Eggless Strawberry Scones

Strawberry perfection!!  These scones will make your whole house smell delicious.  And get this, they're eggless!!   Try this recipe next time you're craving home-baked goodness.  Or next time you have a bunch of berries to get rid of before they go bad. :)

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped (I froze mine overnight for easier handling)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. Cut the cold butter into small dices, add it to the flour mixture.  Then use your hands to incorporate the butter into the flour.  It will look grainy.  
4. Add the small pieces of frozen strawberries to the mixture.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and applesauce until smooth.  Add this to your medium bowl, and stir until a large dough form. (Use your hands to form it into a ball.)
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a 7- to 8-inch circle (about 3/4-inch thick). 
7. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into small triangles (or desired shape) and place them on a cookie sheet (spray with PAM first).
8. Sprinkle the scones with 1/2 teaspoon white sugar if you like (I did!)
9. Bake on 400 degrees until golden, about 15 minutes.
10. Let cool for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones

Time:  1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (or more, as needed)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of the following:
  • salt
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground cloves
  • ground ginger
• 1 cup canned pure (unsweetened) pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon applesauce
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

White Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk (I used fat-free lactaid)

Spiced Icing:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk (I used fat-free lactaid) (any kind)
• 1/4 teaspoon of the following:
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground nutmeg
  • ground ginger
  • ground cloves 

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Lightly dust the top with flour.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for the scones.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin and apple sauce.
4. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into the dry ingredients. Continue cutting until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (You can also use a food processor for this step).
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. The dough will be wet, but if it seems super sticky, go ahead and sprinkle a little more flour into the dough until it's easier to handle (you'll be working in 1/4 to 1/2 cup additional flour to get the right consistency).
6. Pat out dough onto the lightly floured baking sheet and form it into a 1-inch thick circle. Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough three times through, making 6 equal squares. Gently pull them apart.
7. Bake 14 to 16 minutes on prepared baking sheet. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
8. While scones are cooling, prepare plain glaze by whisking ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
9. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.  Let this glaze cool completely until firm.
10. Prepare spiced icing by whisking the ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone.
11. Enjoy!