Grain-free Chocolate Chip Scones

As my regular readers and good friends know well, I'm a baker.  I learned to bake well before I touched a skillet or held a paring knife.  I love creating beautiful, sweet treats that fill my house with wonderful smells.  I can easily pull together traditional cookies, cakes, pastries, muffins, and breads, but I enjoy the extra challenge of making them healthier.  If I can get my husband, friends, and coworkers to enjoy more wholesome options and crave them as much as the "regular" version, I consider the recipe a success.

Greg and I really like scones.  They're delicious dipped in almond milk, coffee, or even a frothy cappuccino.  Most traditional scones are made with white flour and sugar, which can be inflammatory to the digestive tract and can raise blood sugar and insulin levels when eaten regularly, leading to increased disease risk over time.  These scones, adapted  from The Healthy Cooking Coach, are made with almond flour, which is basically almonds that have been ground to a fine consistency.  They also contain honey, a sweetener I prefer over refined sugar because it is a good source of minerals and antioxidants and has antimicrobial properties.  I loved this recipe because I already had all of the ingredients in my pantry!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (mine is from Trader Joe's)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup melted extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large organic eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (I happened to have unsweetened baking chocolate and added some stevia to make up for the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and eggs.

Coconut oil

 

Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined, then fold in the chocolate. 

 

Drop the batter, in scant 1/4 cups 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets.

 

 

Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Let the scones cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheets, then serve. 

 

Check out who was helping me bake:

Miss Molly Malone was over for a play date

Enjoy!

*M*