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This is the time of year where so many of us make resolutions to eat better, get more sleep, and exercise more. You already know that I’m not a resolution maker. I’d rather make small lifestyle changes instead. Small changes are easier and if you do them consistently, become habit forming–in a good way. That means I’m not giving up my sweets. I just make low-sugar, low-fat versions of my favorite sweet treats, like this skinny vanilla chai scones recipe. They’re super easy to make and you won’t miss the sugar or fat. Promise.

I drink a lot of coffee. I realized that all that coffee was making me jittery and kept me up at night. For the new year, I am switching out my coffee for tea after 2PM. I can’t go cold turkey when it comes to caffeine–it’s how this mom stays on the go! However, I can switch to tea because it has less caffeine than my super dark coffee sludge. I love tea with lots of flavor and Bigelow Tea‘s Vanilla Chai Tea is perfect for cold January afternoons.

Of course you can’t have a proper tea without a fancy tea cup. I bought this Noritake China cup and saucer at a yard sale. It makes me feel all fancy like I’m having tea with Lady Mary at Downton Abbey. A gal can dream right?

As I sipped on my steamy cup of tea in my fancy teacup, I thought, why not make scones to go with my tea? Scones are usually made with butter and heavy cream, but I lightened up the recipe by using Truvia Brown Sugar Baking Blend and swapping out the cream with milk. Since I already had my Bigelow tea vanilla chai tea, why not use that in my recipe too? Throw in some whole wheat flour and this recipe is practically healthy! Ok, not really, but it’s definitely skinnier.

A few years ago, my local Target converted half the store to sell fresh produce and more frozen goods. It’s now my one stop shop for grocery basics and household items. It beats dragging the kids to multiple stores to buy everything I need. I’m also in love with their Cartwheel app. The app is free and easy to use, and I never shop there without checking it for savings. Right now you can save 10% on your purchase of any package of Truvía® Natural Sweetener, Truvía® Baking Blend or Truvía® Brown Sugar Blend with Target Cartwheel. You can also download a $0.55 coupon for Bigelow tea.

Making Skinny Vanilla Chai Scones

(printable recipe at the end)

The first order of business is to make vanilla chai milk with the Bigelow Tea. Every time I open one of the foil packets, I take a big whiff of the yummy scent of chai spices. For my first batch, I heated up my milk in a saucepan on the stovetop, but discovered with the second batch that using the microwave was much easier. So don’t be like me and burn my first saucepan of milk because the kids distracted me. Go with the microwave method.

While the tea steeps in the milk, we’ll work on the dough. I added chai spices to the flour in order to bring out the chai tea’s flavors. Many scone recipes contain a fair amount of sugar. With Truvia natural sweetener blended with brown sugar, I’m cutting out 75% of the calories (as compared to just using brown sugar). You can’t even taste the difference! Make sure you follow the chart on the back of the package since the natural sweetener is sweeter than brown sugar–you’ll need less of it.

Cutting in the butter is such a fun part of making these vanilla chai tea scones. You can use a pastry cutter or two knives, but I just get my hands right in. Just squeeze the butter into smaller and smaller pieces as you mix it with the flour mixture. After about 3-5 minutes, it will start to resemble coarse crumbs, which looks like slightly wet sand.

After the flour mixture is ready, finish preparing the wet mixture. That’s when I add a little Greek yogurt and vanilla extract to the milk, then pour the entire thing into the flour. Once the  two are well incorporated, the dried cranberries are folded in.

I usually don’t get too technical with my measurements in the kitchen, but since the scones bake quickly at a high temperature, I wanted to make sure they weren’t too thick. That’s close enough to one inch, right?

Scones can be round or triangular. For the sake of ease, I went with triangles. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake! These were a huge hit with my family. I had to make two batches! It’s a good thing the vanilla chai tea scones don’t take too long.

Once you’ve tasted these scones, you won’t even know that they’re skinny, thanks to Truvia! My husband wouldn’t have none I substituted the sugar if I hadn’t told him. If you would like to try Truvía® Natural Sweetener before purchasing, you can request a free sample. Now that you’ve mastered these scones, try swapping out the cranberries with dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Or how about candied ginger and dried cherries?

Are you swapping out your coffee or soda for healthier choices for the new year?

Skinny Vanilla Chai Scones with Dried Cranberries

Yield: 8 scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

These scones are lighter and healthier without skimping on taste.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 bags of Bigelow Vanilla Chai Tea
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 T of Truvia Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 T baking powder
• 6 T cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.

In saucepan, heat milk until hot or heat milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high. Remove from heat and steep 8 bags of Bigelow Vanilla Chai tea in milk for at least 10 minutes. Place milk in the fridge to cool while the tea steeps. This can be done ahead of time.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, Truvia Brown Sugar Blend, salt, spices and baking powder. Add cold butter. Cut the butter in the flour using a pastry blender, two knives, or your hands until it resembles coarse crumbs (like slightly wet sand). Set aside.

Remove tea bags from milk. Add vanilla extract and Greek yogurt. Stir until well combined with no large lumps of yogurt.

Add milk mixture to flour and stir until no dry spots remain. Fold in the dried cranberries.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, about 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges and place on a cookie sheet with scones 2 inches apart.

Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Best served warm. Yogurt and jam are nice too.