It's all about love baby

Friends, don't let the picture deceive you. I haven't fallen off the wagon. You see, I'm a big scone lover, and just about once a week(usually on the weekend) I head to the closest coffee shop(Starbucks) and pick me up a scone that happens to fancy me that day. Blueberry crumble, vanilla bean, cranberry bliss, you get my point. Somehow I think if I eat really good and exercise all week, I then deserve a treat for all the hard work I do.  But I had yet to find one that pleased the waist line and didn't taste like cardboard. I also had yet to find one shaped like hearts and have the sweet fresh scent of lemon wafting up your nose with each bite.


Now I'm not usually a big valentine kind of gal. In fact, I can't remember the last time my hubbers and I had a date on this candy coated holiday. Heck, I can't remember the last time we had a date. 


My "almost" point is, I like scrolling down the two isles they designate to holiday goodies. I don't usually walk away with much and I'm not big on buying valentine presents, but I do like the inspiration. I took notice to all the fancy heart shaped waffle and muffin makers, heart shaped candy holders and heart shaped stuffed animals, and thought to myself, I could make something just as good with what I have. 


This is my point.


I found a scone base recipe a couple years ago on Joy of baking but I found with my own touches, I can create some pretty fun scones adding my own flavors to each batch. This particular one seems most perfect for this sweet time of year when everything and anything screams pink, red, hearts. With the add of whole wheat flour for texture and nutrition, and low fat buttermilk for tang and richness, these scones wont feel fatless, nor do they taste like cardboard.

Lemon poppy seed scone

The process

Put all dry ingredients in food processor 

Add cold cubed butter

Pulse until crumbly 

Pour in buttermilk and vanilla extract 

Cut out heart shapes

Brush each scone with milk

Bake and drizzle one time.......

Final drizzle

Heart shaped lemon poppy seed scones
(makes 9 scones)


Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose white flour

1/4 cup organic sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tb organic milled flaxseed

1 Tb poppy seeds

1 lemon zested

7 Tb organic unsalted butter, cut in small pieces 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2/3-3/4 low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup nonfat milk

Glaze

1/2 lemon zested

1 lemon juiced(about 1/4 cup)

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided

2 drops red food coloring

Directions

Preheat oven 400

Place the first nine ingredients in food processor.(If you don't have a processor, just put it all in a mixing bowl and whisk the ingredients to combine) Add cold cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse texture, or use pastry blender. Pour in buttermilk and vanilla extract and pulse until dough just comes together. If dough is still to crumbly add a little more buttermilk.

Turn dough out on floured surface and kneed 4-5 times and form into ball. Flatten dough into a 7in disk; about a 1/2 inch thick.(I just use my hand to press it out) Use a smaller size heart shape cookie cutter and press down to form shapes. You should get about 4 hearts out of the first disk. Repeat with the extra dough, leaving out the kneading part of coarse. You should get about 9 heart shaped scones out of the entire batch.

Place scones on large baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and brush each scone with milk. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack.

For the glaze: In small bowl place zested lemon and lemon juice, along with 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and add food coloring. Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones. Let cool 10 minutes. Add the rest of the powdered sugar to lemon glaze(1/2 cup) and drizzle another layer over scones.

Note: You don't have to do two layers of glaze, but it makes that two tone pretty pink color.

I heart you.