Gluten Free Lavender Lemon Blueberry Scones
I’ve been thinking about the Flour Craft scones since returning to Brooklyn from Big Sur last week: It must take a super talented baker to turn out perfect scones daily. Though I prefer baked goods with gluten, I’ve warmed to the idea of gluten free treats thanks to cooking with Vanessa—sometimes, they’re just as good as the real thing.
My second scone attempt yielded a burnt batch: Keep a close eye on yours in the oven!
With scones, the flakiness of a true scone is hard to imitate. This recipe is the first one I tried from a cookbook I picked up in Portland, Oregon a few months ago. It took three tries to get it right! It calls for a flax egg (a mixture of ground flaxseed + water), which I scoffed at in my first attempt. Defiantly substituting a real egg made the scones way more moist than they ideally should be—baking is an exact science, after all—yet I ate most of them anyway because the lavender flavor was irresistible.
My second attempt yielded a burnt batch: The cookbook’s original recipe is for Lavender Lemon Raspberry Scones, and I used dried strawberries since I didn’t have any fresh fruit on hand. This tweak—combined with a full 30 minutes in a very hot oven—made them charred on the outside, so they went straight in the trash.
But the third try was a charm: By adding a cup of blueberries to the batter, the scones ended up looking like a giant pancake before baking, and the berries complemented the delicate lavender lemon flavor better than raspberries, IMO. You’ll want to keep a close eye on them in your oven, but the secret is to bake them for 26 minutes—in mine, 25 makes the centers a little soft, but 26 yields a crumbliness that is almost (but not quite) as good as the real thing.
Coconut butter is suggested as a topping, but definitely isn’t required: These taste great with a light sprinkling of turbinado sugar on top, served with a cup of tea.
Makes: 8 scones
1 1/4 teaspoons dried culinary-grade lavender
216g blanched almond flour
96g arrowroot starch
36g coconut sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Grated zest of one meyer lemon
100g coconut oil, solid
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from one lemon)
1 flax egg**
1 cup fresh blueberries
Raw turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
** Make a flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Stir well, and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until it looks like gel.
—
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with arrowroot starch. Rub the lavender between your palms to break it up and release its aroma.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the lavender, almond flour, arrowroot starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the coconut oil and use a fork to mix it into the dry ingredients until only small lumps remain.
Make your flax egg (see instructions above).
In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk the coconut milk with the lemon juice and flax egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until completely combined.
Fold in the blueberries, using your hands for even distribution.
Dust a sheet of parchment with arrowroot starch, and transfer the dough to it. Press into a circle with your hands (about 8 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick). Refrigerate one hour until chilled.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a pastry cutter, cut the chilled round into 8 triangular scones. Separate them into two rows of four and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the scones with turbinado sugar. Bake for 26 minutes, or until golden brown (you’ll know they’re done if they don’t fall apart when you pick them up!)
Adapted from Bakerita (Amazon, $15)
Support the ranch and our business! We’ll earn a commission for book purchases made via the above link.
