Growing up, my brother and I ate cereal for our breakfasts nearly every single day. Mom almost always bought the healthier kinds like Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, and Life, but every once in a while, she allowed us a “treat” and brought home a box of Fruity Pebbles or Frosted Mini Wheats.
But on Saturday mornings, Mom often tried to give us something a little more special. Even though she wasn’t too fond of cooking, she usually mixed up a batch of homemade pancakes or French toast while my brother and I sipped our “crazy drink” (a concoction of orange juice, apple juice, and sparkling water) and watched “Blue’s Clues” and “Gulla Gulla Island” on TV.
And during the warmer months of the year, if we had behaved extremely well during the week, she and Dad sometimes agreed to walk to the shopping center half a mile from our house and let us pick out a small frosted donut—with sprinkles!
On the Saturdays where Mom wanted a break from washing the mixing bowls and the pancake pan, she occasionally turned on the oven to bake a batch of cinnamon rolls. Since my brother and I generally asked for food within an hour of waking up, she never made them from scratch… That would’ve required time to roll out the dough and let the cinnamon rolls rise before baking, and she knew that we’d constantly bug her by asking, “Are they ready yet? How about now?”
Instead, she opted for a store-bought refrigerated can of cinnamon rolls, complete with a little container of cream cheese icing inside. Once the oven had preheated, she could give us breakfast in just over 20 minutes, and we ate every last crumb of those pastries… And even licked the extra icing from the spoons for drizzling!
Now that I’m older and in charge of my own Saturday morning breakfasts, I sometimes bake a batch of these cinnamon rolls from scratch as a special treat… But other times, my stomach starts growling within minutes of waking up and refuses to wait for the dough to rise! On those occasions, I skip the store-bought cinnamon rolls (as tempting as they still might be!) and bake these Clean Cinnamon Roll Scones instead. They have the same irresistible flavors, but they’re ready in just about 30 minutes!
Many traditional scone recipes call for ample amounts of butter and heavy cream… My waistline cringes at the thought of all of those calories—there aren’t enough hours in the day to run them all off! Instead, this healthier recipe uses just 2 tablespoons of butter. Yes, that’s it!
It’s really important to use very cold butter straight from the fridge. You want the butter to stay cold until you put the scones in the oven because when the butter starts to melt at that high temperature, it creates little air pockets, which gives the scones their light and tender texture.
And Greek yogurt provides the rest of their tender texture. You know it’s my favorite ingredient in healthier baking! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives these scones a protein boost, too. (They have 5g!)
Then you’ll use pure maple syrup to lightly sweeten the scones. Just a hint! In general, scones’ sweetness level lies somewhere between plain bread and muffins. And be sure to use the good stuff! Avoid pancake or sugar-free syrups; those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this clean eating recipe.
And finally… Just like those canned cinnamon rolls from my childhood, these scones get a little cream cheese drizzle! You’ll use Greek yogurt cream cheese to make it, although Neufchâtel cream cheese will also work. I found my Greek yogurt cream cheese at Safeway (their own Lucerne brand), and Walmart often stocks this brand, too.
The drizzle is sweetened with one of my new favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you just need 8 drops! This is the kind that I buy, and you can find it in many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
I baked these scones just before Easter when my brother and his best friend were visiting, and five of them disappeared off of the baking sheet before I could even wash the mixing bowl! “Umm, they’re kind of addictive…” they reported sheepishly. Guess I’ll have to make a double batch next time!
Now are you ready for breakfast too?? When you bake these, remember to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking! I’d love to see your scones!
| Clean Cinnamon Roll Scones | | Print |
- for the scones
- 1 ½ cups (150g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- for the drizzle
- 1 tbsp (14g) Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp nonfat milk
- 8-12 drops vanilla crème stevia
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape into a ¾” tall circle using a spatula. Brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the drizzle, stir together the Greek yogurt cream cheese, milk, and stevia in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag, and cut off a tiny piece of one corner. Just before serving, drizzle on top of the scones.
Whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
In a pinch, solid-state coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but I warn against doing this, if at all possible, because the scones’ texture won’t be quite the same.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
In the drizzle, 1 teaspoon of honey may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia. Decrease the milk to ½ teaspoon, or omit the milk altogether.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
I don’t know why I’m still intimidated to make scones, especially yours that always look so fantastic, but I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to baking haha! I’ll let you know if I try these delicious-looking beauties!! 🙂
Oh my goodness Marina, don’t be intimidated!! These scone recipes are literally some of the easiest I’ve ever made. Super fast, super easy, and basically fool-proof (thanks to the Greek yogurt!)! 🙂 (But I can definitely relate to your perfectionism… That describes me perfectly too! 😉 )
I’m going to make these and hoping my kids especially my daughter will like them. When I saw the picture I thought they might have been made in a cast iron or a cake pan. Would that work or is the dough be easy to shape?
The dough will be fairly easy to shape Terri! If you watch my video above this recipe, you can see exactly how I do it. No cake or cast iron pans necessary! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your children think of the scones!
hi amy! i love the idea of such a healthy scone… i have them in the oven right now. However, i replaced the plain greek yogurt for chobani coffee greek yogurt. I think they’ll be delicious
That sounds wonderful Larissa! I’m excited to hear what you think of the scones!
Can I use agave or honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes! Either will work. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the scones Marilyn!
I recently starting following you on Instagram and love seeing all the great recipes. Today I made these scones. We loved them! I had difficulty with the icing – I bought a regular block of cream cheese (the greek cream cheese was SO much more expensive in my store) and just couldn’t get the consistency right. So, I’m embarrassed to say I went with the old standby of powdered sugar/milk to make the icing. My son loved them! Next time I’ll get the cream cheese called for in the recipe.
Thanks for your kind words about my Instagram account Karen! 🙂 Nothing embarrassing about going with an old standby, especially when it’s quick and works! Greek yogurt cream cheese is definitely softer and slightly creamier than traditional, and it really helps to let the cream cheese soften before making the drizzle, too. I’d love to hear what you think of the original drizzle when you try it!
I love your recipes, Amy, and this recipe sounds no different! Do you think I could divide the dough in half and make mini scones?
Yes, most definitely Hope! The scones may finish baking sooner, so start checking on them after about 9 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out! 🙂
Hey Amy. Unfortunately am gluten-free and had to substitute other flours in the dough (and I didn’t have all the flours you suggested, I used rice flour for the millet(too light), tapioca flour, and Kamut flour(in place of the rice flour). So I cannot say it went well, but I am partly to blame. The final product tasted pretty good, but the texture and fluffiness was lacking.
I’m glad you still enjoyed the flavors of the scones, and I hope you’re able to try them again with my recommended GF flour blend! That should make the texture much better Hope! 🙂
Looks delicious. I just love cinnamon rolls. Thanks a lot
My pleasure Keith! I’m excited to hear what you think of the scones!
Hi Amy!
Love this!!…going to try it this weekend. I was thinking I would add golden raisins…what do you think?
That sounds like a lovely addition Angela! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the scones!
I always thought making scones was super difficult but this recipe was super easy and they came out delicious! So happy I found your site, and I love trying your recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the scones Rachel, and thank you for your kind words about my blog! I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
I have made other scones and these just didn’t hardly rise, yours look almost twice as thick as mine. I used honey because that is what I had and I live in Costa Rica, where maple syrup and the greek yogurt are VERY expensive but I did splurge and bought a small yogurt, which was just enuf. I have been baking for years so have no idea what, the what, lol….
Oh goodness, that shouldn’t happen Amy! If the scones didn’t rise, it could be that your baking powder had expired. When was the last time you bought fresh baking powder?
I’ve made this twice now and love the recipe! Last time I added some raisins to the mix, which was a great success 🙂
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the scones Marian! That means a lot to me that you’ve already baked them twice. And I love your raisin idea! 🙂