LizziQ's UnSweetened Fruit n Oat Scones with Stevia

Apricots, dried, .75 cup, diced
Blueberries, dried, .75 cup
Cranberries, dried UNsweetened, 0.33 cup
OR
Cranberries, Fresh UNsweetened, 0.5 cup, diced
Cherries, dried, 0.33 cup
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 1.5 cup
(Bob's Red Mill Organic 100% Stone Ground
is what i used)
Rolled Oats, 1.25 cup (Not! quick oats)
Baking Soda, .5 tsp
Salt, 0.5 tsp
Baking Powder, 1 tbsp
Truvia Baking Mix, 2 tbsp
(if you use other stevia, consult the package
to be sure you're using the correct amount
to equal one quarter of a cup of sugar)
Butter, salted, 2 tbsp
Pure Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp
(i use "LouAna" brand, it's very easily found)
Nonfat plain Yogurt, .5 cup
(you may use greek yogurt, but then
you'll need to add more moisture other ways)
1 large Egg, lightly whisked in a separate bowl

Preheat your oven to 425 F AFTER you've chopped and/or re-hydrated your dried fruits; otherwise, you'll spend more on heating it than you'll need.

If you want a half-portion, i recommend you cut a finished scone in half after it's baked; otherwise it's pretty hard to get it from the shaping board onto the pan.

The recipe as entered here uses sweetened cranberries, but i like to use unsweetened when i can find them Or have time to buy fresh and dehydrate them in my own kitchen, as most sweetened types are made using sugar. When you can get them, if you like just sweeten them using stevia of some kind!
Also, watch out for dried fruits that aren't clearly labeled as to how they are Sweetened; the natural sugars in dried fruits are more concentrated than in fresh, and some processes use sweeteners that you may not want to eat.

I use different dried fruits and berries, diced, to vary the recipe; you might also want to add nuts. Just make sure that if you start to add the moister fruits and discover that those portions don't add enough moisture to help the dough hold together, then re-hydrate the drier portions of your fruits or berries to add moisture.

I find heating the butter and the coconut oil at the same time help them mix together; then when you add those to the whisked egg, use a Larger bowl than you think you'd need; the oils tend to climb the sides of a small bowl and you'll need to whisk them all together prior to adding them all to the dry ingredients.

Begin by putting all of your dry ingredients (oats, WW pastry flour, stevia sweetener, baking soda and powder and salt) into a large bowl and mixing them well.

Dice all of your fruits, and if you have dried berries included i recommend you re-hydrate them with some hot water while you put the rest together.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F, and prep a small flat pan or sheet by spreading a bit of coconut oil onto it (you can also use a spray instead).

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and the coconut oil just until they melt completely. You may have a 'soften' control if you have a fancy microwave, but i just zap 'em til they're liquid while i watch.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the large egg lightly, then add the melted oil/butter and yogurt and whisk them all together as best you can. Don't worry if they separate after you've mixed them, just keep them all in your bowl. You'll need every bit to help hydrate the dough.

Add the wet ingredients to the combined dry ingredients in a large bowl, and blend with a spoon or your hands until they hold together and you see they're mixed well. You'll probably have some dry ingredients left at the bottom of the bowl, no need to be fussy.

Add in the moistest of the dried and diced fruits and berries, and continue to mix using your hands to form a ball. Now is the time to get fussy over getting all of the dry ingredients into the ball and out of the bottom of the bowl.

If you can't make a ball that will hold together without splitting, re-hydrate the rest of your dry ingredients. Then mix them in, and form the ball. If you've already added all of your fruits and still are too dry, try adding a bit more yogurt. You DONT want your ball to Stick to the bowl, just hold together without your hands. If it starts to stick, add a bit more flour, but be careful; it stiffens up quick. Use small amounts.

On a LIGHTLY floured surface, press your ball down into an 8-inch disk; it'll be about an inch plus in height. Make sure you re-stick any cracks in the edge so that they won't get bigger as you work.
No need to fuss about the dimensions, either, except that you'll need to be sure they're close enough to make the baking time work.

Using a bread-type knife (i use one with at least a 6-inch blade and that has a curved serrated edge; it was made to be a good bread-only knife), cut your disk into 8 equal pieces.

Put the pieces onto your prepped sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, until you see the edges just begin to brown. Remember, baked items often look less browned in your oven than they'll look when they're sitting on a plate; don't over-bake or your scones will be drier and may not hold together well while you eat them.
By the way, these are Eat 'em Outta Yer Hand pastries, no fork or knife needed, unless you want!

Put the scones on a plate and Serve Warm, with butter or curd if you like (i enjoy them best with unsweetened hot fruit tea). No, i didn't add the butter or curd into the nutrition, silly!
ALTernatively, you can :
Immediately remove the scones to a cooling rack, keep in a non-airtight container and micro-zap 'em later on if you want them warm. Remember also that your microwave doesn't Only heat your baked goods; it will dry them out and cook them more, too! If i PLAN to re-heat them later, i might take them out of the oven before they're baked as well as if i want to eat them right up.

Serving Size: makes 8 pie-slice shaped scones

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user -THINQ-.