Gluten-Free Skinny Lemon Blueberry Scones

Recipe featured in Gastropost Vancouver!

 

Confession: I love to bake.  I bake when I’m happy, I bake when I’m sad, I bake when I’m stressed and I love to bake for celebrations and get-togethers with family and friends.  There is something so calming about the process of mixing, measuring, and filling the house with the warm, sweet, comforting scent of baking (such as these killer gluten free lemon blueberry scones.)  It makes me feel like a domestic goddess in heels.

 

But alas my logical inner nutritionista balks at so many of the baking recipes out there- white flour, white sugar, refined and processed vegetable oils, heavy cream…  I simply cannot justify eating these highly processed and inflammatory foods myself, let alone serving them to those whom I care about the most.  So I modify and develop recipes to not only align with my nutritional values but also taste delicious and satisfying (I firmly that believe food should not only nourish and strengthen the body but also feed the soul) and be fun to make.

 

 

My most recent project has been the classic scone.  Now baking greats like Martha Stewart and Anna Olson have some beautiful recipes for blueberry scones that taste delicious, but they are far from healthy and figure-friendly.  For example take this recipe by Anna Olson.  As printed one of these babies weighs in at 375 calories, 18 grams of fat (with almost 11g being saturated), 49 grams of carbs and 23 grams of sugar.  Wow!

 

I got to work and came up with my own healthier and gluten-free version of lemon blueberry scones instead adapted from the above recipe.  This is what I came up with and this ultra-easy scone recipe has won the taste testers’ stamp of approval!  Bring these to your next girls’ brunch or book club meeting and prepare to amaze your friends!

 

Not only are they delicious but they are so much healthier, with one scone weighing in at 136 calories, 6 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbs and just under 5 grams of sugar.  You would never know that they are a much healthier version let alone gluten-free.  These gluten free blueberry scones are best enjoyed warm with a cup of strong green tea and maybe a little lean protein on the side.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Gluten-Free Skinny Lemon Blueberry Scones with Honey and Vanilla Bean Glaze

 

Scones:
2 cups whole grain gluten-free flour blend
1/4 cup fine coconut sugar or Sucanat
1 tablespoon aluminum and gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea or Himalayan salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
1/2 cup chilled unsalted organic butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened fat free organic plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup organic milk of choice (low fat unsweetened almond, coconut, goat or whatever milk you prefer), plus extra for brushing
1 large organic egg
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or unsweetened frozen blueberries

 

Honey and Vanilla Bean Glaze:
1 Tb raw wildflower or clover honey
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla bean powder

 

Scones:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or Silpat.

 

Sift the gluten free flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest until well combined. Using a pastry blender or two forks cut in the butter until the mixture is rough and crumbly but still small pieces of butter are visible.
In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, milk, egg and vanilla together. Add this to the flour mixture and stir to just bring the dough together, turning out onto a gluten-free floured work surface to complete bringing it together with your hands.  The dough will be very sticky.  Keep your hands moistened with water (but not wet) to help prevent the stickiness from getting out of control. Flatten the dough out and press the blueberries into the dough, folding it over and flattening it out a few times to incorporate the blueberries.

 

Shape the dough into an even-thickness rectangle about 10-inches across. Using a cookie cutter or knife, (moisten with water between cuts to minimize sticking), cut into 16 pieces (reshaping and flattening the remaining dough as needed if using a cookie cutter) and place them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a few inches between them. Brush the scones with a little milk (optional) and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are lightly browned on top.

 

If serving immediately, partially cool the scones before glazing.  If you are not serving immediately or prefer a more set glaze, cool completely before glazing and allow the glaze to set for at least an hour before serving.

 

Glaze:

While the scones are baking, whisk the honey, lemon juice, vanilla bean powder and lemon zest in a small bowl until combined and drizzle over the scones using the whisk or a fork. Enjoy!

 

*These are also vegan-adaptable if you use the same amounts of chilled coconut oil instead of butter, unsweetened almond or coconut yogurt instead of plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened non-dairy milk, your choice of egg replacer equal to one large egg and maple syrup instead of honey.

 

 

How did these scones turn out for you?  Please let us know in the comments below and on Facebook!

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© 2013 Nutritionista.  Erin Luyendyk, RHN.  All rights reserved.

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