I have a big family, with a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of different dietary requirements! Two of us cannot consume gluten or dairy, one of us has a nut-allergy, and four of the boys have gigantic appetites. I need to feed the troops, so to speak, and I always aim to do that as nutritiously and deliciously as possible.
Recipes that do not contain gluten, refined sugars, seed oils, and sometimes dairy are often tagged as “paleo” (some paleo eaters insist that dairy is indeed paleo, but I’ll leave that debate aside). But, we’d be kidding ourselves if we said that paleolithic eaters ate delicious scones made of honey and gluten-free flour. I do tag recipes as “paleo” when it meets the requirements so that readers with certain dietary preferences know what they’re looking at. But, the scientist in me also does have to note that baked treats probably weren’t shared in the caves of our ancestors.
However, I do love that paleo-inspired recipes often reduce calories, added sugars, and overall energy load. This lightens up recipes, kicks-out super high sugar content, and often introduces some healthy fats and fiber. That’s what happened with these scones.
My family loves a good baked treat, and they especially love some sort of a snack bread with their coffee. My Dad, with his Irish taste buds, particularly loves that combo. So to keep things a little lower in sugar and calories, I like to introduce paleo-inspired treats like these scones.
Fortunately, they met all dietary restrictions throughout the group (nut-free, DF, and GF) and everyone absolutely devoured them! I had to make another batch to feed the next round of mouths that came over for Easter. The trick is to get a very good crumb when you add your fat–either butter, ghee, or coconut oil–to your dry ingredients. So keep the fat cold all the way up to the moment you use it. Baking these at a high-temp also helps make them fluffy and golden-brown.
I absolutely loved these Honey Oatmeal Golden Raisin Scones. They are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and paleo-friendly. I hope you love these as much as we did. Enjoy!
Honey Oatmeal Golden Raisin Scones
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (1-for-1 GF flour)
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 6 tbsp cold butter, ghee, or coconut oil (if using butter, cube it. If using coconut oil or ghee, add 1 tbsp at a time)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (this comes in a can and must be stirred first)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- With clean hands, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a separate bowl, fold the coconut milk, egg, vanilla extract, and honey together. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, incorporating them gently just until combined. Fold the golden raisins into the batter.
- Transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat down with your hands until a disk forms. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 500º F while you cut the scones. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, and pat it into a uniform 8-inch round disk. Run a little butter or oil along the blade of a large knife. Slice the dough into quarters, and then halve each quarter. Slide the knife under each scone to transfer it gently to the prepared baking sheet. If you're having trouble managing the dough, add a little GF flour to your hands and be sure to oil the knife.
- Reduce oven temperature to 425º F. Place the sheet on a rack in the center of the oven.
- Bake for 6 minutes, and then rotate the sheet. Bake for another 6 minutes. Scones should be very golden-brown and fragrant. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before eating. Enjoy!