Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (2024)

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Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (1)

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.

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (2)

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.

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (3)

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.

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (4)

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.)

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (5)

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.

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (6)
(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:

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (7)
Cookin' Canuck's
Cookin' Canuck's
fANNEtastic Food's Whole Wheat Pumpkin Goji Biscotti
Chocolate-Covered Kate's Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin

Printable Recipe

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (8)

Low-Fat Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breads, Breakfast

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Healthy Breakfast

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Scones

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ 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
  • 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

WW (Old Points) 4 / WW (Points+) 5

Nutrition

Serving: 1Scone | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

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.

Healthy(er) Scones Recipe with Chocolate & Crystallized Ginger (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much sugar in scones? ›

Why are my scones flat and crumbly? It's possible you added too much sugar. Sugar makes scones crumbly. You could have baked them for too long or used a high temperature, which caused them to flatten.

What is the best raising agent for scones and why? ›

A final crucial ingredient in scones is some sort of leavening agent such as baking powder. Be sure to sieve this into the mixture evenly for a better chance of an even rise. In the oven, these leavening agents will react and form carbon dioxide, a gas.

Should a scone be dry or moist? ›

A scone should not flake like a biscuit.

It can have layers of course, but they should err on the side of crumbly. A scone is slightly dryer than a biscuit and yet, when done well, not dry at all. Scones are intended to be consumed with a hot beverage of your choice after all. And clotted cream, or butter, or jam.

What is the best flour for scones? ›

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons, using just enough to bring the dough together.

Is buttermilk or cream better for scones? ›

If you are using baking soda, you will want to use buttermilk, an acidic ingredient that will react with the leavener to help them rise. On the other hand, if you use cream or milk, you'll want to use baking powder because it combines the acid needed with baking soda all in one complete powder.

Why are scones bad for you? ›

Although convenient and tasty, scones are a complete loss. They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

How do you make scones rise higher? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Why are scones so fattening? ›

fattening. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report has found that the average scone contains 408 calories, with the best – sorry, most fattening – clocking up a remarkable 756 calories and 39.2g of sugar. Add jam and cream to the largest scone tested, and you are talking more than 900 calories.

Why do you mix scones with a knife? ›

Why should you stir batter for scones with a knife and not a spoon? You aren't stirring it, you're cutting the butter into the flour to coat, or shorten, the gluten strands with fat. This makes your scones tender.

How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

Should butter be cold or softened for scones? ›

Butter must be COLD from the very start to when the dough enters the oven. The cold butter melts upon entering the oven and the water content in butter evaporates in steam. As the steam escapes, it bursts up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture.

Should I sift flour when making scones? ›

Don't forget to sift!

Be sure to double or even triple sift your flour, as it takes away the clumps in the flour allowing for more air pockets in the scone dough - the result being a fluffier and more crumbly scone.

Why do you grate butter for scones? ›

This is what makes the dough flaky.” Although Chang cuts cubed butter into the dry mix with a stand mixer at Flour, she says that, with the grating method, “you ensure that some butter stays in small pieces, for the steam and puff; and some butter starts to soften and mix into the dough, for tenderness.” For the best ...

How do you get the best rise on scones? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Should scone dough rest before baking? ›

The explanation is simple: As with other doughs, including pizza dough, resting lets scone dough's gluten relax completely, so that it doesn't snap back during shaping or baking.

How do you make scones rise and not spread? ›

Try placing your scones closer together on the tray as this forces them to rise upwards and not outwards.

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