I find myself baking A LOT these days—like pretty much Monday-Sunday, which under other circumstances would be a dream come true, but now instead feels mildly scary and compulsive, as if I can whisk and knead our way out of this crisis (if only!!)

At the same time, I feel responsible for keeping us healthy, so I’m trying to shift the focus away from cakes and cookies towards healthier, whole-grain breads and other manageable treats, like these Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Whole Wheat Scones.

The secret behind the yumminess and healthiness of these is that they’re made with white whole wheat flour, which has all of the goodness of regular stone-ground whole wheat flour, but is milder in flavor and color, so there’s none of that “health-food store” feeling when you bite into one.

What you will notice instead is that these have a certain oomph, almost a nuttiness, though there are no nuts involved, and that they’re absolutely delicious. Sweet, but not overly so and hearty without being dense and heavy.

And that chocolate-cinnamon combo just can’t be beat!

They come together quickly and easily, with a delightfully enticing aroma and make for a barely guilt-free breakfast treat or afternoon pick-me-up.

So make ‘em today. Gotta keep the baking beast happy!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Whole Wheat Scones

Makes 12 small scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Bake Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

• 1 large egg

• ½ cup milk, plus a little extra for brushing on scones

• Cinnamon and demerara sugar for sprinkling on scones

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda and salt together. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the dry mixture until you have a crumbly mixture with pieces of butter still visible. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and ½ cup milk and add to the dry ingredients. Use a spoon to stir together just until the dough comes together.

4. Lightly flour a board or counter and divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disc that about 4 ¾ wide and just about 1-inch tall. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush with milk, and sprinkle on some cinnamon and demerara sugar.

5. Cut each disc into 6 wedges and pull them apart. Space wedges about 1-inch apart so they can expand as they bake.

6. Bake scones for about 25 minutes until they’re cooked all the way through and golden brown. Transfer scones to rack and let cool. Store any leftovers well wrapped in the fridge for a few days. These are great cold or reheated.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour. I subbed in mini chips for cinnamon chips and cut the teaspoon of cinnamon in the batter and just added a sprinkle on top of the scones instead.