Knitting and scones

First, allow me to confess....I'm a terrible blogger.

I have been MIA due to some family issues, but as I must be home most of the time now, one of my to-do's is to be regular is my writing.  Writing is therapeutic, and a skill requiring practice, so I shall write and bore you, dear friends, with my rambling thoughts.

Baking and knitting are two of my favorite things, and I think I shall change the words to that old song to be "baking fresh scones and knitting a blanket" instead of "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens." (Although I love cats more, so those darned cute kittens really are a favorite thing.....) Anyway, I awoke this morning to a beautiful, sunny sky and feeling so revived after finally sleeping well, so I decided to get my bake on and whip up a batch of chocolate chip scones. They smelled divine and look beautiful.....and taste just as wonderful!

 

Aren't they beautiful?  And with a big mug of delicious Ethiopian coffee, well, it was a wonderful way to start the day!  After, I took a very long walk in the gale force winds we are having today and did a quick workout.  Now I'm ready for a day of knitting and the Big Ten basketball tournament.

Here is the recipe....enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Scones

     (from The 400 Calorie Fix, by Liz Vaccariello and Mindy Hermann, RD)

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

3 T. sugar (I used brown)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 T. unsalted butter (I used Earth Balance vegan margarine)

1/4 c. plain low fat or fat free yogurt (I used soy yogurt)

1 egg (I used Ener-g egg replacer)

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (I used vegan regular choc. chips)

1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2)  Mix together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor.  With the processor running, add small cubes of butter one at a time.  Process until the mixture looks crumbly.  Add the yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.  Process just until well mixed.  Add the chocolate chips.  Process for 1bout 10 seconds.

3)  Place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board.  Knead lightly to finish combining all the ingredients.  Form into a ball, flatten into an 8" circle (1/2" thick) with your hands or floured rolling pin, and cut into 8 wedges.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or use a nonstick baking sheet.  Place the 8 wedges on the baking sheet.

4)  Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

VARIATIONS:  Use raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried cherries in place of the chocolate chips.  Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.

Per serving (one scone) :  Calories - 160; Total fat - 6 g; Saturated fat - 3 g; Sodium - 115 mg; Carbs - 24 g; Dietary Fiber - 2 g; Protein - 4 g; Calcium - 6%