Scones are one of my favorite baked goods. They’re a great dessert and all, but there is no better way to start your morning then with a hot cup of tea (or coffee) and a delicious scone. I’m an equal opportunity scone lover, and pretty much eat them year round. However, with it being fall, I knew I had to whip up a pumpkin scone. However, because I’m all about having your cake and eating it too, I wanted to make it lighter, and weight watchers friendly.
The scones have a great texture, are super easy to make, and clock in at just 5 WW smart points each. I used a few clever swaps to lighten these up without sacrificing flavor or size, and the end result is dang delicious.
Lightening up pumpkin scones
In order to make these lighter, I had to swap some classic scone ingredients with some more diet friendly options. Whereas normal scones rely on a lot of butter, this recipe uses just a few tablespoons, and some butter for you ingredients like Greek yogurt and pumpkin purée to add texture and flavor while keeping fat and calories lower.
The key to these scones is making sure that your butter is cold. This will help you get a more scone-like (read: dry) texture. I perpetually have butter in my freezer, and if you don’t, I suggest you toss a stick in there now. Then, whenever you want to make scones, you have frozen butter to cut up.
Another way to ensure everything stays cold is to refrigerate your shaped scones before baking. Basically, the colder they are, the better. They’ll get a better texture and retain their shape more.
Lighter Pumpkin Chocolate Scones
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet
- Pastry Cutter (or knife)
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 6 tbsp pumpkin purée
- 2.5 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp nonfat milk divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt.
- Cut frozen butter into tiny cubes and cut it into the dry mixture with a fork until the mixture has a ‘crumb’ consistency. Add in 1.5 tbsp mini chocolate chips.
- In a smaller bowl, stir together pumpkin puree, yogurt, 3 tbsp milk, vanilla, and maple syrup
- Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until combined fully. Add 1 1/2 tbsp chocolate chips.
- Turn out onto a well floured surface and shape the dough into a 3/4 inch tall disk.
- Use a sharp knife to cut disk into 8 triangular parts, and arrange on baking sheet. Gently press additional chocolate chips into the top and brush tops with milk.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then cool fully on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More lightened up desserts
Looking to enjoy dessert without compromising your diet? Check out some of my other lightened up desserts:
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