September 09, 2013

Not chocolate chip scones — gluten-free recipe


Just starting to write this post has caused me to go into the kitchen and get another scone, and I'd be too embarrassed to say how many I've already eaten. They were at their peak this morning when they were warm from the oven, but even now, hours later, not bad. I found the original recipe on River's blog, Wing It Vegan, and I just knew the minute I read the recipe that these were the scones for me. She claims they're not really scones but I think she's wrong about that. And even if she's right, I don't care. The taste and texture are so pleasing, I love them.


Her recipe looked perfect, but I can never leave well enough alone (unless of course I'm reviewing a cookbook or testing recipes for one) so I had to change one thing or another to accommodate my set of ingredients. She used peanuts and peanut butter but I didn't have enough of those, and I happened to have a ton of almond flour and almond butter. She used rice flour and chickpea flour and I just dumped in some Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour mix, etc., etc. If you want to make River's fab peanut butter chocolate chip scones go here. But if you're willing to take a chance on my recipe changes, keep reading. Or maybe you'll make both. River said it's OK for me to post my recipe alterations. And maybe you'll change something, too.


Chocolate chip-almond scones, gluten-free
  • 1/4 cup golden flax meal
  • 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or palm sugar or regular sugar)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (rice, almond, soy, whatever)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used rice vinegar, but apple cider vinegar would also be fine)
  • 1/2 cup GF oat flour
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, divided
  • 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill GF all-purpose flour 
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup almond butter
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
  1. Whisk together in a small bowl, the flax meal, sugar, milk and extracts. Stir in the vinegar.
  2. Whisk together in a large bowl, the oat flour, coconut, 1/4 cup almond flour, Bob's Red Mill flour mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure to whisk well until combined.
  3. Add the almond butter to the flour mix. Use an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) at lowest speed, to blend the almond butter into the flour. (River says you can use a large fork, but I like to use a mixer.) It might take a few minutes to get the almond butter mixed in. It might still be a little lumpy when you stop mixing but should be mostly combined. If you're using a hand mixer, it will all combine in step 5.
  4. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
  5. Whisk the milk mixture one more time and add it to the flour. Use the hand mixer to beat the dough for about a minute, or until well-combined and the almond butter is fully mixed in. The dough should be like soft cookie dough — not too wet and not too dry. Add a tablespoon of milk or a little flour if necessary.
  6. Sprinkle about half of the remaining 1/4 cup of almond flour onto the parchment paper. Divide the dough in half and arrange the two halves on the parchment paper (like in the first photo). With damp hands, flatten each piece of dough into a disk about about 1/2" thick — about 6-inches in diameter. Sprinkle the rest of the almond flour on top of the disks. Using a dough cutter or a sharp knife, cut straight down into the disks to create either 6 or 8 pieces.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes more. You want them golden but not burned. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. You may need to redo the cuts before moving the pieces.
Enjoy while still warm, but cool completely before storing.

notes: Unlike conventional batters where you don't want to over-mix, gluten-free baked goods seem to rise higher and be more tender when they are mixed well with an electric mixer.

The scones, while not as rich as traditional scones, make a great breakfast treat.
Thanks, River!

This post contains Amazon links. I've never made a dime from Amazon, but who knows, this could be the day.

25 comments:

  1. These look great. I'm not a huge peanut butter fan so I like yr changes, but anything with chocolate is bound to be pretty good.

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    1. My husband loves peanuts and peanut butter and consequently our supplies of either are almost always depleted. I don't like peanut butter except in cookies and peanut sauce, but we seldom have enough to make a recipe. He doesn't like almond butter, ahem.

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  2. Chocolate chip scones are my favorite. I would love these! They look like they turned out perfect & I don't blame you one bit for eating several. :)

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    1. I'm sure you could just sub regular flour for the Bob's and the scones would still be really good.

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  3. I feel the need to tell you a story. When I first started working at my current job, I'd made a particularly large batch of impressive fresh berry scones. Whether it was because I was new or vegan I'll never know, but no one would try one. I was so disappointed (and, apparently, hungry) that I ate them myself- all over the course of the day. 14 scones in 9 hours! You can't possibly be that bad.

    Thanks for the note about over-mixing; I'm always guilty.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I can relate. I had a similar experience with a chocolate cake. It's a hard chore to eat delicious vegan baked goods, but somebody has to do it. Great story. Great sacrifice. Did you make it into work the next day?

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  4. They actually look better than 'regular' scones (I like their rustic vibe). I've been wanting to experiment with gluten free bakes since a while now, and I think this might be great to try first.

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    1. They do have a rustic vibe, don't they? I used to be scared of GF baking, but it's not so bad. Wish more people would try it. :)

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  5. Mmm I love scones. These look great!

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    1. Hmmm. I might be better off if they were a little less great. Just popped some into the freezer to try to slow myself down. :)

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  6. Come clean...how many did you eat, Andrea? If you continue to devour things at this rate during MoFo, you will need a new pic or a bigger avatar. If it makes you feel better I would have eaten the entire jar of almond butter before it made it to the scrumptious batter.

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    Replies
    1. I'll never tell. Blogging involves sacrifice and I'm just doing my part.

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  7. YAY!! They look fabulous! I am a big fan of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour mix. That stuff is awesome. I'm so glad you enjoyed them and rocked them in your own delicious way! Do you think they would pass Miss E's rigorous taste-testing :)

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    1. Thank you! I think Miss E would approve but I may need to make another batch cause these are disappearing fast. Your recipe was so good it held up even after I did my "wing-it" on it.

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  8. Oh my gosh these looks amazing! Must make ASAP!

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    1. That's what I said when I saw River's recipe.

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  9. Oh yeah, these look soooo good!! Yum!!

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    1. Maybe a little too good to have around the house.

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  10. I've got an idea - how about to stop you eating too many, you post a couple this way? I don't mind helping you out... very altruistic, me...

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    Replies
    1. I would, but I'm afraid they go stale, and what fun would that be? Nice of you to offer, though. :)

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  11. I am pretty sure I'll have to try River's and your version now! They look great!

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    1. That will put a lot of scones in your hands! You're such a good baker, you will probably find a way to make them even better.

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  12. I love how you slice the scones, I thought they looked like massive cookies ;) And the almond flour and almond butter sound so delicious for the recipe. Thank you for sharing these delicious and unique scones! I have got to check out her other recipes, too, thanks for the mention!

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