Ham and Cheese Scones

I hate breakfast. Ok lemme rephrase that, I hate finding something to eat for breakfast. Cereal just isn't cutting it anymore. Plus I need a little protein in my life to get me going in the morning.  This is my favorite breakfast recipe. It's grab-n-go, it's easy to make and so delicious. If I knew how to type out the Homer Simpson drooling noise I would. 

Instead of using 2 cups of all purpose flour, I use 1 and 1/2 C of all purpose flour and 1/2 C of whole wheat flour.  If you don't have a pastry cutter and can't get the dough to look like coarse meal, put your bowl with the flour and other dry ingredients in the freezer for a few minutes and then cut in butter.  Don't overwork the dough--scone dough can get dry if mixed too much and no one likes dry scones (it will be sticky).  Since I have dark baking pans, I bake these on 375 degrees instead of 400.  And be sure to cut the dough into slices before you bake (not all the way through though)--it makes it easier to cut them later.  

As of today's post, 47 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as I will every morning this week!! :)

Recipe by Cooking Light, 2002

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  baking powder
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 3  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4  cup  finely chopped 33%-less-sodium ham (about 3 ounces)
• 3/4  cup  fat-free buttermilk
• 2  large egg whites
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese and ham. Combine buttermilk and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times with floured hands. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

217 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.2g (sat 4.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

10.4g

Carbohydrate:

27.1g

Fiber:

0.9g

Cholesterol:

26mg

Iron:

1.8mg

Sodium:

519mg

Calcium:

235mg