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.
shelly (cookies and cups)
I love this version...I am a scone girl all the way, but I've never made my own! Gonna try these!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts
Dara,
I'm a tea drinker, and could never get over the cost for a tea bag and water (without any fancy foaming milk or machines) so going out for "coffee" just kills me. But I do it for the company.
Subway was our East Coast sled hockey road trip stop (my son felt about meatball subs pre-game like some athletes feel about their socks) but here in the midwest it's morphed into Jimmy Johns.
I'm intrigued about the addition of ginger to chocolate--I throw chocolate chips into a batch of muffins a lot (1/4 cup goes a LONG way, especially the mini chips) but I've never tried ginger.
Thanks!
Megan {Country Cleaver}
Who doesn't drool all over the glass case in Starbucks - I love it all, but my jeans do not - these look fabulous and oh so chock full of deliciousness!
Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats
Healthier scones! You're so good! I love them, but know they're always loaded with butter! This is excellent! Now maybe I can still indulge once in a while without feeling guilty while trying to drop this baby weight! YUM!
Lora @cakeduchess
I love how you made these lovely scones with oats...why didn't I do this before?:))Now I can't wait to try your lightened up version. Scones are so nice to have on a lazy weekend morning with a hot cup of coffee and the paper. 🙂
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen
Healthy scones? Sign me up! I ate so many scones when we lived in London for 6 months, always with jam and clotted cream. Of course, my metabolism was a lot more forgiving back then... 🙂
Angie
These scones look so delicious! Chocolate makes everything better 🙂
kristy @ the wicked noodle
These look amazing, Dara! I love crystallized ginger and it sounds like it would be delicious in scones. Can't wait to try this!
Amanda
They look fantastic and I just love how you healthified them! 🙂 (I think I just made up that word)
fresh food store
the bake looks so yummiee !! oats is a great addition to the recipe 🙂
Fresh Food Store
Donna
These are beee-oootiful! I am loving your "no sacrifice" approach to lighter eating!
Sheila
I love scones! This recipe looks fabulous. I love the idea of adding oats in by using the food processor! I'm going to give these a try.
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
Their baked goods are so tempting, but so bad! Your recipe looks fabulous!
Katrina
I don't even drink coffee and I love going to Starbucks--great oatmeal....and lots of other delicious treats. Can't believe a blueberry scone has 18 grams of fat--always shocks me to hear that and makes me wonder what in the world they put in it, because I know things can still taste delicious with a lot less fat/calories--like these scones that I so want to make now--and must soon. Delicious!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
I love lightened recipes that taste like you're indulging. The look delicious.
Vicki @ WITK
Those nutrition labels in starbucks keep me from buying anything from the case! So many calories! I've bookmarked this recipe because I have a large container of crystallized ginger to use!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Perfect, Vicki! I hope you have a chance to try the scones.
Jess S. @ Floptimism
I love that your lighter version of a scone doesn't just slash the fat, but also decreases the sugar. These look great!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Jess. I hope you have a chance to try them.
Shea @ Dixie Chik Cooks
Healthy, beautiful and with ginger? I bet they're delicious!!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Shea. They were a big hit here.
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry
Is it a crime that I don't have a food processor? I need one now that I have seen this recipe! These look fantastic Dara!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Yes, you have to get one! That being said, this recipe can easily be made by hand.
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
Love that you lightened up scones! The crystallized ginger and chocolate combinations sounds perfect!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Jessica. It's a combination that my whole family loves.