Bake a batch of my grain-free dark chocolate cherry scones if you’re craving a paleo-friendly, grain-free treat!
The homemade scones are crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and dotted with dried cherries and dark chocolate.
I’m glad I’m no longer addicted to bread products, but I still feel an occasional twinge of nostalgia for scones – crusty, with a tender crumb, and just a touch of fruity sweetness.
Henry’s to blame for this grain-free scone recipe. He created a cinnamon apple scone for our iOS app many years ago—one of my favorite Paleo treats!—and ever since, I’ve been experimenting with new and different variations.
After months of testing, I’ve finally landed on my favorite: dark chocolate and cherries. With an almond flour base, these scones marry three of my favorite ingredients, and they just so happen to taste fantastic together. But just to be sure, I figured I needed to make one more batch. (All in the name of responsible recipe development, of course. It had nothing to do with my love for chocolatey scones. NOTHING!)
Once the kids were off to school, I had the house to myself for a few hours this morning, so I cranked up the oven and broke out the chocolate. Less than an hour later, my kitchen was filled with the warm scent of freshly-baked scones.
As usual, after trying one, I had to banish the rest of the batch from the house for fear I’d eat the whole tray in one sitting. (Calories do still matter, you know.) But don’t let me dissuade you from making these incredible scones. Just save one for yourself, and give the rest away as holiday treats!
Wanna watch a replay of me cooking this recipe live in my kitchen with the boys? Check out my Facebook Live cooking demo here.
Ingredients
- Blanched almond flour
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Chilled butter, ghee, or coconut oil
- Eggs
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- 80% cacao dark chocolate, cut into bite-size chunks
- Dried cherries
How to make grain free dark chocolate cherry scones
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
Use your hands, two forks, or a pastry cutter to work the pieces of cold butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture is produced. (Pro-tip: You can also grate the frozen butter before mixing with the dry ingredients.)
In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk together the eggs, apple cider vinegar, honey, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour the egg mixture into it.
Gently mix with a spatula until a wet, chunky dough forms, and then throw in the chocolate chunks and cherries.
Combine the ingredients with your hands, and form two small balls of dough.
On a sheet of parchment paper or a nonstick surface, gently flatten the balls with your hands. The rounds of dough should be about ¾-inch thick. (If the dough’s a little too sticky to handle add a little more almond flour or refrigerate it for a half hour to firm it up before proceeding.)
Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut each round of dough into 4 equal-sized wedges, and arrange all 8 pieces on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The scones are ready when they’re golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the scones onto a wire rack to cool before serving.
I’m not the only one in the house who fell victim to the charms of these chocolatey scones today.
If you have leftovers, freeze them! They reheat really well: pop them straight from the freezer into a preheated 325°F oven and bake for 5 minutes or until warmed through.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Grain-Free Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups 360 grams blanched almond flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons 56.7 grams butter, as cold as possible (preferably frozen)
- 2 large pastured eggs
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons 42 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ounces 85 grams 80+% cacao dark chocolate, cut into bite-size chunks
- ⅓ cup 40 grams dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
- Use your hands, two forks, or a pastry cutter to work the pieces of cold butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture is produced. (Pro-tip: You can also grate the frozen butter before mixing with the dry ingredients.)
- In a separate bowl, thoroughly whisk together the eggs, apple cider vinegar, honey, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour the egg mixture into it.
- Gently mix with a spatula until a wet, chunky dough forms, and then throw in the chocolate chunks and cherries.
- Combine the ingredients with your hands, and form two small balls of dough.
- On a sheet of parchment paper or a nonstick surface, gently flatten the balls with your hands. The rounds of dough should be about ¾-inch thick. (If the dough’s a little too sticky to handle add a little more almond flour or refrigerate it for a half hour to firm it up before proceeding.)
- Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut each round of dough into 4 equal-sized wedges, and arrange all 8 pieces on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The scones are ready when they’re golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the scones onto a wire rack to cool before serving.
Notes
- You can use chilled coconut oil or ghee in place of butter!
- You can freeze extras! They reheat well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were awesome! Thank you for recipe. I used food processor to make it easier to combine butter and flour.
Would coconut oil work as a substitute for butter?
Tried this recipe today! It was quick and easy, baked out beautifully, and is such a great treat/snack! I did find that 40g of dried cherries was not enough, or I did not mix/distribute it well. I would make it again, and maybe try different mix-ins! Thank you!!
I made these with frozen cherries and fresh apricots. I substituted 6T unsweetened applesauce for the 2 eggs (since I can’t eat eggs). I also added zest of a large lemon, and black sesame seeds. I added an extra T coconut flour to absorb extra moisture from the fruit. I give it four stars because I think the texture could have been better.
I’m glad you were able to change the recipe to fit your allergies but the texture does come out differently when you change ingredients!