Happy Monday + Gluten Free Scones

Exactly 5 days from today will be my 25th birthday! I can’t wait because my boyfriend and I planned a really fun trip together for that weekend. I know Friday is a pamper day for me with a manicure and pedicure. Then I’m picking up some amazing cupcakes to enjoy for my birthday week! I can’t wait to show you guys how delicious they are. Although it will be a fun weekend, turning 25 hasn’t exactly hit me yet. I guess you could say it’s a big deal because it is your quarter century birthday. But I just don’t feel it yet!! I’ll probably feel like, “Gosh I am getting old!” But in reality I know I’m still young. ;)

I made these delicious scones over the weekend. I’ve been meaning to make them for over a month now and finally decided to get to business. These scones are very nutty and slightly sweet. I had one with an afternoon iced coffee and it kept me fueled up for grocery shopping during the afternoon. I didn’t have any dried apricots, so I subbed in dried mango instead. These will help me get through the work week during my afternoon break. I found the recipe from Elana’s Pantry for Gluten Free Muesli Scones.

Gluten Free Muesli Scones
Adapted from Elana’s Pantry

Ingredients
2 cups almond meal (a bit heavier than blanched almond flour)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried mangoes, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 large egg
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet on medium heat, toast the sunflower and sesame seeds. Every few minutes mix and shake the pan so the seeds get toasted evenly. Once you start to smell them, remove from heat and pour into a medium bowl to cool off.

To the bowl of seeds, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in the dried fruit and nuts. In a small bowl combine the egg and agave nectar.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Wet hands with water and form the dough into 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 square that is about 3/4” thick. Cut the dough into 16 pieces place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes and remove. Cool on baking sheet and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. (Some pieces were just too small, so I ended up combining them so they all be about the same size. I ended up with 13 scones, rather then 16.)

     

Enjoy,

Fallon

Amazing Chocolate Toffee Cream Scones!

 
So I baked something AGAIN last night because I had some extra heavy cream and didn't want to waste it. I'm glad to announce I had no baking disasters. *Knocks on wood* Hopefully my baking curse has gone away! Can you believe I've never tried a scone before? I've watched on Food Network how to make them and I know they use lots of butter (Hello Paula Deen!). Well over on Katrina's blog, Baking and Boys she been taking some cooking demo classes at her local food market. How cool is that? She shared some of her recipes and one of them were these cream scones. I looked at the ingredients and couldn't believe how little it asked for and the process to put it together. Can you say easy? I think Rachael Ray could do this, even though she said she never bakes! 

Basically you put all the dry ingredients in a bowl, whisk it a few times to incorporate everything and smooth everything out. Add the ingredients together, then pour in the cream. Easy! I used 1 bowl and a spatula, plus measuring cups. Easy clean up for sure. I made a half batch because I wasn't sure I'd have 1 cup of cream to use. I knew I'd be freezing the finish product anyways. Found out the other day my father has high cholesterol again and he must get his weight down as well. So baking won't do him any good! Surprisingly I don't eat much of what I bake. I lick the chocolate bowls, and I always try a piece of the final product. Making sure it okay to give to people, hehe. Other then that I could care less if its in the kitchen. I rather go for the jar of almond butter or grab a bowl of fruit! So who usually eats it? My dad!! I will sometimes freeze a few cookies or in this case 6 scones. That way if I wanted something baked I can grab it out of the freezer or if I have guests unexpected I'm always prepared with something from the freezer. Just make sure you wrap them well and use freezer bags! 

Sadly this will probably be one of my last baking posts for awhile. Even though my dad needs to watch what he eats, I'd like to lose a few pounds as well. Licking those chocolate bowls don't always help! I will be sharing my meals I make and snacks I enjoy. This will help you get an idea of who I am and my lifestyle I live. I love being in the kitchen and baking, but I'm also really concerned about being healthy, working out, and getting proper nutrition. Scones aren't exactly the most healthiest thing, but a treat here and there is always nice to enjoy! 

Anyways, the scones. The prep time is max 15 minutes and baking is 13-15 minutes. Before you know it, fresh scones! These are great to make fresh in the morning if you are making a fancy breakfast or having a brunch gathering! Even great for baby and bridal showers. You can get the full recipe on Katrina's blog here or below I have my scaled down recipe with an addition of pure vanilla extract. I think vanilla has to be in most baking goods or it just isn't the same!  

Chocolate Toffee Cream Scones (adapted from Katrina: recipe from Paige Vandegrift)  

Ingredients 
 1 cup all purpose flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used kosher salt) 
1/8 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus a little more for brushing on the tops) 
Few drops of pure vanilla extract 
Turbinado sugar (for sprinkling on the tops) 
 1/4 cup toffee Bits (Hershey's Heath) 
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips ( Nestle Toll-house Semi Sweet)  

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Whisk to blend well. Add the "mix-ins." Stir in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula while pouring the cream, continuing to stir until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly (8-10 times). Pat the dough into a circle 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Cut the circles into 8 wedges (some came out smaller then others) and place the wedges an inch or so apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet ( I used a cookie sheet with cooking spray). Brush each scone with cream and sprinkle generously with raw sugar.

Bake at 425°F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. (Katrina cooked hers for 13 minutes, I went the full 15 and they were semi- well done on the bottom. 13 minutes is enough!) Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes and then transfer to wire rack and cool.

Ready to go in the oven.
  Nice shot of the sugar on top and chocolate/toffee in the scone.
  The toffee melted but cooled off afterwards, plus warm chocolate? Mmm
 

This recipe is so versatile, that you can always change up the mix-ins. How about white chocolate and macadamia nuts? Dried fruit? The add-ins are endless. Which makes this a great recipe! Katrina, thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
With all the trips I make to Starbucks I've never even tried one of their scones! I'm more of a biscotti girl when it comes to a baked good with coffee, but I'm trying to behave :). I will make these again, perhaps around the holidays. I'm not sure how different they would taste from a scone with butter but these cream scones were light and cakey. I'm thinking once the weather cools off in Iraq this be fun to send to my boyfriend. Also great for the upcoming holidays that are right around the corner. Yes it already September 1st. I can't believe it but I'm also excited for the weather to cool down!  

Until next time, 
Fallon