Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

These are so yummy...just like everything from Gina over at Skinny Taste.  I seriously love her blog and cooking style.

"Skinny" Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones (via Skinny Taste)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cold low fat buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 stevia, 1/2 regular)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg (I used egg sub)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 Tb baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tb cold butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

2 Tb sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° and spray baking sheet with Pam.  Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Set aside.

Combine flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Cut in chilled butter with a pastry cutter (I do not have a fancy pastry cutter, so I used 2 knives and it worked fine), until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture to dry mix, stirring just until moist.

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly with floured hands.  Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 10-12 wedges all the way through.

Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle with 2 Tb of sugar.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until nice and golden.  Serve warm and try not to eat them all in one sitting.  They are soooo good with a cup of coffee.

We ate them all before I could get a picture:)  This is the pic from Skinny Taste.

Tips:

* When the ingredient says "cold" (the butter and buttermilk), make sure it is nice and cold.  This helps hold the dough together.

* The buttermilk makes a difference, so I did not make these dairy free (anyone know if there is even a "soy" buttermilk out there??).  I did, however, use Earth Balance for the butter and my chocolate chips were dairy free.  The minimal amount of buttermilk did not seem to upset my stomach too much.

* I am kind of a chocolate chip snob.  I like the Ghirardelli Mini Semi-Sweet Chips. 

* I debated about going straight whole wheat flour, but I think the mix of white and wheat gives them a nice texture, while still adding some fiber.  All wheat flour may cause them to be too dense.

Lemon Blossoms

I'm not entirely sure if these are considered muffins or cupcakes, or maybe a muffcake?  We usually eat them as a dessert, but they would certainly make a yummy breakfast.  They are insanely good either way.  Don't skimp out on the glaze...it's what makes them sooooo good.

Lemon Blossoms

1 box yellow or lemon cake mix
1 small box fat free/sugar free instant lemon pudding mix
1 cup egg substitute (equals 4 eggs)
3/4 cup oil (obviously I use 3/4 cup baby food pears....you won't know the difference!!)
Glaze (see below)

Mix everything up in large bowl.  Beat with electric mixer for a few minutes until smooth.  Pour into muffin tins that have been filled with paper liners or sprayed with Pam.   Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-17 minutes.  While baking, make the glaze: whisk together 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 Tb. vegetable oil and enough water (4-5 Tbs) to make a nice glaze.  When the muffins come out, dip them into the glaze (cover the entire crown) and set on a baking sheet to dry.  Let them sit for at least hour so the glaze hardens up nicely.

* When making the glaze, add the water 1 Tb at a time until you get the desired consistency.  If it's too thin, it won't coat the muffin crowns very well.
** Definitely start checking the muffins t 15 minutes.  I prefer these a little on the undercooked side.
*** Although you probably won't use all the glaze, save it!  It's awesome on pancakes, waffles, vanilla ice cream, or just straight from the container.  I also like a little drizzled on apples:)

Pineapple Cake

Wow, it's been awhile since I have posted a recipe, which means I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking/baking lately.  Blame it on law school.  Law school is to blame for everything.  Anyways, when Grams passed away last year a neighbor brought over this cake.  Matt and I loved it so much I had to get the recipe from her.  I made it this past weekend for a cook-out with friends and it was a big hit.  It's a perfect summer cake, and great to take to potlucks/cook-outs.

Pineapple Cake

1 box yellow cake mix with whatever ingredients called for on the box (I usually use an egg sub that equals 3 eggs, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup baby food pears)
1 can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 small box fat free, sugar free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup skim milk
1 container Cool Whip
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Bake cake according to box directions (subbing baby food pears for oil and egg substitute for eggs if you want to be a super hero), in a 13x9 inch pan.  Once cake is baked, set it aside to cool.  Meanwhile, whisk together pudding mix and milk until good and smooth.  Let sit in fridge for awhile to thicken up.  Fold Cool Whip into pudding.  Once cake is cool, poke holes all over it with the end of a wooden spoon.  Pour pineapple, with juice, all over.  Let that sit for 10 minutes or so.  Spread Cool Whip mixture over pineapple, covering completely.  Sprinkle with coconut.

Obviously the longer you let this cake sit, the more the pineapple and juice soak in, which creates a whole lot of deliciousness.  It's such a great summer dessert, and if you use the subs I mentioned, it's very light.

Easy Peasy Blueberry Pie

A good pie is something in my arsenal of recipes that I feel the need to perfect.  Like, I want to be known as the lady that makes a mean pie.  You know, the lady that when a potluck is coming is coming up and everyone hopes that she brings her "famous pie."  Yep, pretty sure it is one of my life ambitions to be that lady.

This pie is not perfect, but it's pretty good.  I would be more inclined to brag about it if I made the crust from scratch, but I did not.  Therefore I am not entitled to brag.  I am probably not entitled to be that pie lady until I have perfected a homemade crust.  Guess I'll just stick with being the lady that makes the somewhat decent pie but did you know she uses a *gasp* pre-made pie crust.  Plus if this recipe included a homemade pie crust, then it wouldn't be easy-peasy, and most of you would probably run far far away.

Blueberry Pie

1 package refrigerated pie crusts (top and bottom)*
6 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed and drained) blueberries
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 stevia, 1/2 pure cane sugar)
1/4 packed brown sugar
Drizzle of agave syrup (this isn't necessary, but I just love agave)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup quick cooking tapioca (don't actually cook it)
1 Tb. fresh lemon juice
2 Tb. butter, cut up
Extra sugar for dusting

Remove pie crusts from box and let sit on counter for about 20 min or until they have reached room temperature.  Carefully unroll one crust and lay it over a 9-in. pie plate, pressing sides and bottom to line plate.  Trim any excess crust.  In a large bowl stir together white and brown sugars, cinnamon, cinnamon and agave (if using) until combined.  Toss in lemon juice and blueberries and mix well.  Set aside for 20 minutes.  Go ahead and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Once the blueberries have "soaked" spoon them in to the pie crust.  Dot with butter.  Carefully unroll the other pie crust and place on top of blueberries.  Fold edges under plate and flute however you wish.  Cut several slits in top crust and sprinkle with a couple Tbsps. of sugar.  Bake for 45-50 min. until nice and bubbly. 

* I am very partial to the Immaculate Baking Co. pie crusts, or that whole brand in general.  Good stuff.

** I like to use a little of the excess dough (from when you trimmed the bottom crust) and cut a heart (with a cookie cutter) to place in the middle, just to make it pretty (and to hopefully overt one's eyes from my terrible fluting job). 
*** Always check the pie around 40 min. into baking to make sure the crust isn't getting too brown.  If it is (which will more than likely be the case), cover the top with foil and continue baking.
**** You can use whatever fruit you like.  Just use 6 cups (chopped if the pieces are large).  Note that 6 cups of fruit will make a pretty deep dish pie.

Maybe one these times I'll be able to get a picture before Matt and I dig in:)

Key Lime Pound Cake

DISCLAIMER: I tweaked this Southern Living recipe to make it vegan friendly.  I thought it was good.  Matt said it "tasted vegan."  Not entirely sure what that means, but I guess if you are used to your pound cake with loads of butter, eggs and cream, you may also think this "tastes vegan."  I encourage you to venture out and try it a'la vegan, but I will give you the regular SL version and put my subs in parenthesis.

Key Lime Pound Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup shortening (I used Earth Balance)
3 cups (yikes!) sugar (I used 1/2 cup agave syrup and 1 cup stevia)
6 eggs (I used an egg replacer in an amt. equivalent to 6 eggs)
3 cups flour (I always use white whole wheat flour and think it is the best)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk (hemp milk was used here)
1 tsp. lime zest
1/3 cup Key lime juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Key lime glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tb. Key lime juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 10 in. tube pan.  In a heavy stand mixer, cream together butter and shortening until fluffy.  Gradually add in sugar and continue to beat until all blended and smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.  In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Alternating with milk, add flour mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour (don't know why recipes always say to start and end this way, but I'm not one to take chances, so I just do it).  Stir in lime zest, lime juice and vanilla.  Pour batter into tube pan and bake at 325 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min (start checking for doneness at an hour with a long wooden toothpick).  Cool on a wire rack for 15 min.  Remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely.  Prepare Key lime glaze.  Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.  It's good with a little vanilla icecream on the side:)

We ate this up pretty fast while my parents were here so I didn't get a picture, but here's the one from Southern Living...