Low-fat Cranberry Pecan Scones

Whenever I step into a boulangerie or coffee shop in search of a filling breakfast or some treat to go with my coffee or tea I usually find myself to be the most indecisive person there is on the face of this planet. "Should I get a croissant?" "NO, too much butter and too fattening", this little voice seems to whipser into my left ear. "But you know it's just one croissant", this other little devil smirks.

Yeah ok, I was probably just imagining things. But I constantly crave for the texture of scones, but since they are typically loaded with fat I never dare to grab one on the go. Thankfully that other day I came across this recipe, so I made some slight modifications to make this version that is bursting with yet more cranberries. (I just happen to have them frozen in the fridge)

So I'm ready to start the experiment:

Cranberry Pecan Scones

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries *( if frozen make sure they are defrost and dried off the moisture) Feel free to add dried cranberries to enhance the texture

1 tbsp water

1/8 cup Splenda

1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour ( or all purpose)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg white

2 tbsp, reduced-fat, soft tub margarine

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup whole pecans, chopped ( or nuts of your choice, optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a baking sheet with some oil spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the margarine and keep mixing.

In a small bowl, combine egg white and yogurt. Add to the flour mixture.

Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Separate the balls into 6 balls; press down on each bowl to create a flattened circle. Spread the craberries evenly inside, and "close" the ball.

Srinkle with chopped pecans and remaining cranberries.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown ( insterted toothpick should come out clean)

Makes 6 pieces.

* I used both cranberries and blueberries in this recipe

Side note: if you want the chunkier texture, stuffed scones, you can simply substitute the filling with cranberry jam ( make sure it's all natural with no added sugar) or make your own cranberry sauce as follows:

Cranberry sauce

Pour the cranberries into a small saucepan.

Add the 2 tbsp water and 1/8 cup splenda, and heat over a medium flame (attention: don't burn it), stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken

The cranberries will melt into a chunky sauce in about 10 minutes.

Let cool

For 1 scone: Calories: 200; Protein: 6.6g; Carbohydrates: 36g; Sugar: 2.1g; Total fat: 4g
And that is a huge improvement from the scones found in coffee shops and bakeries; trust me!

Again that was my first time baking scones, so I'll keep looking for better modifications. Give it a try!