Maybe it’s the three years I spent in London–five months of which was spent pregnant and hungry, or perhaps it’s just because they’re a bit decadent, but I love scones. I love lemon scones, orange/currant scones, blackberry scones, plain scones with clotted cream and raspberry preserves–I love them all if they’re reasonably well made.
Interestingly enough, the best scones I ever had weren’t in London. They were, in fact, at the Soho Grand hotel in Manhattan many moons ago. My husband and I had just flown in from Europe, and when we finally got to our hotel room at about 1:00am, they had a small basket of fruit and two amazingly rich, warm, buttery scones waiting for us.
Of course, pretty much every time I’ve tucked into a scone, I have felt a sense of guilt knowing how unhealthy scones are. There’s virtually nothing redeeming about butter, white flour, sugar and cream. So when a mom from my daughter’s school passed around a recipe for gluten-free chocolate-chip scones made with almond flour, I decided to take a stab at making a healthy scone.
These are incredibly easy to make. They take 10 minutes or less to prepare, and only 20 minutes to bake. They have very little sugar, no cream or butter and all the healthy goodness of almonds. I serve them warm with a drizzle of honey or a bit of apricot spread.
Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1/2 – 1 cup Bob’s Gluten-free all-purpose flour
2 T free-flowing honey (not the solid type)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup organic yogurt
1 Tbsp canola oil
grated zest from one orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup currants or (1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix everything together with a spoon. (You don’t need to worry about over mixing since there is no gluten involved.) The mixture should be thick but not dry. Add a little more yogurt if needed. Drop 1/2-cup-sized blobs onto a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a mixture of one egg yolk beaten together with one Tbsp of water (not a necessary step, but does make for a nicer finish on top). Bake 18-20 minutes or until the scones have a nice golden color. Be careful NOT to over bake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well 