Gluten-free scones are a trick. They absolutely don’t taste like the real thing–ever. No recipe I’ve tried has been as flakey and buttery as the real thing.

BUT that doesn’t mean I stop trying to find a “perfect” gluten-free scone.

Half the time, that means I indulge in the real thing, while the other half, that means I pull out thirty ingredients to make something I could make with about five. Really, it’s laziness that keeps me from making these scones more often. Well, and the fact that they just don’t taste quite like the real thing.

I know, I’m really not doing much for my recipe, am I?

But here’s the thing, I’ve found that using almond flour and oat flour makes me like gluten-free scones more. It’s true. There are so blasted many gluten-free flours these days that it’s really overwhelming. Because I don’t have to cook gluten-free, I can kind of cheat when I want to. Lots of people don’t have that ability. So when I make gluten-free scone recipes, I want them to taste good. I want people to not miss anything about the “real thing.”

And so I’ve found that a mixture of flours (almond, oat, and coconut here) is really the best solution to the no-wheat-flour problem. Because there really isn’t a true substitute for the real thing in scones. It’s just not the same. However, it can be tasty in its own right. And that counts for something, right? 😉

These scones are great if you also have a dairy issue or even an egg issue. While I do call for an egg in the original recipe, you can omit it, just be prepared for your scones to be a little more crumbly. If you want, you can try an egg substitute, such as flaxseed or chia seeds, but I haven’t personally tried that with this recipe yet.

I like to use a scoop for gluten-free scones because I find that they maintain a bit more air in their crumb when I do. So I gently pat down the scoop of dough so that it holds together and try not to compress it more than necessary to avoid an overly dense scone. If you don’t mind dense scones, feel free to press them into the more traditional scone shape.

GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Yield: 16 scones
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 oz almond flour (finely ground) (1 cup)
8 oz GF oat flour (2 cups)
1.2 oz coconut flour (4 tbsp)
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground clove
4 tbsp unsalted butter (or dairy-free substitute)
1 cup GF chocolate chips
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 egg, lightly whisked
heavy cream, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup (dairy-free alternative: full-fat canned coconut milk)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. 

2. Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt, clove) in a food processor and pulse to mix.

3. Add the butter, chopped into pieces, and pulse until uniform.

4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and add the pumpkin. Whisk to combine. Keep the bowl.

5. Add the pumpkin-egg mixture to the dry ingredients and pulse to mix.

6. Add heavy cream until the dough just comes together.

7. Turn out into the medium bowl and add 1 cup of gluten-free chocolate chips. Give a few kneads to evenly distribute the chips. 

8. On a parchment lined baking sheet, turn out the dough and press into a rectangular log about 1/2-inch high. Cut into 8 rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally in half to make 16 scones. Separate the scones on the baking sheet so that they are at least 2 inches apart from one another. 

9. Bake at 450F for about 10-12 minutes, or until browning on top. Remove and let cool for several minutes before enjoying. (Taste great with a glass of cold milk!)