Scrumptious Scones

I enjoy eating scones, but I find that they are usually a bit too sweet for my taste when I purchase them from a store or bakery.

I saw this recipe online and added my own small changes to it. I was happy with the results: not too sweet and a healthier option.
You can also substitute the cranberries with blueberries. Both options taste great!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I like Trader Joe's 100% white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
9 Tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 (generous) tsp finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 tsp sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater. Use your fingers to gently work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in cranberries and orange zest.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. 

Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7 - to 8 - inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp of sugar. (I personally leave out this step since I like my scones to be less sweet.)

Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Place on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. 

Bake until golden, about 15 - 17 minutes. 

Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

New York Style Raisin Bagels

One of the things I've missed since moving away from the east coast are New York style bagels.

I have adapted this recipe for a healthier option, and it still tastes scrumptious!
My kids don't even notice the changes I've made and even request it!

I have only made these bagels using a bread machine. The original recipe includes instructions on how to make this bagel by hand if you don't have a bread machine.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup of Water

1 1/4 cup of Whole Wheat flour (I like Trader Joe's 100% White Whole Wheat Flour.)

2 1/2 cup of Bread flour

2 Tbsp of Sugar

1.5 tsp of Salt

1.5 tsp of Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup of Raisins

1 tsp (or more) of Chia seeds

1 tsp (or more) of Flax seeds

Place the ingredients into the Bread Machine container as instructed in the manual.
(With some bread machines, the wet ingredients are placed first, and then the dry ingredients, except the active dry yeast. Make a small "well" in the middle of the ingredients, and place the active dry yeast into the well.) Set option to "Dough".

Once the dough in the bread machine is ready, begin boiling water (about 4 quarts) in a large pot. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Oven temperatures may vary.)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil the baking sheet.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.

Divide dough into 8 balls (or more for smaller bagels). Press thumb down into center of each ball and push through to make a hole. Gently pull with fingers to make the hole bigger.

Add 2-3 bagels at a time to the pot of boiling water. Boil about 1 minute on each side. Using a slotted spoon, remove bagels from the pot of boiling water and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly oiled.

Brush the tops of each bagel with melted butter (optional).

Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!