Name: Air-Fryer Make-Ahead Fruit, Nut, and Oat Scones
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: ½ cup whole milk; 1 large egg; 1½ cups (7 1⁄2 ounces/212 grams) all-purpose flour; ¼ cup (1 3⁄4 ounces/50 grams) plus 1 tablespoon sugar , divided; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon table salt; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , chilled, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces; 1¼ cups cups (3¾ ounces/106 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats , toasted; ½ cup raisins; ¼ cup walnuts , toasted and chopped

Why This Recipe Works

We toasted both oats and nuts in the air fryer to enhance their flavor, and since dried fruits are naturally concentrated in sweetness, we could cut back on sugar. Our biggest challenge was temperature. At 400 degrees, the exterior became too dark before the scone baked all the way through. But dropping the temperature to 350 meant the exterior and interior finished cooking at the same time.

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with raisins and walnuts, but any dried fruit and nuts will work.

Instructions

Whisk milk and egg together in bowl; measure out and reserve 1 tablespoon milk mixture. Pulse flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined, about 4 pulses. Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 12 to 14 pulses. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in oats, raisins, and walnuts. Stir in remaining milk mixture until large clumps form. Continue to mix dough by hand in bowl until dough forms cohesive mass.

Turn dough and any floury bits onto lightly floured counter; pat gently into 7-inch circle. Cut dough into 10 wedges. Brush tops with reserved 1 tablespoon milk mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Lightly spray base of air-fryer basket with canola oil spray. Space desired number of scones at least ½ inch apart in prepared basket; evenly space remaining scones on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet. Place basket into air fryer and set temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until scones are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Freeze remaining sheet of scones until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer scones to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To bake from frozen, place scones into air-fryer basket. Place basket into air fryer, set temperature to 250 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes. Increase temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.