RECIPE: Grain-free Blueberry Scones (or muffins, or shortcakes–they’re versatile)Updated 25 days ago

You know how they say the devil only wears the finest clothes, so as to trick you into thinking he is upstanding and wholesome, the type your mother would label as “good for you”? Well, we’re well acquainted with our own personal devil, and that sugar-dusted, freshly-baked goatboy is gluten. 

We’ll be the first to admit: We like gluten. We like it in bread, we like it in pasta, we like it in pastries. But, despite the fact that grain remains the FDA-endorsed backbone of the American diet, glutinous grains are not tolerated by everyone–us included. While we love a good morning scone, our bodies don’t–we’ll get joint pain, stomach aches, or general fatigue if we overdo it. While once seen as sort of a fad-diet among the non-celiac of us, doctors now prescribe gluten-free diets to patients who are at risk for inflammation.

So, we bring you an easily-adaptable, fully grain-free, easily dairy-free, and supremely easy recipe for blueberry scones. Not to tempt the devil once we’ve successfully gotten rid of him, but we may even like these a little better than regular scones–they don’t leave us with the pre-lunch carb crash, and they’re heartier and more flavorful, a bit less like a scone and more like the covetable muffin top (minus the controversy you may have internalized from Seinfeld Season 8, Episode 21, “The Muffin Tops”). In fact, these also make great actual muffins–just adjust the baking time if you’ll be dividing them into more than six muffins.

Plus, this recipe is pretty versatile. To make mini strawberry shortcakes, skip the blueberries and swap the orange zest for lemon, then cut the rounds in half and serve with freshly whipped cream and sliced berries. For a holiday scone, try almond extract instead of vanilla, and rather than fruit, add a little extra orange and lemon zest. To really gild the lily, you could try a batch with raspberries, lemon zest, and plenty of chunks of white chocolate.

Like most almond-based baked goods, these scones are best when allowed to cool fully, and taste even better the next day. To store them, simply place them in an airtight container, and don’t refrigerate. To be totally honest, we’re not sure quite how long these will keep because they typically get gobbled up so quickly, but they should stay fresh for 3 days.

GRAIN FREE BLUEBERRY SCONES

Makes 4 scones

40 minutes (5 active)

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cup blanched almond flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter (or any neutral cooking oil, such as olive oil)

1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon of white sugar*

1 tablespoon of brown sugar*

* or 2 tablespoons of honey, or any other sweetener of choice, to taste

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Zest from 1 small orange

½ cup (or more) frozen blueberries

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cinnamon, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Set oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet or cast iron pan with oil, butter, or ghee. 
2. While the oven is preheating, combine almond flour, sugar*, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl, and stir until combined.

* If you’re using a liquid sweetener such as honey, agave, or maple syrup, add this during step 3 instead

3. Whisk in eggs, oil, and vanilla (and liquid sweetener, if using this rather than sugar) and stir until combined. The mixture should be thick enough to form loose mounds, so if it’s a bit runny, stir in a few extra tablespoons of almond flour. Once you’ve reached the proper consistency, stir in blueberries.
4. Spoon the batter into your prepared baking pan, divided evenly into four dollops. 
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking at about 30 minutes. The scones are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or when the tops begin to lightly brown.
6. Allow to cool fully, and then serve. These are delicious at room temperature, but you can also toast them and serve with butter.