Recipe - Buttermilk-Apricot Scones

DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cup Flour
One fourth cup Sugar
One half tablespoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Baking soda
One fourth teaspoon Salt

MOIST INGREDIENTS
One fourth cup Margarine or butter, chilled
and cut into small pieces
1/3 cup Chopped dried apricots
One fourth cup Buttermilk or yogurt
One fourth cup Apricot nectar
1 Egg, lightly beaten

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry
blender (or two forks) until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the
apricots and toss well, making sure each piece is well coated in flour and
not clumped up with other apricot pieces. Make a well in the center of the
mixture. Combine buttermilk, apricot nectar, and egg; add to the well and
mix with dry ingredients, until dry ingredients are moistened (dough will
be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour you hands, and kneaded
45 times or knead it while still in the bowl (not traditional, but it
seems to work for me). Pat dough into a 9" circle on a baking sheet coated
with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8 wedges. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15
minutes, or until golden.

Serve warm.

Each scone will be around 230 calories (30% from fat) more or less,
depending on the fat content of the buttermilk. I find yogurt works as well
as buttermilk in the recipe. You could also brush the top of the scones
with a little beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar before backing, for
a little extra sweetness.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini