Zaarbucks Famous Apricot Almond Scones

justcallmetoni's Note:

In July 2005, five women set out to Florence Italy to found Zaarbucks, a chain of kiosks serving coffees, teas, jaffles, fudge and baked goods. Early on, the group's business manger, PanNan, figured out that customers hooked on their fabulous baked goods would soon gain so much weight they would stop buying their daily muffins and scones. Quickly Bergy and Derf began working on a new recipe for a deletable new scone that would be kind to the figure. Having developed a basic recipe for light scones, they worked with Madeleine M. to develop a range of flavor combinations that would rival none. Apricot-Almond was by far my favorite so today, one time only, I'm sharing the recipe with you. Don't tell 'em where you got the recipe.

• Total Time: 37 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 22 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 -4 tablespoons chilled reduced fat margarine or 3 -4 tablespoons low-fat butter
• 1/3 cup dried apricot, small diced
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 teaspoons nonfat milk
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare baking sheet by spraying lightly with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles course meal.
5. Add the apricots and almonds into the flour mixture and mix thoroughly.
6. In a smaller bowl, mix together the yogurt, sour cream, and extracts.
7. Cut and fold the yogurt/sour cream mixture into the flour until you can collect the dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface just until it can be shaped. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour but take care not to add too much as it toughens up the scones. Similarly, over kneading the dough also diminishes the final result.
8. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet and spread out into an 8 or 10 inch disk.
9. Lightly brush the milk on the top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.
10. Using a very long knife (bread knives work well) cut half way through the dough. You are making indentations, not actually portioning the scone. Repeat until the scone has been divided into 8 wedges. (You can also cut into 12 pieces if you want smaller pieces).
11. Bake the scones 20 - 22 minutes.
12. Best served warm but cold is good too.
13. Enjoy!

Reviews

[kelly in TO]

Friends loved them, there were no leftovers. Great scone.

[Debber]

Very nice scone recipe, a bit putzy with the preparation, but worth the effort in the end. Try dried cranberries in place of the 'cots, too--every bit as delish! Or chocolate chips or nuts. Mmm-mmm-good! A *Zaar Star* recipe!

[JiliBean]

These were a lot of work for not "the best" scones I've ever had. But they were good!