Blueberry Lemon Scones (Gluten Friendly, 203 Calories!)
Blueberry Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ¼ cup almond milk unsweetened & vanilla
- 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup greek yogurt vanilla
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 cup blueberries fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Stir briefly and set aside to sit for 5 minutes. This creates a quick buttermilk that adds tenderness to the scones.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cut the cold unsalted butter into small cubes and add to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to squeeze and work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Do not overwork it. Those small butter pieces are what create flaky layers as the scones bake.
- Add the vanilla Greek yogurt, honey, lemon zest, and the lemon milk mixture to the bowl. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until the dough just comes together. It will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Add the fresh blueberries and fold them in carefully using a few gentle strokes. Try not to burst the berries as you fold. Stopping as soon as the blueberries are distributed is better than overmixing.
- Turn the dough out onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Divide into 8 equal portions and shape each one into a rough round about three quarters of an inch thick. Space them evenly apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of one scone comes out clean. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
MMMMM blueberries…. Gosh, I love me some scones and when you throw in blueberries….it hits that sweet spot. They are tender, slightly lemony, packed with fresh blueberries, and just sweet enough.
At 203 calories each they are the kind of thing you can have with your morning coffee and not think twice about.
The Greek yogurt keeps them moist and adds a little protein, the honey brings a natural sweetness, and the lemon zest ties everything together in a way that makes plain blueberry scones feel like they were missing something all along.
This is also a gluten friendly recipe using gluten free all purpose flour, so if you are cooking for someone who needs to avoid gluten or you just prefer to bake that way, these work beautifully without any modifications needed.
What Makes These Different from a Standard Scone
Most traditional scone recipes use heavy cream or regular buttermilk, but this one uses unsweetened vanilla almond milk with a little lemon juice stirred in, which creates a quick homemade buttermilk that does the same job at a fraction of the calories.
The vanilla Greek yogurt adds richness and moisture that keeps these from going dry the way a lot of lighter baked goods tend to do.
The result is a scone that is flaky on the outside, tender in the middle, and holds together well enough to eat out of hand without falling apart.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Cold butter is non-negotiable here. The small pieces of butter that stay intact as you work them into the flour are what create the flaky layers as the scones bake. If your butter gets too warm and blends completely into the dough you will end up with something more dense than flaky. Work quickly and if your kitchen is warm, pop the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start.
Fold the blueberries in gently at the very end with as few strokes as possible. Burst blueberries will turn the dough purple and make it harder to tell when the scones are baked through. A few gentle folds is all you need.
Do not skip the 10 minute rest after baking. The scones are very soft straight out of the oven and they firm up as they cool. Give them the time and they will slice and lift cleanly off the parchment.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, place in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes or microwave for 20 seconds.
