—–DRY INGREDIENTS—– 2 c Flour
1/4 c Sugar
1/2 tb Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/4 ts Salt
—–MOIST INGREDIENTS—– 1/4 c Margarine or butter, chilled
-and cut into small pieces 1/3 c Chopped dried apricots
1/4 c Buttermilk or yogurt
1/4 c 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 4-5 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.