I’m on my way to being in the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy (2+ weeks and counting down!) and very excited to get rid of this morning sickness. I’m itching to get back into the kitchen, but the thought of baking still churns my stomach. Which is just so sad. In the meantime, I’m so thankful that my blogging friends have reached out and helped me with my baking conundrum. So, thank you and welcome Brandi! These scones look amazing! -Caroline

Hi everyone! I’m Brandi and I’m the writer, taste tester, and dish washer from BranAppetit.

I’m so excited to be guest posting here for Caroline – she has such amazing pictures and recipes, and I’m happy to be here helping her out today!

Caroline and I both like to put a healthy twist on recipes, which is one of the things I love most about her blog.

A few years ago, my family dealt with quite a few health problems and I decided that I needed to start taking better care of myself and my family. While that doesn’t mean I’m swearing off pizza forever, I definitely try to use whole grains in every dish and pump up the nutritional value whenever I can.

I first made a spin on these scones last fall, but I’ve been making them again and wanted to share my latest twist.

I know – pumpkin is everywhere right now. Enjoy it, embrace it, and please make these scones. They are full of whole grains, pumpkin, spices, and chocolate chips with just enough butter to give them the texture you expect from a traditional scone.

Perfect for a quick breakfast or tasty afternoon snack, these scones come together quickly and smell incredible while they’re baking.

I hope you try them!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Makes: 8 scones

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup quick oats
• 1/3 oatbran
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ginger
• 6 Tbsp butter, diced and chilled
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 flax “egg” – 1 Tbsp flax mixed with 1-2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp almond milk
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix flour through spices together in large bowl.
3. Cut in butter (using pastry blender, hands, or two forks) until mixture resembles cornmeal.
4. Stir in chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
5. In separate bowl, mix pumpkin, flax egg, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp almond milk.
6. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour and mix until dough just comes together.
7. Dump dough onto floured surface and knead 5-10 times until dough holds together.
8. Pat out to 1/2 – 3/4” thickness and cut into 8 wedges.
9. Brush tops of scones with other 1 Tbsp almond milk and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sugar.
10. Bake 15-17 minutes.