Healthy Cowboy Cookie Scones

Yields: 8 scones

These scones are great for a quick weekday breakfast treat or lazy weekend brunches! They’re really moist and tender, and the warm cinnamon and cozy oats pair so well with the chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut. Leftover scones will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (They also freeze well!)

½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
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
1 cup (120g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
1 tbsp (7g) finely diced pecans
1 tbsp (5g) shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and 3 tablespoons of milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Add in the oat mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in 1 ½ tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut with a spatula.
Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle, and brush with the milk. Slice the dough into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 425°F for 24-28 minutes, or until the tops and sides are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.

Make sure to measure the oats and flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out your scones and make them turn out crumbly, rather than moist and tender.

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 for the nonfat milk.

As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk.

I used these finely diced pecans as a shortcut!

This is the shredded unsweetened coconut that I used. Shredded sweetened coconut may be substituted.

I’m not a big fan of nuts or coconut in my baked goods, which is why the amounts are fairly small. You can definitely add more of either one, if you prefer! (Or you can omit them altogether!)

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.

For a vegan version, I recommend Earth Balance sticks in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk, and non-dairy miniature chocolate chips (or finely chopped dark chocolate!).

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}

Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/09/30/healthy-cowboy-cookie-scones/