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The summer I turned 14, my family planned a summer vacation to England and Scotland. We spent the first few days in London and watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, rode the London Eye and snapped pictures of Big Benâs clock tower, and toured the Tower of London to see the crown jewels. Â
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After cramming in as many sights as we possible could, we took the high-speed train from Kingâs Cross station up to Edinburgh, where we rented a car and drove around the beautiful green Scottish countryside.
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As someone who adores the Middle Ages and Elizabethan Era, I asked if we could tour lots of castles on our trip. My parents agreed, so we stopped by four or five that week, including Kildrummy Castle.
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It sat a short distance away from the Kildrummy Castle Hotel, the historic place where we stayed for a single night in between Edinburgh and Stirling. As soon as we unpacked the car, my parents and I drove over to the ruins, barely more than a dilapidated stone wall, to walk around.
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The next morning before leaving town, we stopped by the continental breakfast in the dining room downstairs. Unlike most hotelsâ offerings here in the US, this was an extravagant display! Eggs, sausage, bacon, tomatoes, potatoes, freshly baked rolls, crumpets, cereal (for those of us kiddos), and scones.
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As a family of bread lovers, we all placed scones on our plates⌠And nearly ended up ignoring the rest of the food! So soft and tender, with a lovely crisp crust, they were the perfect cozy treat to enjoy while looking out at the drizzly foggy morning.
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In our current neck of the woods here in California, a really thick layer of fog rolls in nearly every night during the winter and lasts clear through midday the following morning. Because of our Scotland vacation, I usually start craving stones when fog like that appears, so I baked these Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones this week to satisfy my sweet tooth.
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Just like the ones in Scotland, these scones are tender on the outside with a lightly crisp crust, but theyâre made healthier without any butter or dairy! I used Silk light soymilk and their new dairy-free black cherry yogurt alternative. Its smooth, creamy texture provides the same moisture of butter for a fraction of the fat and calories. Plus it contains real fruit!
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To boost the fruit flavor, I added lots of diced cherries. I prefer to use frozen cherries in these scones for two reasons: (a) itâs cheaper and readily available all year round, and (b) it helps keep the dough cold, which is imperative to create the light and tender texture. And of course, donât forget the mini chocolate chips for little pockets of decadence!
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Just like at our Scottish breakfast, these healthier scones didnât last long at all!
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| Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ c (180g) whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp (5g) baking powder
- Âź tsp (2g) salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or good-quality margarine (such as this), cold & cubed
- ½ c (125g) Silk Black Cherry Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative
- Âź c + 2 tsp (70mL) Silk Light Soymilk, divided
- 2 tsp (10mL) vanilla extract
- ½ c (70g) frozen pitted cherries, diced
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil. If using foil, lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the scones, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter or margarine with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Stir in the dairy-free yogurt, Ÿ cup of milk, and vanilla. Gently fold in the cherries and 1 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Shape the dough into a ½â-tall circle onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges, and brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of milk. Gently press the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, Ÿ cup (35g) brown rice flour, Ÿ cup (30g) tapioca flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum.
As the recipe is written, these scones are not very sweet. For a sweeter taste, replace 1-2 tablespoons of milk with the equivalent amount of agave.
Any milk may be used in place of the light soymilk. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt may be substituted in place of the dairy-free yogurt alternative, but then youâll want to replace 2 tablespoons of milk with the equivalent amount of agave.
{gluten-free, vegan, low fat, low calorie}
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This conversation is sponsored by Silk. As always, the opinions, text, images, and recipe are all mine.
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Scones are one of my weaknesses since I discovered them several years ago…but my recent trip down Weight Loss Lane usually dictates that I can’t have them. I hadn’t seen your other scone recipes (must have been blind!), but this (and the others) looks delicious! Can’t wait to try making this tomorrow after our grocery trip.
Thanks Erin! Scones are so hard to resist, so I’m really impressed that you’ve been able to during your weight loss journeys. Good for you! đ I really hope you enjoy any of my scone recipes you try!
As an FYI: Tried them and loved them. They turned out quite well! They certainly don’t need any more sugar/agave nectar to me.
I did use dairy-based yogurt (no soy yogurt at our store, and the vegan yogurts are made with tree nuts, which I’ve recently discovered I’m allergic to, so it was the best I could do) and Smart Balance. They taste every bit as tender as the “real” thing.
Tomorrow, I’ll try to make the pumpkin scones. I have so much pumpkin just begging to be used…
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Erin! I’m glad that the Smart Balance worked for you, and I’m really excited to hear about what you try next!
Can’t wait to try the scone recipe(Cherry chocolate chip)sounds delicious. What kind of chocolate chips are best,dark or semi sweet,cherries bing or Maraschino?
Thanks,Georgia
Thanks Georgia! I recommend frozen cherries, which are generally dark sweet cherries. If all you have is fresh, that will work too. Do not use Maraschino; they’re too processed for this recipe! Generally miniature chocolate chips are semisweet, but feel free to use whatever you prefer. I’d love to hear what you think of the scones!
I’m totally wanderlusting for travel…with scones.
We both need to travel — to see each other! đ
Cherry chocolate.. such a good combo!
Thanks sweetie! đ
Wow, for starters, I can’t believe how amazing these look, but I *really* can’t believe they’re dairy-free! Be still my heart…
Thank you so much!
I don’t tend to leave comments about a recipe after I made it, but these were SO GOOD! I made them this morning (a little time consuming though), and I used the Greek yogurt and some honey instead of the vegan yogurt. I also grated frozen butter into the batter instead of using just plain cold butter and a fork, and substituted strawberries for the cherries. They were super crispy on the outside (my fav!) and tender in the inside. I did think they were a tad bit on the sweet side, but I don’t really have much of a sweet tooth. My sisters were the opposite though – they wished it had more chocolate chips! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment Leslie, and I’m really glad you enjoyed the scones! I loved hearing about your recipe twists too. You’re so sweet to share the scones with your sisters!