One Christmas while I was in middle school, Grandma offered to make her favorite pastry for our holiday breakfast. Since we had run out of Grandpa’s secret ingredient for his special coffee cake, the rest of us immediately agreed.
Once everyone had shaken out the contents of their stockings into their laps (and started nibbling on some of the chocolate inside!), Grandma headed into the kitchen. She pulled out flour, butter, sugar, more butter, milk, eggs… And a little more butter for good measure.
After mixing everything together, she rolled out the pastry dough into a long rectangle. On the two longer edges, she sliced notches about one inch wide and three inches deep. It almost looked like a Christmas tree at that point, with a thick trunk and its branches sticking straight out!
Grandma dolloped a generous amount of berry jam down the center, aka the “trunk” of the tree, before folding the “branches” across at a diagonal and pinching them into the rest of the dough to seal, which made the pastry look braided.
When the timer rang out and Grandma’s breakfast treat came out of the oven, we clamored around the kitchen counter, impatiently waiting with rumbling tummies for her to cut us thick slices. Sweet gooey filling… Flaky, buttery, yummy pastry… Completely rich and delicious—but not one bit healthy!
Since neither of my grandparents bakes anymore, I volunteered to take over the Christmas morning breakfast this year… Which means I’m already testing recipes! And these Healthy Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones were at the top of my list!
They’re supremely tender and full of berries, just like Grandma’s special breakfast pastry, but these scones have no eggs, refined flour or sugar—and just 152 calories! (Perfect for my brother, who’s allergic to eggs!) Even better? They only require one bowl and 30 minutes to make!
To start, you’ll need white whole wheat flour (or gluten-free!). Yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour!
White whole wheat flour is made exactly the same way as regular whole wheat flour, so it has all of the same health benefits (like extra fiber!). The only difference? Regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat, whereas white whole wheat flour comes from a softer type of white wheat. (Hence the name!) This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, which is perfect for these tender scones!
Next, you’ll mix in a small amount of very cold butter. I use this handy pastry cutter! It makes the process go so much faster and smoother. It’s also great for making pie crusts, biscuits, and mashing bananas!
It’s extremely important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing isn’t necessary for this recipe!) When the butter melts in the oven, it creates little air pockets in the dough, which gives your scones their supremely tender texture. If your butter begins to soften or melt too early, while you’re still mixing up the dough, you’ll miss out on that!
Note: This is why I strongly recommend not substituting coconut oil. Coconut oil melts at room temperature, so it’s nearly impossible to keep it cold enough to create the perfect texture!
Now for my favorite parts… The mix-ins! Starting with the fresh cranberries. I absolutely love cranberry season! They’re so cute and add a big bright pop of flavor to your baked goods. To quickly dice them, I stick them in my food processor and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size. Super easy!
Then I use mini chocolate chips (these are my current obsession!) to ensure every bite contains a morsel of chocolate. Don’t forget to save some to press into the tops of your scones just before baking!
You’ll also brush the tops and sides of your scones with milk right before baking. This seals moisture into the dough, which keeps the interiors supremely tender… While also creating a hint of crispness on the outsides. Such a lovely texture contrast!
I think I may make quite a few batches of these before Christmas… They never last more than a day or two! ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your scones and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (75g) whole fresh cranberries, diced
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- 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, 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, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the cranberries and 1 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
- Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. (No need to separate them!) Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 425°F for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
The cranberries should be measured when whole, then diced! To quickly dice the cranberries, I add them to my food processor and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, ⅓ cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted. To hydrated the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the scone dough. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
In a pinch, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but the texture of the scones will be affected. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
To see how these are made, watch my video here located directly above the recipe. (It’s for a very similar recipe!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
♡ Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars
♡ Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars
♡ Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars
♡ Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)
♡ Healthy Cranberry Pecan Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy scone recipes!
This looks really good. For some reason I’m not able to use the print option on your recipes from my iPhone. I don’t have problems on other sites, so I’m not sure what the issue might be. Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Stacey! What happens when you click on the blue printer icon in the top right corner of the recipe box? I just tried it on my phone, and it opens a new browser window, plus a “Printer Options” screen with the usual printer options… Do you have pop-ups disabled somehow in your Settings?
The print version flashes on the screen then the print options page appears but there is no content (page 1 is just completely gray). I made sure that pop ups are enabled but that didn’t seem to help. I was able to print the page just fine from my computer, so maybe it’s something funky with iOS 11.
Thanks for the info Stacey! I haven’t updated to the most recent OS on my iPhone, so you could be correct… I’m really glad it worked from your computer! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones!
These look gorgeous Amy – I’m certainly sensing the Christmas spirit already! Spending time with family at Christmas makes some of the most treasured memories, and it’s so lovely when there are recipes that can take you right back to those moments. I think it’s wonderful that you’ve taken on the family tradition of the Christmas morning breakfast, and put your own spin on the recipe. It’ll be Christmas day before we know it! x
I’ve missed you, sweet friend!! 🙂 Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s so true about Christmas and family and memories — I definitely feel the same way!
I’m assuming blueberries or raspberries ext can be substituded?
Lol I do know how to spell! Old lady keyboard challenge on the Android. Love your website
No worries Phyllis! Those phone keyboards can be so incredibly small! 🙂 Yes, you can substitute ½ cup of either for the cranberries, although the baking time may increase slightly. Both blueberry and raspberries contain more juice than cranberries, and raspberries typically release that juice into the dough while baking. I’d love to hear what you think if you try these scones!
Hi Amy, thanks for the recipe, these look amazing ! Is it possible to make just one big cake (in a round cake mold) ? I’d like to serve it as a dessert for guests I’m having for dinner so that would look more appropriate ! I guess the baking time would vary ?
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine Caty! These scones aren’t very sweet (they’re a breakfast item!) and have more of a bready texture than a cakey texture, so I’m not sure that they’d be the best dessert. If you’d like more of a “traditional-level sweetness” dessert that’s a cake for your guests, then I’d actually recommend my cranberry orange pound cake (recipe here) or my white chocolate cranberry pound cake (recipe here) instead! 🙂
However, if your guests don’t have huge sweet teeth and prefer more of a breakfast-style baked good after dinner, then I think other readers have had success baking these in a cake pan. Just remember that this is a dough, not a batter, so it’ll be pretty thick and hold its shape (meaning it won’t spread at all while baking!). That’s why I don’t bake mine in a cake pan — I just arrange the dough in a circle on my baking sheet before putting it in the oven, and the dough still comes out looking exactly as round as when I put it in. Does that make sense?
I’d love to hear what you think if you try any of these options!
Thanks a lot Amy !
You’re adorable answering all comments so nicely and precisely !
Okay I got you ! I actually hadn’t seen the pound cake recipes so I’ll definitely make that, they look perfect !
(And I’ll probably try these scones for my own snacks later ????)
Thank you again !
It’s my pleasure Caty! I’m always happy to help! Also, in the future, if you’re looking for a specific recipe, then you can always click on the “Recipes” tab in the top pink menu bar of my blog or use the Search Bar (located at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of these scones and whichever pound cake you decide to try!
Amy! I baked these for the first time tonight and I’m in love! The recipe is so easy but sooo delicious. I followed the recipe exactly other than using regular sized dark chocolate chips instead of mini ones. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness with the tartness of the fresh cranberries. Can’t wait to make these scones over and over again!
I’m so glad you loved these scones, Angela! That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you’re already looking forward to making them again. Thank you for taking the time to let me know — you just put the biggest smile on my face!! 🙂
Have you had success freezing these?
Yes, these scones freeze and thaw really well! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of them if you try making this recipe, Madeleine!