Healthier Honey-Fig Scones
These honey-fig scones boast a wonderful flavor combination of figs and honey, along with the better-for-you addition of white whole wheat flour.
Figs are one of my husband’s favorite indulgences, so when they show up in the grocery store for that very short window in the summer, I buy them by the boatload. During the rest of the year, I keep a stash of dried figs in the pantry and am always on the lookout for new recipes to try. Scones are one of my favorite baked goods since they are basically an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast! I make my chocolate chip scones for my mom’s birthday, but I was recently brainstorming ideas for something a little bit lighter and not-so-decadent for a breakfast treat. Enter these honey-fig scones!
For this recipe, I combined honey and figs (a natural combo!) and put a healthier spin on the dough by using white whole wheat flour. They turned out wonderfully and I think you’re going to love them!
I first talked about white whole wheat flour last year when I made homemade flour tortillas, and I am still singing its praises. It’s an easy substitution to make if you’re a little bit hesitant about going full-blown whole wheat for baked goods (I don’t blame you!).
You may have noticed that I included it last week in my Flour 101 guide, and that’s because I think it’s a great staple to keep in your pantry if you’re trying to work some extra whole grains into your diet. King Arthur Flour makes it, and it’s available both on their website, as well as in many grocery stores (my local supermarket carries it). For most recipes, you can substitute up to 50% of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat flour without compromising the flavor or texture. To get a complete rundown on how to incorporate this flour into your baked goods, check out the King Arthur Flour complete guide to white whole wheat flour!
Now, let’s talk more about these honey-fig scones!
I took the recipe for my chocolate chip scones and did a little tweaking – swapping out about a third of the all-purpose flour for the white whole wheat, adding honey to the liquid mixture, and nixing the chocolate for chopped dried figs.
The result is an absolute dream for any fig lover, and the perfect companion to your morning cup of coffee or tea!
Three years ago: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Four years ago: Mimosa Truffles
Healthier Honey-Fig Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) King Arthur Flour White Whole Wheat Flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 10 ounces (283.5 g) dried figs, diced small
- 2 cups (476 ml) heavy cream, cold
- ¼ cup (84.75 ml) honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the diced figs.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and honey.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the heavy cream mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until ingredients are moistened.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until a soft dough forms (about 2 minutes), sprinkling more flour in if needed. Divide the dough into two equal balls. Working with one at a time, pat each one into an 8-inch circle and cut into 8 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. These scones are best served the day that they are made, but can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by King Arthur Flour, but all opinions are my own.
These are the best scones I have made. EVER. 2 cups of heavy cream? Yes. The resulting texture is pillow soft and light. The comment I received the first time I made them was “you need to take these to a bakery and sell them.” They don’t last long enough for me to do that…….
I rarely leave reviews, but this recipe demanded one. I have made scones all my life since I grew up British, but never anything with the pillow-like texture of these. The amount of heavy cream seems exorbitant, but it produces an absolute winner in taste and loft when combine with the honey and dried figs. I chopped mine quite finely in the food processor after I had rehydrated them overnight, so they were evenly distributed with no large pieces. Also refrigerated the shaped dough before baking. I was told they needed to be sold as a business!
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Would these freeze well? Or would it be better to freeze the uncooked dough and pull out to bake like frozen cookie dough?
Hi Kelli, You can freeze either way – baked or unbaked.
I am so going to try this with gluten free flour!
I was thinking about trying this recipe. I have a huge fig tree in my backyard, and love scones. The recipe calls for dried figs. Can you substitute fresh figs? Also, what if you don’t use the whole wheat flour. Can you use just all purpose flour? What about bread flour?
Hi Sandra, I think fresh figs would be wonderful! And you could definitely use all-purpose flour (I wouldn’t use bread flour, they may turn out too dense). Enjoy!
Can you replace the cream with greek yogurt? Thanks!
Hi Tammy, You might be able to, I haven’t tried it personally, but I do think it would give them a slightly different texture.
Is there a way to omit the sugar all together and use only honey?
Hi Zehra, I’m not sure how that would affect the final texture; you may need to add a bit more flour, as the batter will likely be wetter.
Hi Michelle, I never knew you could mix figs with honey and get a good dose of flavor and nutrients. Now I know better, thank you for putting this recipe together. You mentioned in one of the comments that you use dried figs; will fresh figs get the same results if I use it?
You could definitely use fresh figs; they will have more moisture so you may need to add a little more flour.
The scones are amazing! Like biting into a cloud and they taste so good. I use 100% white whole wheat and they turn out perfect.
They look delicious. The filling sounds amazing, thanks for the idea
You don’t understand. Figs and honey is one of my absolute FAVORITE flavor combinations in the world. Figs are amazing, I wish we could have them fresh more often. These scones would be an amazing way to tide me over until fig season starts again
Can you use fresh figs? they are not very wet. ?? Also can you use all white flour? In same amount as wheat?
Hi Jo, You can use all white flour if you’d prefer. As for fresh figs, I’m not sure, they are definitely juicier than dried figs, so you may need to compensate with less liquid or more flour.
Stirring in cream seems easier than using a pastry blender to mix in butter. Pinning!
These sound delicious! I love fig in pretty much everything!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I like this recipe soon. Thank for sharing :)
I love King Arthur site. My grocery stores in this area do not carry any of the flours with the exception of the White. So onto the site I go, ended up getting the white whole wheat flour, plus several other items I had been looking at.
Love your blog, a fresh breath of spring air.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a fig outside of a fig newton, but these look good!
These sound great. My mom loves figs and dates…will have to give this recipe a try. I don’t think our local grocery store carries the King Arthur flour but if I have to order it online I will.
Don’t think I have ever seen figs in a store. Do use lots of Whole Wheat Pastry flour.
And have you tried freezing the uncooked dough and baking them off later?
Hi Allison, I have not, but I would think it should work, you just may have to add some time to the baking.
I love figs, both fresh and dried and this is a great way to use them.
What kind of figs do you use and where do you buy them? Also, what kind of honey do you use?
Hi Allison, For this recipe I just used dried figs – I buy them at the grocery store (in the dried fruit section). My honey is from Costco (Kirkland brand).
Wow I love figs!!! these look so yummy
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