Hi friends! I have a healthy-ish treat for us today – Jam-filled Bran Scones via Smitten Kitchen! When I first got Deb Perelman’s book “Smitten Kitchen Every Day. Triumphant & Unfussy New Favorites” this was the first recipe I bookmarked. It’s taken me almost five months to make it, but let me tell you, the wait was worth it!
My favorite muffin of all time is the honey-bran muffin from Mimi’s Cafe – which, while it has the word “Bran” in it, has no redeeming health value whatsoever. Which, to be honest, is probably why I love it so much! It’s sticky sweet, nutty and dense and oh-so-delicious! I thank God every day there isn’t a Mimi’s Cafe close to my house or I would be on a first name basis with their bakers. But I digress. These Jam-filled Bran Scones also have Bran in them (No really, they do! Over 1 cup worth!) and with only 1/2 cup of sugar in the whole thing, we could probably get away with eating two and not feel guilty. They don’t have the syrupy-sweet taste of Mimi’s Muffins, but they’re a darn good substitute! Plus, there’s jam in the middle! You don’t get that in a Bran Muffin!
The original recipe calls for sour cream, but when I decided to make these, I didn’t have sour cream in the refrigerator. Since I am too lazy to go to the store for just 1/2 cup of something, I improvised. There happened to be some Instant Pot greek yogurt in the refrigerator and I figured it would work as a replacement for the sour cream. Oh man! What a great substitute! The tang of the yogurt comes through and creates a nice balance to the sweet jam. Speaking of jam, I filled these scones with my favorite Mixed Berry Jam (leftover from eating with the yogurt) and they came out perfectly! Not bad for an Imperfect Kitchen!
I hope you like these Jam-filled Bran Scones as much as I did! If you’re looking for some fun new recipes and inspiration to get back into your kitchen every day, please join our Facebook Group “Tuesday’s Menu!” A celebration of breakfast, dinner, cake and everything in between! We are currently cooking our way through “Smitten Kitchen Every Day” by Deb Perelman. Our goal is to get people excited about cooking in their own kitchens. We have several recipes to choose from every two weeks and on Tuesdays we share how our recipes turned out. This group is open to everyone and all levels of experience. It is NOT a blogging group. It is simply to share the fun of cooking! Come join us!
Those look so delicious. I do hope you post a recipe for Instant Pot yogurt. I want to make yogurt but for some reason… it intimidates me.
I’m working on it Cathy! Don’t be afraid! I’m thinking of doing an Instant Pot demo/class for our group. What do you think?
I love your substitutions!! Yum. Yum yum yum! I think the sugar dust on top really does it for me. It’s literally the “icing” on the “cake” or the “sugar” on the “scone”…. LOL
Thanks Natalie! I am majorly obsessed with these scones right now. (It’s actually an excuse to make more yogurt and jam…shhhhhh!) They would be perfect filled with fruit too, don’t you think?