"Light" Pumpkin Scones....anyone???

[critikid]

Summer heat is hanging in here in Upstate NY - but pumpkins can be seen in every patch and apples are starting to make their show at the Farm Markets...
Seriously craving Pumpkin Scones but even more seriously trying to pare down the calorie intake these days...
Anyone with a "light" pumpkin scone recipe - or recommendations re. substituting Splenda (white or brown), fat free half and half, and even "egg beaters" for eggs...or wouldn't it be worth it???
Thanks is advance for all the brainpower and creativity hovering about this site!!!
JIH

[critikid]

buuuummmppp.....

[Rae]

I don't have a recipe for healthy pumpkin scones, but have you tried these muffins? I have made them several times when I've been craving pumpkin in the fall. They have great flavor and I think the sour cream makes them very tender.


Emily's Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Serving Size : 12

1/4 cup butter -- softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup 2% milk (normally I'd use skim -- but I've got 2% right now)
1 2/3 cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cloves - heaping
1 tsp cinnamon - heaping
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars. Add the sour cream and next 7 ingredients (milk
through cinnamon) beat well.

Stir together flours, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to wet
mixture and beat until combined.

Pour batter into muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until a
toothpick tests clean - about 35 minutes.


Source:
"CL BB Emily"

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 188 Calories; 5g Fat (22.9%
calories from fat); 4g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 27mg
Cholesterol; 251mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2
Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

[Beth]

I make scones with fat free milk most of the time, so you don't have to use cream. Egg subs? I would imagine they would work, but Idont generally use them, soit's not worth the bother to me. You could probably sub half the sugar. What you can't money around with too much is the butter. You can cut it back about 1/4, maybe 1/3 on a high fat version, but the fat cut into the flour mixture is what gives them their texture.

[Hoodone]

For me, there are some things that lighten well, such as cakes, muffins and quick breads, and some that don't lighten so well, like scones and cookies. I've tried some of the CL scones and don't think they are worth it. Light calories that don't taste good just aren't worth it.

These Starbucks imitation scones are good, better that the Starbucks ones, actually. I make them using whatever milk I have on hand, but do use the full amount of butter and eggs. Also, I use half WW flour. I don't bother with the double glaze, just use the spiced one. They are good enough to leave off the glaze if you want to cut back there. They also work well cut in pretty tiny pieces, like a 1" triangle (each side measuring that), and freeze well, too. So perhaps make a batch of small ones, freeze them, and pull one out only occasionally?

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoon half-and-half
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter

Plain Glaze
1 cup plus 1 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Icing
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a large bowl.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, and egg.
4. Cut butter into cubes then add to dry ingredients. Use a pastry knife or a fork to combine butter with dry ingredients. Continue mixing until no chunks of butter are visible. You can also use a food processor. Pulse butter into dry ingredients until it is the texture of cornmeal or course sand.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide. Use a large knife or a pizza wheel to slice the dough through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled or lined with parchment paper. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
7. While scones cool, prepare plain glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Mix until smooth.
8. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over each scone.
9. As that white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by combining ingredients in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk.

Makes 6 scones.

[SusanMac]

Can't believe it's pumpkin time already. These recipes look soooo good, and I've had a craving for baked goods lately.

[zackaboo]

For me, there are some things that lighten well, such as cakes, muffins and quick breads, and some that don't lighten so well, like scones and cookies. I've tried some of the CL scones and don't think they are worth it. Light calories that don't taste good just aren't worth it.

These Starbucks imitation scones are good, better that the Starbucks ones, actually. I make them using whatever milk I have on hand, but do use the full amount of butter and eggs. Also, I use half WW flour. I don't bother with the double glaze, just use the spiced one. They are good enough to leave off the glaze if you want to cut back there. They also work well cut in pretty tiny pieces, like a 1" triangle (each side measuring that), and freeze well, too. So perhaps make a batch of small ones, freeze them, and pull one out only occasionally?

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

I agree that scones sometimes aren't worth lightening. I just made this Starbucks recipe for the first time recently and they were fabulous. I used fat-free half and half and did reduce the butter by one T. I also made as mini scones...so even eating 2 at a time, I got well more than 6 servings. I was out of powdered sugar, so didn't make either glaze and they were good even plain. Just out of curiousity, I plugged my version into Mastercook and for 8 servings they are about 8 grams of fat/239 calories each. IMO, not too bad for a good scone recipe!

[dneilson]

For me, there are some things that lighten well, such as cakes, muffins and quick breads, and some that don't lighten so well, like scones and cookies. I've tried some of the CL scones and don't think they are worth it. Light calories that don't taste good just aren't worth it.

These Starbucks imitation scones are good, better that the Starbucks ones, actually.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

I agree these are delicious!! And that fat plays an important role in certain dishes and desserts.

If food is not satisfying, we crave it more.

Dolores

[Triathlon13]

HI!

You all are speaking my language-my friends think I am nuts-I am SO craving yummy fall baked goods. Last fall I gained like 4 pounds (thank god I took that off quick). We are having absolutely beautiful weather here in MetroBoston--so the apples are calling me--but this is quick going to be taken from me as we are supposed to go back up to 90 this weekend.

With that said-I am interested to see what you do with the scones. I am wheat and dairy free right now and am trying to decrease (eventually) eliminate refined sugar from my diet too, but if you try to lighten up the scones please post the recipe (I am finding I can change the recipes to suit my needs--but not sure I can do that with scones).

I made sweet & salty peanut/choc chip cookies the other night (from CL) and I used organic soy butter instead of butter-and they turned out great! Maybe that would be an alternative you could try!

Good Luck-can't wait to hear about them!

Michelle