Healthy Walnut Scones

Crunchy bits of goodness. This healthy scone recipe is dairy-free and makes a filling breakfast treat - full of millet, oats, and walnuts. You will love these crunchy walnut scones!

This is an old favorite recipe of mine. These scones are so packed full of textures - walnuts, millet, poppy seeds, and oats.  All things I love in a breakfast bread.  I suppose I especially love the crunch of the walnuts. 

Give me a cup of coffee and a scone and I am in a very happy place. 

Sweet but not overtly.

Lemon adds freshness so don't skip it. 

Perfect for breakfast and packing in lunches; the walnuts add a ton of healthy fat and protein.  I don’t feel bad letting my kids grab one for breakfast as we head out the door for an early morning hockey game.

I think this walnut scone recipe first came to me from Cooking Light magazine. I'm really not sure, because I no longer have the magazine. But I've been making this recipe basically this very same way for so long now, they just kinda happen on the regular.

How to make healthy scones without dairy:

There is no butter in this scone recipe! Really!! No butter. There is a few tricks that keep this recipe light, flaky and still so satisfying without butter or milk.

Egg whites:

Egg whites help keep these scones light and fluffy. Egg whites and oil are whisked together until the mixture is light and fluffy. The air in the egg whites will help give the scones a light texture.

This egg and oil mixture is a stand in for the butter found in traditional scone recipes. The dry ingriedents will be lightly worked into this base. Be care to not over mix at this stage! Mixture should just come together.

Note: Obviously, egg whites mean these scones are not vegan. I haven't tried using a vegan substitute for the egg whites.

Soy milk:

After all the dry ingredients are folded into the whipped egg whites, the soy milk is gently stirred in at the very end. Soy milk has a little bit more protein and fat than other plant-based milk -- say almond or rice milk.

Traditionally a good scone will have heavy cream in the recipe. The fat in the cream ensures a moist and rich scone. To make a healthier scone, this recipe uses soy milk instead of the cream.

Just a little bit of soy milk, stirred in at the very end moistens the batter and keeps these scones light on the inside and crispy on the outside.

A few more notes:

• Lemon is essential for the fresh, light flavour. Don't skip it
• The ingredient list is long, but don't let it intimidate you. It really is just a matter of dumping another seed or grain into the bowl.
• Millet is one of my favourite little grains for adding to baked goods (check the link for a vegan muffin made with millet). Millet adds an interesting crunch but does not need to be cooked at all before adding it to these biscuits.  Just throw it in dry. 
• Millet is not hard to find, if you have a grocery that carries Bob's Red Mill, or has a bulk or ethnic section you will be able to find it. You might need to ask though!
• If you don't have any millet, you can skip it or sub in an equal amount of sesame seeds. The flavour will be different, but they will provide a similar texture.

Add this recipe to your weekly meal prep routine so you have something homemade, healthy and ready to go for snacks during the week. Or even for a quick breakfast.

Store the completed cooled scones in a covered container in the refrigerator if you want to keep for more than a day or two. I like to wrap them individually and freeze for on-the-go snacks. They will keep in the freezer for 3 months.

Average rating: 5 stars

Multi-Grain Walnut Scones

Full of all kinds of goodness - these healthy dairy-free scones are perfect for a grab and go breakfast.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time18 mins

Servings: 20 scones

Calories: 142kcal

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• zest of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup oatmeal
• ¼ cup wheat germ
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons millet
• 1 tablespoons poppy seeds
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup soy milk
• 1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cream together sugar, egg whites and oil using the whisk attachment of stand mixer, or vigorously whisk by hand.  Ensure all sugar crystals have dissolved. Add vanilla and lemon zest.
• Combine dry ingredients – Oatmeal through cinnamon – in a medium sized bowl.  Stir well to combine.  If using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment, or complete this step by hand with a wooden spoon.  Slowly add dry ingredients with wet ingredients, until just combined.  Add soy milk and walnuts, stir to just incorporate and form a wet, soft dough.
• Using tablespoons, drop dough onto your baking sheet in small mounds.  I usually make 20-24 mounds. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until just lightly browned around the edges.

Notes

If you don't have any millet, you can skip it or sub in an equal amount of sesame seeds. The flavor will be different, but they will provide a similar texture.

You can use whatever non-dairy milk you prefer.

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator if you want to keep for more than a day or two. I like to wrap them individually and freeze for on-the-go snacks

Calories: 142kcal (7%) Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) Protein: 3g (6%) Fat: 8g (12%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Sodium: 66mg (3%) Potassium: 144mg (4%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 5g (6%) Vitamin A: 12IU Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 46mg (5%) Iron: 1mg (6%)

Trish | The In Fine Balance Food Blog

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