Name: Red Currant and Rosemary Olive Oil Scones
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 TBS baking powder; 1 TBS rosemary, fresh, chopped; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup yogurt, plain Greek; 1/4 cup milk, low-fat; 1 egg, large; 4 oz red currants, fresh, divided; 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

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Olive oil and fresh red currants makes these bejeweled currant scones with rosemary light, fluffy and incredibly delicious.

Red currant scone on a white plate with small fork next to it

The kids are back in school and our life has returned to it’s usual chaotic schedule. Throw my husband into the mix and we have pure pandemonium in our house. Luckily, we live in near paradise, with the Pacific ocean only a 10-minute drive away.

I love exploring the produce aisle or farmer’s market and sample new fruits or vegetables. I have always been curious about fresh currants. I have only seen them online, never in person.

So when I found them fresh and gloriously bright, calling my name, I snatched them up.

Why this recipe is so awesome

There is something mysteriously beautiful about ruby red currants. They are luminous, brilliant, little jewels provided by nature. And they are really delicious and mildly sweet.

I decided to bake them in some scones, using my base olive oil scone recipe. If you have never made scones with olive oil, don’t knock it ’til you tried it. It actually yields are very nice scone that isn’t dry or dull.

Some people make butter based scones in a food processor, but these olive oil scones do not require special equipment. Just a bowl and a rubber scraper.

I added some rosemary in with the currants and these scones really turned out to be something extraordinary. I love adding rosemary to my desserts. It is surprisingly unexpected and gives your treat extra flavor.

Closeup of a red currant scone on a white plate with red currants and a white enamel pitcher behind it

Ingredients you need

ingredients labeled and needed to make currant scones

Fresh currants: I used these glorious red currants, but they also come in black. You can also use raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.
Rosemary: When baking you should use fresh rosemary because dried is very tough and not as fragrant.
Extra virgin olive oil: When baking with olive oil, you need to use a quality extra virgin olive oil. Choose one that has a nice flavor when you taste it by itself. It can be peppery (if you like it) or mild. You can even use a flavored olive oil, but remember it should compliment the other flavors you are using.
Greek yogurt and milk: I frequently use this combination instead of buttermilk as I always have milk and yogurt in my refrigerator. You can substitute with ½ cup of buttermilk.
Egg
Pantry staples: granulated sugar, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt

Step-by-step directions

(pictures are from making my balsamic blackberry olive oil scones, which are made the same way as these rosemary currant scones)

1. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary and salt. Using a fork, stir in olive oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combining olive oil and flour in a glass mixing bowl

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk and egg.

Mixing egg with yogurt and milk in a small glass bowl

3. Pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and mix with a spoon or a fork until a rough dough is formed. Do not over mix the dough.

Mixing olive oil scone dough in a glass mixing bowl

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a circle or rectangles, about ½-inch thick. Press half the currants into half of the dough.

Adding balsamic blackberry mixture into scone dough

5. Fold the empty half of the dough over the red currant dough, pressing the two layers together. Press remaining currants over the top of the dough.

Pressing blackberry mixture into scone dough

6. Cut dough into 8-10 even pieces. Sprinkle sugar over the scones. Place scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake at 400ºF until golden, about 12-15 minutes.

Blackberry scones on a silicone mat lined baking sheet ready to be baked

7. Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool to desired temperature. Serve warm or room temperature.

Blackberry scones baked on a silicone mat lined baking sheet

Recipe tips and FAQs

The beauty of scones is that you can cut them into any shape you desire. They can be round, rectangular or triangles. Just try to make them similar in size for even baking.

Scones also bake quickly, usually only requiring 15 minutes or less. Because of this, scones make excellent vessels for any type of fruit, no matter how fragile. The fruit softens during the baking process, but still holds its shape.

Can you bake scones with olive oil?

Absolutely! Scones made with extra virgin olive are are slightly softer than their butter varieties. The dough can be chilled before baking, but it is not necessary. The trick is to mix the oil with the flour mixture first then add just enough wet ingredients without turning the dough to mush.

Which olive oil is best for baking?

You should choose a quality extra virgin olive oil for baking. There are a number of different flavor profiles of olive oil for you to choose from: peppery to mild, infused with flavors or plain. The flavor you choose should compliment what you are baking. I used blood orange olive oil for these currant scones and it offered a wonderful citrus note.

A red currant scone on a white plate with red currants and a white enamel pitcher behind it

Yield: 8 Scones

Red Currant and Rosemary Olive Oil Scones

Olive oil and fresh red currants makes these bejeweled currant scones with rosemary light, fluffy and incredibly delicious.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1 TBS rosemary, fresh, chopped
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup yogurt, plain Greek
¼ cup milk, low-fat
1 egg, large
4 oz red currants, fresh, divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary and salt.
Using a fork, stir in olive oil until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk and egg.
Pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and mix with a spoon or a fork until a rough dough is formed. Do not over mix the dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a circle or rectangles, about ½-inch thick.
Press half the currants into half of the dough.
Fold the empty half of the dough over the red currant dough, pressing the two layers together.
Press remaining currants over the top of the dough.
Cut dough into 8-10 even pieces.
Sprinkle sugar over the scones.
Place scones onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes.
Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool to desired temperature.
Serve warm or room temperature.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Serve alone, with honey, jam or drizzle a sweet glaze on top.
Cooking Tips: Use a buttery or citrus infused olive oil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 scone
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 236mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g

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