One thing comes to mind when I think of Scones.
Starbucks is always on our itinerary when we travel. That Blueberry Scone always stares me in the eye, behind that beautiful desert window, when I order my Tall Coffee. However, I've never tried it but heard it is quite wonderful for the tastebuds.
Here's the nutrition facts behind the Starbucks Blueberry Scone:
Calories: 460
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 400mg
Carbs: 68g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 24g
Protein: 5g
Here's a common recipe for a blueberry scone:
3 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
2 tbsp. cold butter
1 c. blueberries
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
The weight of a scone at Starbucks is 128grams. At Panera, the Golden Raisin scone is 390 calories and 118grams. Now, one would think that if restaurants and fast-food places would serve smaller portions (less grams) you would save calories. Well, kinda. Take the Caribou Coffee cinnamon chip scone. At 120grams, the scone comes in at 500 calories. At Caribou Coffee, they have a reduced fat cranberry orange scone at 128grams. but for 380 calories you may as well have ordered the "real thing" at Starbucks (Golden Raisin Scone). Confused??? I'm with ya!
I think we live in a society of portion distortion. Whether you are trying to cut back on portions in order to still enjoy some of your favorite foods or trying to order "healthier" options, restaurants and fast food places want you to feel satisfied and happy with your selection. It is more likely that a cook will take out some fat and add in some sugar in order to make a fat-free or reduced-fat option for the liking of the diet-conscious individual rather than make your favorite delectable treats smaller than normal.
Heaven forbid that 7-eleven would ever take away the Double Gulp, Extreme Gulp and Big Gulp
and only serve you a small cup for your 12 ounce coke.
If a 12 ounce coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar, I would need to get out my calculator to find out the calories and grams of sugar for the 64 ounce double gulp. Answer: 746 calories and 206 grams of sugar. YIKES!
I decided to make my own healthy version of a scone which will make it super easy to pass on the scones at Starbucks. No need to feel guilty with this crunchy and slightly sweet treat. I cut each scone into bite sized treats so that you can enjoy the scone any time of the day.
Enjoy!
Chocolate, Walnut and Raisin bite-sized scone
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp smart balance butter
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine Flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Add butter and mix with fork to ensure that butter is broken into small pieces.
4. Stir in vanilla, walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
5. Slowly add milk and stir. Dough should stick well together. You want to avoid soft dough so if your dough begins to not stick to your mixing spoon, stop adding milk.
6. On a baking sheet, lined with tinfoil and sprayed with non-stick spray, place a spoonful of dough in individual rows on your sheet.
7. You will get messy, but form each pile of ball into long, 1 inch tall scones.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top of scone is firm and golden brown.
9. When scones have cooled, diagonally cut each scone into 1-2 inch pieces.
(you can also make cookie-drops with this dough rather than long scones if you want to avoid the mess)
Starbucks is always on our itinerary when we travel. That Blueberry Scone always stares me in the eye, behind that beautiful desert window, when I order my Tall Coffee. However, I've never tried it but heard it is quite wonderful for the tastebuds.
Here's the nutrition facts behind the Starbucks Blueberry Scone:
Calories: 460
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 400mg
Carbs: 68g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 24g
Protein: 5g
Here's a common recipe for a blueberry scone:
3 3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. shortening
2 tbsp. cold butter
1 c. blueberries
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
The weight of a scone at Starbucks is 128grams. At Panera, the Golden Raisin scone is 390 calories and 118grams. Now, one would think that if restaurants and fast-food places would serve smaller portions (less grams) you would save calories. Well, kinda. Take the Caribou Coffee cinnamon chip scone. At 120grams, the scone comes in at 500 calories. At Caribou Coffee, they have a reduced fat cranberry orange scone at 128grams. but for 380 calories you may as well have ordered the "real thing" at Starbucks (Golden Raisin Scone). Confused??? I'm with ya!
I think we live in a society of portion distortion. Whether you are trying to cut back on portions in order to still enjoy some of your favorite foods or trying to order "healthier" options, restaurants and fast food places want you to feel satisfied and happy with your selection. It is more likely that a cook will take out some fat and add in some sugar in order to make a fat-free or reduced-fat option for the liking of the diet-conscious individual rather than make your favorite delectable treats smaller than normal.
Heaven forbid that 7-eleven would ever take away the Double Gulp, Extreme Gulp and Big Gulp
and only serve you a small cup for your 12 ounce coke.
If a 12 ounce coke has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar, I would need to get out my calculator to find out the calories and grams of sugar for the 64 ounce double gulp. Answer: 746 calories and 206 grams of sugar. YIKES!
I decided to make my own healthy version of a scone which will make it super easy to pass on the scones at Starbucks. No need to feel guilty with this crunchy and slightly sweet treat. I cut each scone into bite sized treats so that you can enjoy the scone any time of the day.
Enjoy!
Chocolate, Walnut and Raisin bite-sized scone
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp smart balance butter
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine Flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Add butter and mix with fork to ensure that butter is broken into small pieces.
4. Stir in vanilla, walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
5. Slowly add milk and stir. Dough should stick well together. You want to avoid soft dough so if your dough begins to not stick to your mixing spoon, stop adding milk.
6. On a baking sheet, lined with tinfoil and sprayed with non-stick spray, place a spoonful of dough in individual rows on your sheet.
7. You will get messy, but form each pile of ball into long, 1 inch tall scones.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top of scone is firm and golden brown.
9. When scones have cooled, diagonally cut each scone into 1-2 inch pieces.
(you can also make cookie-drops with this dough rather than long scones if you want to avoid the mess)
