Apple Cinnamon Scones (Paleo, Sugar Free)
I love a scone or a biscuit. These decadent quick breads are actually what I miss the most from my gluten eating days. It’s no wonder I’ve created so many biscuit and scone recipes over the years. Since it is fall and maybe you’re sick of pumpkin spice by now, I thought I’d share this old family favorite – apple spice scones. One of the special things about this recipe is that they’re actually sugar free. That’s right – the only sweetness here comes from the shredded apples. Now, because I primarily make these for consumption by growing teenagers, I will sometimes add a powdered sugar glaze as you see below. I prefer them plain (warmed up, of course) or with a little butter.
These scones are a quick recipe to throw together and make a way better breakfast than cereal or a packaged bar!
Make-ahead tip: These scones freeze beautifully so go ahead and make a double batch and keep some in the freezer for busy mornings. I keep mine refrigerated so they will last up to two weeks. Though, in reality, they’re always long gone before that!
Apple Cinnamon Scones
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cold lard or palm shortening grass-fed butter works as well
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 medium tart apples, peeled and shredded
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
Optional Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1-2 tsp. water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients and then work in butter or shortening with your fingers until you achieve a coarse crumb texture. Now peel and grate the apples and mix those into the crumbs. While you're mixing, chop up the apple shreds a bit so they aren't too long. When they're too long, they tend to stick out of the dough and burn while baking.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, mix egg and milk and gently add to dry ingredients, folding until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- You can roll out the dough and cut into triangles, which is the traditional scone shape, or just use a scoop to make round scones. I use an approximately quarter cup scoop and that makes 11-12 medium sized scones. One scone of this size makes a nice serving for me. My son says three this size is good for him. 🙂
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and no longer dough-y in the middle. Bake time will depend on the size of the scones you make.
- If using the glaze, mix all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over cooled scones.
- Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.