Cranberry-Pecan Scones

Several years ago, I put up a recipe for banana, walnut, and white chocolate scones, which I still recommend for a treat.  But I now have a go-to recipe for scones that is much healthier while still delicious. Spurred by the enthusiasm of some guests today, I'm posting the recipe. It's simple enough to put together the recipe while the oven is pre-heating, and there's no handling of the dough needed--you just plop it in a round baking pan and press it down.  Enjoy!

            Cranberry-Pecan Scones

adapted from Liz Vaccariello, Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

8 servings, 308 calories/serving

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup pecans, chopped

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/4 c. plain no-fat or low-fat yogurt (if using Greek yogurt, may need a dollop more to get the dough to stick together)

1/2 t. vanilla <*see note below for possible substitution for the 3 ingredients in italics>

2 T. canola oil

1/2 t. dried lemon peel (or 1 t. freshly grated lemon or orange peel)

2/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries (or dried apricots, diced)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a 9" round baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, vanilla, and lemon peel.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the yogurt mixture and dried fruit.  Stir just until blended.

Scoop out the dough into the prepared pan, and press it so it's evenly spread across the pan.  Score the dough with a knife to form 8 triangles.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*The original recipe called for 1-1/4 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt.  I usually have plain yogurt on hand, so I've substituted plain yogurt plus 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla.  If you'd rather use vanilla yogurt, take out the sugar and vanilla from the recipe as given above.

Banana, walnut, and white chocolate scones

A few weeks ago, an out-of-town friend was visiting with her teenage son.  I wanted to have a treat on hand for an afternoon snack and/or breakfast--a good occasion to try out a recipe that looked very appealing to me.  One afternoon, my friend brought a scone to her son, who was up in our guest room.  After he'd eaten it, she asked if he liked it.  His reply, "Could I have two more, please?"  Words to warm a cook's heart!  And since this recipe makes 12, I had plenty more to share.

Banana, Walnut & White Chocolate Chunk Scones

Makes 12

adapted from http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2013/11/banana-recipes-scones/

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

            or use 1 T. dried buttermilk powder with dry ingredients, and 1/4 c. water with the wet ingredients.  Then brush scones with a T. of regular milk

1 large egg

1 ripe banana, well-mashed

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

4 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli baking white chocolate, broken into chunks)

6 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into a dozen or so pieces

sprinkling of sugar crystals

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Using a fork, lightly beat a 1/4 cup of buttermilk (or water, if using dried buttermilk powder), egg and banana together in a small bowl or measuring cup; set aside.

Add the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a deep medium-sized bowl (and the dried buttermilk powder, if using). Whisk to combine. Work the butter pieces into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces.

Stir in the walnuts and chocolate.

Pour in the liquid-egg-banana mixture, and use a fork to stir together until it forms a crumbly-looking dough, and the flour is mostly absorbed.

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured counter.  (I find it helpful to use a silicone mat on the counter; I use a Roul'pat.) Knead it once or twice to help the dough stick together. Divide the dough in half, and flatten it into two 1/2-inch thick circles. Use a sharp knife to cut each circle into 6 triangles (like cutting pizza slices).

Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk (or regular milk) and sprinkle the tops with the sugar crystals. Bake for 11 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned and the tops are golden. Remove from the oven and set the tray on a wire rack to cool a few minutes before serving.

These are best the day they're baked, but are also fine frozen and re-heated.