I don’t know what got me thinking about scones, but it popped into my head the other day.  I never really thought about scones tasting good as gluten-free.  Oat flour is difficult to make into a ‘dough’.  But somehow these worked and taste awesome, even though the dough was on the sticky side.  I also snuck a couple scoops of whey protein in there too, to make them more of a balanced snack.  This is a smaller batch (makes 6) as I thought it might be a failed attempt.  You could certainly double the batch to get 12 scones. Once I got a bunch of feedback on flavors from the Recipe Club, I decided on Lemon Cranberry (similar to the Starbucks version).  I found this recipe online, and modified it.

Since these turned out good, I’m going to try more variations. I’m thinking Blueberry, White Chocolate Raspberry & a savory one – Cheese, Onion & Herb! 🙂  I’m going to see about adding 1 more scoop of protein (not sure if it will change the texture a lot). Since 1 scone is a serving (they’re large), I wouldn’t mind seeing more protein in there.  Worst case, I’ll eat one with a protein shake for a snack!

Lemon Cranberry Scones (gluten free)

Makes 6 scones

1.5 cups oat flour (just grind oats in your blender)
6 packets Krisda stevia
2 x 30 gram scoops Whey Gourmet protein in vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup Craisins (sweetened dried cranberries)  could use frozen cranberries if preferred.
1/3 cup Earth Balance (or cold butter) coconut oil or vegan palm shortening, just make sure its very cold.
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (could also use buttermilk) non-fat milk probably won’t work well…too thin.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients up to sea salt.  Add cold margarine or butter and using a pastry blender or a fork.  Cut the fat into the dry ingredients to make small crumbly pieces. In a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry mixture slowly and mix gently with a fork until it comes together (careful to not overmix). Depending on your climate, you may not need all the liquid, 1 Tbsp or 2 Tbsp might remain. The dough will be fairly wet. Cover your counter with additional oat flour.  Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it out a bit.  Using a sharp knife, cut it into 6 triangles, similar to cutting a pizza.  Place each slice on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle scones with palm sugar or raw sugar (optional). I didn’t find I really tasted the sugar on top, so I’d probably omit next time.

Place in oven and bake at 375 degrees F for 12-13 minutes.  They will remain light in color, but will be firm.

Note: These definitely taste best warm. So the next day, lightly microwave each scone for 15-20 seconds. Cutting in half and toasting them would also work.

Nutrition (per scone)   Calories: 232   Fat: 12 g   Carbs: 23 g   Fiber: 3 g   Sodium: 312 mg   Protein: 10.5 g