These easy, slightly yeasty-tasting scones are soft, bursting with blueberries, free of artificial sweeteners, and a great way to use up your sourdough discard. The scones get their sweetness from the blueberries and a small amount of date puree. The scones are great for diabetics because they include whole grains, fiber and lots of nutrients from fruit, a modest amount of "healthy" fat, and a little protein to help keep blood sugar in check. The treats also are great for anyone else who simply wants to eat better and avoid a sugar high. The ingredients in the scones are readily available and inexpensive. I like to make the scones periodically when I need to feed my sourdough starter but am in a hurry and don't want to wait for bread to rise. You can mix up the scones in minutes, and they air fry in 10-15 minutes. If you want to bake the scones in a regular oven, just preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the scones for about 20 minutes or until golden. The scones are great for breakfast, as a snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or as a simple dessert in the evening. They also reheat well in the air fryer for later in the week. Enjoy!
Low-Sugar Air Fryer Sourdough Blueberry Drop Scones -- Makes 9-10 Scones
1 cup of sourdough starter/discard
1/4 cup of date puree (put 1/4 cup of pitted dates in a cup, barely cover with boiling
water, let sit for 5-10 minutes and mash well with a fork or process in a mini-chopper,
and let cool to luke-warm before using)
1/4 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of white whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of canola oil
1 cup of frozen blueberries (don't thaw)
Cinnamon, optional
In a large bowl combine the starter/discard, date puree, cottage cheese, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. In another bowl mix together the white whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Drizzle in the canola oil, a tablespoon at a time, mixing each tablespoon of oil into the flour mixture with a fork before adding the next spoonful. Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined, then fold in the blueberries. Cut pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket and drop the dough (it will be wet) onto the parchment, using 3-4 tablespoons of the dough/batter for each scone and leaving at least an inch between the dough mounds. If you want nicer, more uniform-looking scones, moisten your fingers with a little water and shape the dough mounds into rounds about an inch thick. You can dust the tops of the scones with a little cinnamon, if you'd like, or just leave them plain. Air fry the scones at 320 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the scones from the air fryer basket to cool and repeat the cooking process with the remaining dough.
