Olive oil and fresh red currants makes these bejeweled currant scones with rosemary light, fluffy and incredibly delicious.
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.
Ingredients you need
- Fresh currants:ย 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:ย 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:ย I frequently use this combination instead of buttermilk as I always have milk and yogurt in my refrigerator. You can substitute with ยฝ cup of buttermilk.
- Egg
- Pantry staples:ย 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.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk and egg.
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.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a circle or rectangles, about ยฝ-inch thick. Press half the currants into half of the 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.
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 400ยบF until golden, about 12-15 minutes.
7. Transfer scones to a cooling rack to cool to desired temperature. Serve warm or room temperature.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ยผ cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1 TBS rosemary, fresh, chopped
- โ teaspoon salt
- โ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ยผ cup yogurt, plain Greek
- ยผ 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 ยฝ-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:
8Serving Size:
1 sconeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 236mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g
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This is now my go-to scone recipe. I adore scones but cant afford the full fat diary when made with butter and/or cream. Olive oil? I can do that. Honestly, these are BETTER than any scone I’ve made with ANY ingredients. Instead of currants (which I’m sure would be great), I use dried blueberries and the zest of one lemon. And I put raw sugar on top just before baking. Delicious.
Hi Kristie-
I totally agree with ya, but I’m biased! You can do some many variation with the base scone recipe. I barely use butter in my baking anymore since switching to olive oil. It’s easier and definitely budget friendly.
Thank your for kind words-
Laura
Hi, do you think I can you almond or coconut flour for these scones?
Coconut flour and almond flour have very different textures and react differently in baking. I have been dabbling with with both, but it is for sure not a one to one substitution.
Laura
Hello Laura!
Your Red Currant And Rosemary Olive Oil Scones looks so delicious. And all your pictures are looking great, well done Laura!
Lovely photos and recipe!
Thank you!
I’m on a hunt for red currants. I haven’t seen many things that look this good.
Gorgeous as always, and I love how you described them. Great writing friend.
I almost never see red currants! Well, outside of jam or jelly. ๐ I really need to track some down — these scones look amazing! Thanks.
Laura, these sound delish. I will try to find all of the ingredients so I can make a batch to take to Girls Weekend in Rancho Mirage next weekend. Hugs to your family.
Thank you, Deb!I hope everyone enjoys them. Oh, and have fun with the girls!
Your scones look wonderful Laura. You are right, red currants look like little jewels in the light. I wish I could grow one bush in the tropics too. =D
Ciao Laura, complimenti per il sito. Ti seguo da poco tempo. Ho sfogliato quasi tutti i tuoi post, mi piacciono molto le tue ricette e anche gli articoli non di cucina. Il tuo paese suscita in me una forte attrazione. Amo gli scone, questa versione con i ribes rossi รจ irresistibile. Un abbraccio.