Maple Cranberry Scones

Although I get a lot of recipes and recipe inspiration from magazines, cookbooks, and other food blogs, I do enjoy the challenge of recipe creating when I have the time and creativity strikes! It was for this reason that I agreed to be a Tonewood Maple ambassador. Though I had never heard of the company before, maple is a flavor I enjoy and I thought it would be fun to create a few recipes using their products.
When I received their maple seasoning and maple flakes, I hemmed and hawed for awhile about what I could do with one of the other. That is, until I realized it was a no-brainer: scones! I've been on a major scone kick lately, whipping them up for weekend brunches or mid-week snacks. In addition to adding maple flakes to the batter and sprinkling them on top, I also used maple syrup in the batter. In fact, the syrup was the only sweetener in this recipe, making these a little more guilt-free! The maple flavor was fairly subtle, so if you want the taste to come through more, I recommend adding an addition 2 tbsp of maple syrup, or including some maple extract.
As I've discovered with most scone recipes, these are best the day they're made. If you aren't going to finish them off, share them, or freeze and reheat in the oven! I would've used fresh cranberries if I had them, but if you'd rather not use dried or fresh cranberries, chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts would also be good in these. I made my scones on the smaller size, but if you prefer thicker scones just use more dough for each. The maple flakes are completely optional, but if you're interested in using them, you can spend $25 on Tonewood's site and receive the maple flakes for FREE if you order beginning on December 1st!
Note: I am not being compensated by Tonewood Maple for this post. They sent me a few of their products to use, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

One Year Ago: Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Fontina and German Chocolate Cake Pecan Pie Bars
Two Years Ago: Pasta with Bacon and Cauliflower and Pumpkin Cream Oreo Tarts
Three Years Ago: Sea Salt and Poppy Seed Crackers and Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Scones
Four Years Ago: Creamy Wild Rice Soup and Streusel Coffee Cake

Maple Cranberry Scones
a Sweets Life creation

Ingredients:
-2 cups whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 cup butter, chilled
-1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
-2 tbsp maple syrup (add 2 additional tbsp for sweeter / more maple flavored scones)
-1/2 cup dried cranberries
-Tonewood maple flakes, for topping (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly.
2. Stir in buttermilk and maple syrup, mixing until combined and dough is formed. Mix in dried cranberries.
3. Place mounds of dough (or divide dough in half, form each half into a circle, and cut scones into triangles) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with maple flakes, if using. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.