Lemon Blueberry Scones - healthier version

Nothing says blueberry like Lemon blueberry Scones! Doug and I have a tradition to pick blueberries at 5 Sons Farm in Talking Rock, Ga. We love having blueberries in the freezer all year long, so we usually make several trips snd pick gallons of blueberries for pie baking throughout the year. This year, I set out to find a good recipe that allowed us to use a healthy sugar substitute and our newly rendered lard. I also enjoy homemade buttermilk made with regular milk and white vinegar. In addition, I really love the taste of lemons so, I definitely want a lemon 🍋 pop in every bite!

After trying three different recipes, I adapted my version from Sally’s Baking Addiction Lemon Blueberry Scones to use Truvia Cane Sugar (Stevia Sugar Substitute, homemade lard, a whole lemon, and homemade buttermilk). Even though almond , oat, and whole wheat flour are healthier than all- purpose flour, I have chosen to not skimp on the flour since I believe the texture of the scone is so important to make it a true scone. Scones made with other flours are good, but they taste more like cake than scones.

The flavor of Stevia natural sweeteners are amazing and we are deligent about staying away from processed sugars that make me ‘crash’. Having spent the last 2 years limiting sugar intake, I ‘crash’ and want to just take a nap if I eat sugar now. Limiting sugar has allowed me to shed those stubborn 23 pounds and actually keep it off!

We love the flakiness in scones and healthier choice of using homemade lard instead of butter. Yes, that’s right! Lard is healther than butter since butter is saturated fat and lard is monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat actually helps lower LDL ( bad) cholesterol and provides Vitamin E and Vitamin D that support our cells. Just make sure you make lard from leaf fat (the fat that surrounds a pig’s kidneys) found in hogs that were fed natural food and better yet, grazed on food in their natural environment, eating acorns in the woods or fresh corn grown without pesticides. Lard found at the grocery store could be harmful since you have no idea what chemicals and processed foods the animals were exposed to and since toxins are stored in fat, you could potentially be eating toxins. So, just make sure you make your lard comes from ‘Porky’, that lived a great life wallering in the mud after eating a bellyfull of acorns.

The trick to making delicious scones is using very cold ingredients and placing them in the refrigerator or freezer before and during preparation.

Finally the homemade buttermilk ( 1/2 cup milk : 1/2 Tablespoon of White Vinegar) paired with the zest of a whole lemon 🍋 give scones all the tart that true lemon lovers crave!

Lemon Blueberry Scones- Healthier Version

2 cups of all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons Truvia Cane Sugar

Zest of 1 lemon & lemon juice

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 c. Blueberries ( because we LOVE blueberries)

1/2 c. Homemade lard

1/2 c. Homemade buttermilk= 1/2 c. Milk + 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar

OPTIONAL: (Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1-2 Teaspoos lemon juice depending on your tastebuds)

1 egg

2 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Extract or Paste

Lemon Blueberry Scones ( fresh from the oven and cooling before drizzling Lemon Glaze on top).

Lemon Glaze

1/2 c. Stevia Confectioners Sugar

1-2 Tablespoons Lemon juice

( mix thouroughly) drizzle on top of cooled scones.

Directions

1. Add 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar to 1/2 c while milk. Let sit while mixing dry ingredients.

2. Whisk Flour, Truvia Cane Sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest together.

3. Grate 1/2 c. Lard into flour and gently mix into flour mixture. Add blueberries to flour mixture.

4. Place flour mixture in freezer while preparing wet ingredients,

5. Add 1 egg, vanilla, and (optional) lemon juice to homemade vanilla. Mix well.

6. Drizzle buttermilk mixture over flour mixture while gently folding in with a spatula. Do not overstir.

7. Pour out onto floured wax paper and form into a disc about 1/2 -3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 pieces with a pizza cutter.

8. Place disc on wax paper in a pie pan and place in freezer for 15 minutes

9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

10. After 15 minutes, remove disc from freezer and seperate scones. Place on a silicone sheet on a cookie sheet.

11. Brush milk, buttermilk, or cream on top of scones and sprinkle Truvia cane sugar on top.

12. Bake at 400 for 13 minutes, then Broil at 350 for several minutes for a golden brown touch.

13. Remove from oven, allow to cool before drizzling lemon glaze on top of scones

These are a hit to give your friends and family, but these scones are the perfect finish to a healthy breakfast. Bonus: You have all day to burn up the white flour used in scones especially if you just endulge in one heavenly scone!

If you enjoy this recipe, please let us know. Do you use substitutes to make healthier versions of your favorite recipes?

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