Appleless Applesauce Granola Scones

Stephen can be my buddy in baking. We were making this coffee cake when he mentioned its filling is like apple pie filling. My mind then went to applesauce and immediately I was chopping and he was sautéing.  Unfortunately, your truly didn't seed her zucchinis well enough and the "applesauce" tasted great, however, the texture was off. I needed to use it up. Leftovers are food for the brain and I began thinking if things to put it in. Cakes? Oatmeal bars?  Scones?

Scones.  And you don't even notice the seeds.  They disappeared in these scones (well, ok, I really mean nobody noticed them:) and the flavor is just delicious.   

I hadn't done scones on a while and even though adding crunchy granola to a scone may seem odd (adding zucchini may seem even odder) you will not believe how delicious these are.  

These are pretty fall-ish, but hey, it was 65 degrees last week!  I made sure to enjoy the cool weather. I went on a run and actually enjoyed it! (never happens) and all of us kids drove our scooters and bikes through the standing water on the driveway, which was super fun. Mom banned mud (which took away our yard:( but it was fine. One muddy kid is doable. Seven is not. I get that. So we consented to just getting wet. No one skidded or slid and the worst that happened was wet grass in the mouth.  Cool, breezy, cloudy weather isn't supposed to happen during Kansas summers. I like this exception though.

These scones are an exception to the traditional scone. I'm going to be honest; they aren't flaky. Or crumbly. Scones are generally one of those two. These are however, soft, sweet, and worthy of breakfast. Not a fan of scones?  Make an exception here, ladies and gentlemen.  Weirded out by zucchini in your applesauce?  I get it. But I'm telling you, it tastes the same. I promise. You will have to make the applesauce before making the scones, but guys, it is so worth it. 

Appleless Applesauce Granola Scones

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 8 scones

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup  + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed 

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 cup zucchini applesauce* (recipe below)
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 cup oats n' honey granola (I used Cascadian Farms Organic)

Zucchini Applesauce:

1 cup water 

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

3-1/2 cups zucchini, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 tablespoon vanilla

For the applesauce:
Combine water, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium sized pot.  Add zucchini and cook on medium heat until zucchini is soft enough mash.  Mash with a  masher or food processor until desired consistency.

For the scones:

Preheat oven to 425.

Stir together flours, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter.  Add applesauce and stir.  Mixture will be crumbly.

In another bowl, whisk yogurt, powder, and soda until frothy.  Stir into flour mixture until just combined.  Add heavy cream to help bring it into a ball.  I had to use my hands.

Knead on floured surface 3-4 times and then shape into circle.  Cut into 8 wedges and place wedges on baking sheet.  Sprinkle granola on top.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden.  Serve warm.

Notes:  These are best if eaten within a day or two. If serving the next day, store in airtight container.  To reheat, set scones in a preheated oven (about 350) for 2-3 minutes.

*You can substitute chunky applesauce 

These were inspired by my Strawberry Yogurt Scones!

Strawberry Yogurt Scones

**Two more days to tell me what you would make with the three mystery ingredients!  Head over and tell me in the comments!**

Kids say the funniest stuff.

Good thing I live with a lot of them.

They tend to call things as they are.  Plain and simple.

We were playing a version of London bridges but we were bridge with both our hands and feet on the ground.  I had my big sweatshirt on and while John Caleb was crawling under me, he stopped and cried, "Pull up your shirt tummy!"  (He's two and can get away with it.)

Or when I'm trying to straighten my hair with my flat-iron.  One of the boys asked how it worked.  After I explained it, he shrugged and said, "Only girls would try to bake their hair into a certain shape."

And when I was giving Elizabeth a bath last night, she was pretending to be a robot.  While I was  brushing the tangles out of her hair, she asked me, "Could you puh-lease stop pinching the robot's hair?

Well, when I made these scones for lunch, I was curious to see what they would say about them.  We never have scones (I'm not sure why) but it's been several years.  Pretty sad, huh?  Abigail took one bite, rolled her eyes and stuck out a thumbs up. 

That's pretty good in my book.  I think these even compensated for pinching the robot's Elizabeth's hair.  And I think the boys agreed scones were a better baking subject than hair.

Scones are typically much dryer than a biscuit or muffin and they usually come in wedges.  These scones are cut into wedges, but they are much softer than a traditional scone, due to the greek yogurt.  Uh score for me!  I don't really like dry baked goods.   Shortbread can be an exception.  And even then, those weren't very dry. The moist and juicy strawberries add a lot of flavor and sweetness.  I probably could've chopped them smaller, but we all liked the big chunks!  It paired very well with the lightly sweetened and tender scone.

They aren't very dense, which surprised me considering the yogurt.  Instead they were soft and a little fluffy (I don't like describing my food that way, but whatever.)  Describe 'em how you want, but I know it will be good.  Plain and simple.  Or you could just roll your eyes and give me a thumbs up.  That works, too.

Strawberry Yogurt Scones

Recipe Source: Adapted from Chobani

Yield: 8 scones

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tsbp. cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup plain yogurt (greek or regular)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 425.

Stir together flours, sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter.

In another bowl, whisk yogurt, powder, and soda until frothy.  Stir into flour mixture until just combined.  Add strawberries.

Knead on floured surface 3-4 times and then shape into circle.  Cut into 8 wedges and place wedges on baking sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden.  Serve warm.

Notes:  These are best if eaten within a day or two. If serving the next day, store in airtight container.  To reheat, set scones in a preheated oven (about 350) for 2-3 minutes.