Whole Grain Strawberry Pop Tart Scones
(new recipe modified on 2/26 after a couple people told me the dough was too wet to handle)
makes 8 scones

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 T cold butter, sliced into small pieces
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or two teaspoons vanilla extract)
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
for icing:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp milk

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Mix together the vanilla bean seeds, strawberries and milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter and work mixture together with your fingertips until it reaches the consistency of sand.
• Add the strawberries, milk and cream to the dry ingredients and mix together until a shaggy, wet dough forms.
• Pat dough into a large circle on a lined baking sheet and cut into eight pieces (like cutting a pie). Separate the pieces about an inch apart and bake for 16 minutes or until golden.
• Let scones cool completely while you combine the powdered sugar and milk to make the icing.
• Drizzle icing over scones and serve.

Time:
30 minutes

Banana Mango Muffins
makes about 16 muffins

Ingredients:
1 large ripe mango, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped dried mango
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
additional sugar for sprinkling

 
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Put the mango (fresh, not dried) in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, coconut and chopped dried mango in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, combine the mashed banana, mango puree, eggs and canola oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth (batter will be thick).
• Scoop batter into greased muffin tins about 3/4th of the way full. Sprinkle additional sugar on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Time:
40 minutes

Carrot Cake Muffin Bars
makes about 12 squares

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup old fashioned (or quick) oats
1 cup grated carrot (2 medium carrots or 1 huge carrot)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350.

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and oats. Set aside.
• Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again until smooth. With mixer on low, slowly stream in the milk. Add the dry ingredients, grated carrots and walnuts and mix until just combined.
• Scoop batter into a greased nine inch square pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
• Let cool completely (about 20 minutes) before cutting into squares.

Double Chocolate Muffins

Makes about three dozen small muffins

10 tbsp unsalted butter
11 tbsp sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375.

• Melt together the butter and chocolate over low heat. Once smooth, add the sugar and stir well to combine. Take off heat.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl . Set aside.
• Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of a Kitchenaid and add the egg while beating on a low speed, using the creaming attachment. Add the buttermilk in a slow stream then add the flour in two installments, beating in between.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and fill greased muffin tins. Bake for about twenty minutes or until the muffins begin to pull away from the sides.

Pecan Pumpkin Raisin Scones
makes about a dozen scones

Ingredients :
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup pastry flour (regular or whole wheat is fine)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup dry roasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin

Direction :

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl,  mix the dry ingredients (flour through baking soda). Using your fingers, cut in the butter…rubbing the mixture together until it resembles cornmeal and there are no big butter clumps left.  Stir in the pecans and raisins.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and buttermilk. Add this to the flour mixture and stir only until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
• Drop ice cream scoop sized balls of dough on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.