Today, I’m joining the American Cancer Society’s A Healthier Holiday Table to share one of my favorite recipes. I love baking but usually only indulge in one or two pieces of sweets. It’s a completely different story with these blueberry Greek yogurt scones. Believe it or not, I adapted a Paula Deen recipe to make it a wee bit healthier. I substituted some of the butter with Greek yogurt which gives it lots of flavor with less fat.
Holidays means lots of decadent food: pies, dessert, buttery rolls, turducken, you get the drift. While you don’t have to deprive yourself, you can definitely lighten up your favorite recipes to make them more heart healthy. I’ve been looking at my healthy habits (or lack thereof) and am making a commitment to be more fit and to eat less fatty foods. My scones are a great way to start!
While you’re baking these scones (recipe at the end of the post), check out some tips from the American Cancer Society for a healthier holiday table:
- Did you know that eating lots of fruits and vegetables can help reduce your cancer risk? The American Cancer Society recommends eating at least 2½ cups of vegetables and fruits each day. Here are two resources filled with ideas for upping your fruit and vegetable consumption through the day.
- Choose whole grains instead of refined grain products. Here are some innovative ways to add more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to your day while watching your refined carbohydrates, sugar, and fat intake.
- Drink no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 per day for men. Alcohol raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and the colon and rectum.
- Stock your kitchen with a variety of foods that you can throw together for healthy meals in a hurry. Keep these foods on hand for fast meals on busy nights.
For more healthy meals, visit the American Cancer Society’s A Healthier Holiday Table. How do you plan on eating healthy this holiday season?
Blueberry Greek Yogurt Scones
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons reserved
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of milk
3/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt (vanilla is good too)
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter with a hand or stand mixer on medium, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Add milk and Greek yogurt and mix until smooth. Slowly incorporate flour by adding it one cup at a time.
Using a spatula, fold in the blueberries. Using an ice scoop or 2 spoons, place mounds of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each mound with the remain 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until edges of the scones are golden. You want them to be slightly crunchy on the outside. Serve warm with hot tea or coffee. For a twist, substitute dried cranberries for blueberries and add 1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger.
Makes approximately 12 large scones.
This post is written in support of the American Cancer Society and their More Birthdays initiative. There was no compensation involved.