I call these scones “Mint Chocolate Cheer” because I made them during the winter holiday season, and they brought cheer to all who tasted them! With their colorful candies and adorable miniature size, they’d make a picturesque addition to a festive holiday table.

My inspiration for these scones occurred at dinnertime yesterday evening. We’d gone to Whole Foods market, where I chose some salad to take home. My mom, having recently eaten lunch, treated herself to a huge scone from the pastry section. So we sat across the kitchen table from one another, me nibbling my bed of greens while my mom feasted on this gorgeous pastry adorned with swirls of seductive chocolate. Something had to be done about this injustice! Health nuts are allowed to eat scones too…aren’t they?

My mom raved about the perfect taste and texture of the store-bought scone. It was like a dense muffin, she told me, crisp on the outside but soft and dense on the inside. “I’m afraid the only way to get that perfect texture is with a lot of butter,” she said with resignation. But I wasn’t about to be discouraged from my new lofty aspiration: to create some amazing scones of my own, bursting with chocolate, boasting the best texture of all the scones in the land, to grace my plate with the object of my envy. Oh, and completely free of butter.

With dinner concluded and my resolution set in stone, I turned to the oven to carry out my dream. As I made these scones with peanut butter and Earth Balance to replace the butter, whole wheat flour replacing half the all purpose stuff, and a light milk wash to substitute the traditional egg wash, I began to worry that my scones would fall flat. I’ve produced plenty of failed scones in my time, and sometimes wondered if it’s even possible to make healthy ones. When these babies went in the oven, my heart was filled with butterflies. Either I’d create something great, or I’d be scraping my charred dreams off the cookie sheet for the rest of the evening in sconeless solitude.

With the squeal of the oven timer, the results were in. And I’m pleased to report that they fell under the former category: the golden brown beauties tasted as lovely as the colorful candies I’d mixed into the dough. To top it all off oven-toasted coconut flakes graced each triangular triumph with some extra flair. Oh, and the texture was just right: a crisp, golden  exterior gave way to a dense, soft and satisfying interior. And since they’re healthy mini scones, all health nuts are free to bask in the glory of these perfectly delicious cuties.

Click here for the full recipe!