Bursting with blackberries in every bite, these gluten free blackberry scones are the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch table!
How can something so delicious and so tender be low calorie too?! That's exactly my sentiments with these scones! They're as rich and tasty as something you'd find in a coffee shop or bakery, but are lower on the calories and are naturally gluten free. I for one, am all about things tasting delicious, regardless of if they're gluten free or not! And these beauties are definitely ones you'll want to serve the next time you need a special menu item or have a craving for a fruit filled treat.
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Table of contents
Why this recipe is the Best!
These scones pass my taste test! - Here's what I mean... I have many taste tests I use to gauge if a recipe is worthy of publishing, one of which is - if something I've baked that I plan to put a glaze or icing on... well if others can eat it and say that 'it doesn't even need a glaze'. Then I know it's a winner! (Same thing goes for these oat flour waffles and pumpkin pancakes - no syrup required!) Besides that claim to fame, these scones also take the cake for being:
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Grain free
- Lower calorie
- Easy to mix (like these oatmeal crepes, use a food processor, makes prep really easy)
- Tender, not dense
- Firm but not as biscuit-like as these cranberry scones
Baking pro tips
- When working with any of these flours, be sure to let the batter 'rest' for 30 minutes before pouring into the baking pan. The rest time is essential for properly hydrating the batter.
- Always bring your ingredients to room temperature before mixing - this includes flours too!
- Measuring flours is super simple - just use a digital kitchen scale set to grams and spoon it into a plastic container. Always measure by weight and not cups!
Unique to this recipe:
Use a food processor - a food processor uses a blade to cut up the butter and mix the dough much quicker and easier than doing it by hand. If you don't have a a food processor, you can absolutely make it by hand though. Just use a pastry tool to cut in the butter and then mix the batter with a sturdy spoon.
Grate the lemon zest right into the bowl - in the spirit of sparing you another bowl to wash, use a zester and grate the lemon right into the bowl with the other liquid ingredients. Saves a bowl and it's incredibly fresh too!
Cut into the scones after 20 minutes of baking - after the scones have baked for 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and slice into them again, then return them to the oven to finish baking. This will ensure the scones separate easily after they're baked.
Ingredients and tools I recommend
Here are some helpful tools and links to good options:
- Food processor
- Sturdy spoon
- Spatula
- Sharp knife
These are the ingredients and brands I used in the recipe:
Ingredients
Even though the ingredients list is a bit longer than say these quick bagels, every ingredient plays a big role in the success of these scones. Almond flour gives them texture, coconut flour gives them bulk and even the baking powder helps them rise.
Note: Make sure all ingredients, even the sour cream are at room temperature.
Update 10/2022: We have since omitted using the whey protein as it is not truly dairy free.
Mix in the food processor
The easiest way to mix the dough is in the food processor. Can you mix it without one? Absolutely, but this is just as simple as pushing a button. The only thing you'll mix separately (image 4) are the sour cream, egg, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Then just add those to the food processor too (image 5).
Rest time
After the blackberries have been added and before patting out the dough, you'll need to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes. This is particularly important as the coconut flour needs this time to fully hydrate so the scones bake nice and tall.
Patting out the dough
The easiest way to get the dough ready for baking is to place the ball of fully rested dough right onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then just give it a few pats to form it into a round disk, about 6 ½ inches wide.
Use a sharp knife and slice the disk into 6 slices. The dough will be on the soft side, so it will not separate much.
Baking
Start the scones baking and when they've been in the oven for 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet and separate them on the baking sheet with a flat spatula (cutting if needed). Place them back in the oven to continue baking.
Glaze
Glaze is one of the simplest but tastiest little additions. Like on these buckwheat muffins and this lemon pound cake, it gives them a little pop of flavor with the sweetness of the powdered sugar and the tartness of the lemon juice. It's a great combination. And making it couldn't be easier - just add the ingredients to a bowl and stir until it reaches pouring consistency.
FAQ's
I wouldn't recommend it in this recipe. Mostly because I haven't tested any other flours so I can't confidently offer an alternative that will give you the same results.
I use and recommend Forager sour cream - it's the closest thing I've found to dairy sour cream.
Absolutely! While the food processor makes it easier, you can mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then cut in the butter using a pastry cutter. Then add the liquid ingredients all at once and stir until combined. Then gently fold in the blackberries.
Scones are best the same day, but if not eaten within a couple days and they've already been glazed, place them in between sheets of wax paper and freeze. Remove and warm in the microwave as needed.
More scone recipes!
Recipe
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Gluten Free Blackberry Scones
Ingredients
For the scones
- 77 grams vegan sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 95 grams almond flour
- 60 grams flaxseed meal about ⅔ cup
- 23 grams coconut flour about ¼ cup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 170 grams blackberries about 6 oz. container
For the glaze
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
For the scones
- In a small bowl, add the sour cream, egg, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix with a fork until full blended.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour, flaxseed meal, coconut flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Pulse a few times to mix the dry ingredients together.
- Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the food processor - pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles crumbs.
- Add the sour cream mixture and pulse again a few times to full mix.
- Scrape the batter out of the food processor and into a medium size bowl. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blackberries.
- Turn the dough onto the cookie sheet and pat into a 6 ½ inch circle.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the disk into 6 slices.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and separate the scones - slice again if needed. Return to oven to bake for 7 -10 more minutes. Cover with foil if they get too brown.
- Remove and let cool. Prepare glaze.
For the glaze
- In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix with a fork until drizzle consistency. Drizzle over cooled scones.
Notes
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Let dough rest the full 30 minutes for the flour to hydrate.
- Scrape batter into a medium bowl to fold in the blackberries otherwise the food processor blades will get in the way.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then separate them. Return to the oven to finish baking. Cover with foil if they're getting too brown.
Bill
It’s in grams. 😢
Christine
Hi Bill,
It is, the reason why is weight is the most accurate measurement - and with GF baking, 1 teaspoon more or less of flour can ruin a recipe! Accuracy is everything.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Christine
judi
This looked perfect - until I saw the whey protein. Although whey isn't dairy, it's a key protein in dairy, and can be the source of issues for some people (like me). Mentioning this as an FYI for anyone else, not as a negative comment against the recipe or Christine! The recipe looks great and if there are no protein issues....incredible that it doesn't have so many "key" ingredients usually required for awesome desserts!
I might give it a go with my smoothie protein powder (earth chimp organic protein powder) and see what happens....at the worst, I pile (non dairy) ice cream on top of a yummy gloppy mess? LOL
Christine
Hi Judi,
That's a great point. I haven't tested it, but I would imagine a plant based protein powder would work equally well. Especially since it's only 20 grams. There was a time when I had a lot of requests for recipes with protein powder, not so many lately though!
Christine
Frank Craft
Like the previous comments I can’t quite understand why this is vegan when whey protein is made from milk ?
Christine
Hi Frank,
So they aren't vegan, there's an egg in the recipe. That brand of whey protein I use doesn't contain dairy. But yes, there's risk for cross contamination with lactose allergies.
~Christine
patricia
I too am unable to use whey. Would be nice to know how Judi came out with her experiment using regular protein powder.
Eugenia Doniz
Hi, is there a substitute for xathan gum?
Christine
Hi Eugenia,
There's a few - psyllium husk powder, flax seeds, chia seeds... in this recipe, psyllium husk would work well.
Christine
Diane
Can’t we just leave out the whey protein ? Would The recipe still work the same?
Christine
Hi Diane,
Yes! That's what we've come up with, just omit it.
Christine
Patricia
Unfortunately, whey protein is not truly dairy free for someone with a dairy allergy. Whey protein comes from milk in all instances, or it wouldn't be called whey. It can be confusing to state that the product you use is dairy free. Whey is from milk and someone with an allergy cannot use whey in any form. I would reclassify these and not include the dairy free tag on them. My dairy allergy is so sensitive, I cannot have foods with lactic acid that started as milk. Somehow the protein still exists.
Thank you for all your other recipes. I ordered the book and am waiting for it to arrive.
Christine
Hi Patricia,
Thank you, yes, I think what we've come up with is to omit it. I tested it again this weekend and there's not a whole lot of whey protein in the recipe...plus, there's xanthan gum to help with the binding anyway. I'm updating the post and recipe today.
Thank you for ordering my book 🙂
Christine
patricia
I am allergic to egg also. What would you recommend for an egg sub in this recipe?