Delicious Blueberry Oat Scones

 

These are the most perfect scones you can imagine. They are crispy on the outside, light, soft and sweet on the inside. They go perfectly with tea or coffee any time of day. The dough is a bit messy to handle but once it comes together, it becomes easier. 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup oat bran

¹/₄ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¹/₂ teaspoon salt

¹/₂ cup Butter

³/₄ cup sour cream

¼ cup half and half

1 large Egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

^{1/2 cup dried blueberries}

2 tablespoon old fashioned oats

 DIRECTIONS

1.     Heat oven to 375°F

2.     Combine flours, dried blueberries, oat bran, sugars, baking powder, soda and salt in another bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or rub in with fingers until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs

3.     Combine sour cream, half and half, vanilla, and egg in another bowl; whisk until smooth. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened.

4.     Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times until smooth, adding small amount of flour, if necessary. Dough is sticky to start with but loses that as the oat bran will absorb the extra moisture during kneading so you should not have to add any extra flour.

5.     Divide dough in half. Pat or roll on a floured surface each half into 7-inch circle. Place 2 inches apart onto large ungreased baking sheet. Press oats evenly over dough. Score each circle into 8 wedges; do not separate. Bake 25-30 minutes or until scones are lightly browned. Cool 15 minutes; separate scones. They are freezer friendly once wrapped in foil and stored in a Ziploc bag. To reheat in a microwave, use low power (30%) and wrap the scone in a damp paper towel.

 

Super moist Butternut Squash Bread

 

This is a sweet, super moist squash bread that uses sour cream and half and half to make it richer. So, it's not a diet bread, it's the real deal! If you are worried about calories and fat, this is not the bread for you! It does require some elbow grease to grate the squash (made easier if you have a fine disc on your food processor). If not, the old fashioned way using a fine grater gives you a good workout! It freezes well.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups finely grated Butternut Squash or pumpkin, firmly packed

1/2 cup sour cream

¼ cup half and half

1 teaspoon orange flavoring (or the zest of an orange)

1 cup flour

½ cup oat bran

¼ cup whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon Arrowroot flour. Optional (this improves the texture. Cornstarch may be substituted)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour the sides of a 9X5-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper
3. Mix Flours, spices, chopped pecans, oat bran, salt, baking powder and soda in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Grate the butternut squash and add the cranberries, ginger, lemon juice and maple syrup to it. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, half and half, eggs, and oil. Add the sour cream and orange extract; whisk until pale in color.
6. Mix in the grated squash mixture
7. Add the dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (it will look grainy due to the oat bran). Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Cool for five minutes in the pan. Gently turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Store covered at room temperature (the bread also freezes well).

 

Apple Carrot Bread

 

This is a bread....not a cake! It's very moist due to the apples, but not heavy. It's great with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee. It also freezes well. I have tried to keep the sugar and oil levels well below that used in many other recipes on the internet! The batter will be very thick but that's because it's a bread, not a cake. Goes well with orange marmalade spread on top!

3/4 cup coarsely shredded carrots

3/4 cup coarsely shredded apple (peeled or unpeeled, your choice)

1/2 cup Brown sugar, lightly packed

1/3 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup dried fruit of your choice

¾  cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup coarsely chopped nuts

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of 1 small lemon

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon orange extract OR Vanilla (your preference)

2 tablespoons old fashioned oats

DIRECTIONS

1.     Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom only of loaf pan with parchment paper, grease and flour sides.

2.      Mix carrots, dried fruit, apple, and ginger, in a bowl. Add the lemon juice to the mixture.

3.     Mix flours and spices, Baking powder, nuts, soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

4.     Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla (or orange extract),  sugar and oil together until pale in color. Stir in shredded apple/carrot mixture then add all dry ingredients at one time. Mix until just combined and pour into pan. Sprinkle the oats on top of the batter, and lightly press the flakes into the batter

5.     Bake 40-45 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.