orange almond scones recipe [gluten free!]
we’ve made orange scones before but wow! the almond flavor in these really take it up a notch. and boy do these just taste cozy—who knew that was even possible? my brother-in-law ate four in a row and couldn’t believe he didn’t incur a stomach ache—i’ll take that as a win! delicious enough to eat 4 (the total remainder of the scones) and a “healthier” version where there’s no unknown junk in them (ie. ingredients we can’t even pronounce) to hurt your tummy. hoping you enjoy them as much as we have! off to go make another batch!
INGREDIENTS
orange almond scones dough
1 tbsp coconut oil :: for the baking dish
1 3/4 c. gluten-free flour :: we used King Arthur Baking Company Gluten Free Flour
1/4 c. cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp salted butter :: cold, grate the butter and place in freezer or cut into small cubes, keep in fridge until ready to use
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean or vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 large egg
1/3 c. slivered almonds
zest from 1 orange :: we used navel oranges
1/2 orange :: juiced
orange almond butter glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean or vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp butter :: melted
zest of 1 orange
1/2 orange :: juiced
INSTRUCTIONS
start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper or coating your baking dish in coconut oil
in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
once combined, toss frozen, grated butter into the flour mixture and use your hands to quickly mix the mixture together until it looks like course crumbs.
in a small-medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, vanilla, almond, egg, orange zest, and orange juice.
in your dry ingredients bowl, make a small well in the center and pour the wet ingredients into the well. gently mix all ingredients together with a fork until the dough becomes a shaggy dough. add in your almonds and mix to combine.
put the dough on parchment paper or onto your (clean!) counter and form the dough into a disc, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. if the dough is really dry, add a splash of orange juice.
using a bench scraper or large knife, cut the disc in half, then quarters. layer each quarter on top of one another and flatten out the dough to 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick again. repeat this step once more. this will help to create the layers.
once you’ve created your third wheel of dough, cut the circle into 8 even slices.
place your scones onto parchment paper or directly on a plate and place in the freezer for ~10 minutes to firm up the butter. while you wait, preheat your oven to 400*F.
from the freezer, if your scones are on parchment paper, placed them into your baking dish, otherwise take them off the plate and place them onto your coconut oiled baking dish. when you place them in the dish, separate the scones barely away from the other. the closer they are to one another, will create a more even raised scone.
bake your orange almond scones until lightly golden brown on the bottom, ~12 minutes. 12 minutes will be softer, 15 will be more firm. once out of the oven, remove from pan and place on a rack to cool completely.
orange almond butter glaze instructions
in a wide bowl (wide enough to dip your scones face-down into) mix together all orange almond butter glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, melted butter, orange zest, and orange juice) into a smooth pourable consistently. whisk until smooth.
once your scones are cool, carefully pick up and dip your scone top into the orange almond glaze to coat it, then return it to the rack to set the glaze.
your scones can be stored in an airtight container up to 5 days or frozen for 3-4 months wrapped well.
enjoy :-)