Long family road trips are typically peppered with stops at Starbucks. And Subway. Hey, don't judge. When the choices are day-old gas station burritos and sub sandwiches, the sandwiches will always win out. The Starbucks pit stops happen first thing in the morning - jet fuel for the first part of the drive - and 3pm or so, lining up with my husband's daily caffeine slumps. Of course, I'm never one to turn down a non-fat latte or two.
Within minutes of walking into the store, my boys have their noses pressed up to the glass case holding all of the treats. Lemon loaf, cake pops, muffins...all of those things that taste great with a cup of coffee, but have the calorie and fat count of a deep-fried Twinkie.
Inevitably, we get sucked into buying a blueberry scone for the boys to share. It's got fruit in it. It can't be that bad, right?
I made the mistake of googling the nutritional data for that blueberry scone. Well, 460 calories, 18 grams of fat and 24 grams of sugar later, I decided it was time to come up with my own scone recipe.
A couple of years ago, I posted my a fantastic scone recipe by my husband's cousin. The recipe in this post is a direct rip-off of the flavors in that recipe, but with significantly less calories and fat. I kept the oat flour, chocolate chips and crystallized ginger, but cut the butter and sugar by more than half and replaced the cream with skim milk. Some of the switcheroos were inspired by a highly rated Cooking Light scone recipe.
The result? A tender, moist scone with a subtle bite from the crystallized ginger, a decadent hit of chocolate and a drastic decrease in calories and fat. To be exact, each scone contains 183 calories, 7.6 grams of fat and 9.3 grams of sugar.
And to top it all off...the boys loved them!
The recipe:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the oat flour, place the oats in a food processor and process until finely ground, about 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and scoop 1 cup oat flour back into the processor. Reserve any remaining flour for another use.
Add the all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder to the processor. Pulse briefly to combine.
Add the chilled butter to the processor and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of a fine meal.
Add the crystallized ginger to the processor and pulse to mix.
In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup non-fat milk, vanilla extract and egg white. Pour the mixture into the processor and pulse quickly until just mixed.
Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the dough. Lightly dust your hands with flour and gently knead to mix in the chocolate chips, and form the dough into a ball.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, form the dough into an 8-inch circle.
Cut the circle into 12 triangles, keeping the circle of dough intact. (Yes, I realize the photo shows 8 triangles. I changed my mind on the second batch, which I didn't photograph.)
Using 2 teaspoons of non-fat milk, lightly brush the tops of the scones. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over top.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the surface of the scones are golden brown. Cool on the tray or on a cooling rack. Cut the scones apart and serve.
(Make ahead: The scones can be made ahead and frozen. Separate the raw scones from each other and place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place in the freezer uncovered. When the scones are completely frozen, place them in plastic freezer bags. Take them out a few at a time and bake for 17-21 minutes at 375 degrees F.)
Other lightened-up baked goods:
Cookin' Canuck's Peanut Butter & Banana Whole Wheat Quick Bread
Cookin' Canuck's Healthy Cornmeal Muffins with Berries & Lemon
fANNEtastic Food's Whole Wheat Pumpkin Goji Biscotti
Chocolate-Covered Kate's Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin
Printable Recipe
Low-Fat Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger
Ingredients
- 1 â…“ cups old-fashioned oats for 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 3 ¼ ounces crystallized ginger chopped (rounded ½ cup)
- ½ cup + 2 teaspoon non-fat milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg white
- â…“ cup mini chocolate chips
- ¾ teaspoon turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the oat flour, place the oats in a food processor and process until finely ground, about 1 minute. Pour into a bowl and scoop 1 cup oat flour back into the processor. Reserve any remaining flour for another use.
- Add the all-purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder to the processor. Pulse briefly to combine.
- Add the chilled butter to the processor and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of a fine meal.
- Add the crystallized ginger to the processor and pulse to mix.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup non-fat milk, vanilla extract and egg white. Pour the mixture into the processor and pulse quickly until just mixed.
- Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the dough. Lightly dust your hands with flour and gently knead to mix in the chocolate chips, and form the dough into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With lightly floured hands, form the dough into an 8-inch circle.
- Cut the circle into 12 triangles, keeping the circle of dough intact.
- Using 2 teaspoons of non-fat milk, lightly brush the tops of the scones. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over top.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the surface of the scones are golden brown. Cool on the tray or on a cooling rack. Cut the scones apart and serve.
Make ahead:
- The scones can be made ahead and frozen. Separate the raw scones from each other and place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place in the freezer uncovered. When the scones are completely frozen, place them in plastic freezer bags. Take them out a few at a time and bake for 17-21 minutes at 375 degrees F.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Holly
I like the made-ahead option and will have to try that. Heating up just one serving might be the key to me keeping these healthier. I have NO will power when it comes to sweets and would very likely eat more than my share which defeats the purpose of trying to make them healthier!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
It is so handy to have these stored away in the freezer and to just take out a few of them on the weekend.
carrian
Those look perfect! Gosh, I haven't had a good scone in far too long. I better try your recipe this weekend.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Carrian. I hope you have a chance to try them!
Brianna
Yum! I have found myself guilty of giving in to the pastry cabinet and Starbucks too! The blueberry scones? Delicious. But not 460 calories delicious! I'm bringing the goodies for Bible Study this Sunday...I just might have to bring these along :).
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
That pastry cabinet is nothing but trouble! 🙂 Next time we go on a road trip, I think I'll be bringing some homemade scones for snacktime.
Becky @ Olives n Wine
I love the photo of the HUGE pile of chocolate chips on the dough - that is my kinda pastry 😉 Thank you for sharing a healthier scone option. I can deal with a 180-calorie scone anyday!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
LOL. Chocolate chips make everything better, don't they?
Sandy @ RE
Those are the 2 stops we make when we travel for soccer! Funny! We usually always get the oatmeal at Starbucks and to be honest, I'm kinda done with Subway. Not crazy about their bread. LOVE this post and recipe, Dara!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Yes indeed, Starbucks and Subway are the road trip regulars. I have to admit that I actually look forward to our family drive traditions. 🙂
Alyssa @ Kitchen Cures
I really like scones, but agree with you about how much butter normally goes into them. These look like a great alternative, and I love the combination of chocolate and ginger. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Alyssa! Usually there's at least a stick and a half and that just makes those scones far less tempting (i.e., more guilt-filled).
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
So gorgeous and irresistible, even without the extra fat and sugar!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Sommer! I love being able to indulge without the guilt.
Deborah
When we go to New Mexico, we always stop at Subway on the way. Not many choices!!
These scones look wonderful, and I love that they are lightened up.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Deb. Yes, Subway's the go-to road trip stop.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
I love that you looked up the nutritional information of the baked goods at Starbucks!! Isn't it sick? When you know how long it takes to burn off it's funny how easy it is to pass. Of course it's another story for children. 😉 Good for you for making a healthier version at home!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
So true, Liz! That would be a 50 minute run just to work off one Starbucks scone.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I'm all for healthier scones! 🙂 These look great and I love the addition of crystallized ginger.
The place I work at is right next to a Starbucks, but I'm so put off by their prices that I've never gone in. Why get a piece of cake for 3 euro when I can make an entire cake for 3 euro? Yup. I'm cheap. 😉
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Cheap is good! Nothing to be ashamed about there. And I'll bet your cake is a hundred times better!