALMOND OAT SCONES

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly toast the oats for 6-8 minutes until they give off a toasty aroma and start to deepen in color. 
3. Whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, ginger and salt into a bowl with high sides. Dice the cold butter into 1⁄2” cubes. Using either a pastry blender or the two butter knife method, cut the butter into dry ingredients until butter pieces are the size of peas or large pearls. 
4. Gently stir in the cooled oats, almonds and cherries, until just mixed. 
5. Whisk eggs and buttermilk together. Then add two-thirds of mixture to dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together before adding remaining buttermilk mixture; it should be a little rough and scrappy.
6. Scrape the dough from sides and bottom of the bowl using a spatula and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps. Do not over-mix, there should be visible chunks of butter and flour.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, it should come out of the bowl in mostly one piece. Gather and pat it 2 to 3 times to get the dough to come together. Don’t knead the dough, you want it to be rough because this will give the scones depth and texture.
8. Gently form dough into one 7”-8” disk or two 3”-4” disks for smaller scones, about 1” thick. Cut the disk(s) into 6 pie-shaped wedges and chill in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.
9. Place scones on baking sheets lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper, leaving 1”- 1.5” between the scones. Bake in the middle of the oven, 30 to 35 minutes for large scones or 20 to 25 minutes for small scones. Rotate the pan(s) front to back and rotate racks, halfway through the baking time. The scones are ready when they turn a rich golden brown.

LEMON GINGER GLAZE

1. Sift the powdered sugar and ginger into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the lemon juice and whisk until smooth. The glaze should run off of the whisk in a thick flowing ribbon. If the glaze is too thin, slowly whisk in more powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick for slowly add more lemon juice or water.
2. Once the scones have cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Allow the glaze to set up for 15-20 minutes before serving.