Gluten Free Cranberry Apricot Scones
Lately I’ve been baking a lot with oat flour but I never tried making scones with 100% oat flour. So for today’s recipe I created these wonderful gluten free cranberry apricot scones. Since they’re made with dried fruit, you can bake them year-round, regardless of season. They’re great with jam and cream spread over them, or with a piece of cheese on the side. Ideal as a snack at home, or on the go.
I like baking with oat flour not because it’s gluten free, but because it’s more nutritious than regular flour. And the best part is that it tastes delicious. So if you can increase the nutrient content without affecting the taste, why not?
Note: Oats are naturally gluten free, however, sometimes they can get contaminated during processing or packaging. If you cannot tolerate gluten, I recommend you buy oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.
While regular scones are a bit crumbly, these ones are a little more crumbly due to the lack of gluten. Don’t be alarmed if the dough feels a little gritty and crumbly. This is normal with all gluten free items. As the scones bake then cool to room temperature, they develop more structural integrity.
Since you’ll be using dried fruit, you will need a little juice to soak and hydrate them. I used orange juice, but you could also use cranberry or peach juice. Additionally, if only adults will eat these scones, you could also soak the fruit in alcohol. I would recommend something with a subtle flavour like white whine or vodka. Furthermore, I chose to keep the cranberries whole, but I diced the apricots to the same size as the cranberries.
When making these scones, I also used vanillated sugar. You can find it in most grocery stores that carry European produce, as well as online. I chose to use it over vanilla extract because I find it a bit stronger in flavour. However, you could use vanilla paste instead.
To decorate the scones, I opted to melt some white chocolate, then brushed it over the top of each scone. This step is optional, but I think it makes them look less plain. Especially if you’re planning on eating them on the go. You can also use milk or dark chocolate, or keep them plain to serve with jam and cream.
See more snack recipes here.
And this is how to make these tasty gluten free cranberry apricot scones:
Gluten Free Cranberry Apricot Scones
Servings 8 scones
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (250 g/ 8 ¾ oz.) oat flour
- 1 stick (115 g/ 4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml/ 4 ¼ fl.oz.) cream (35% fat content)
- ⅓ cup (70 g/ 2 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (35 g/ 1 ¼ oz.) dried cranberries
- ¼ cup (40 g/ 1 ½ oz.) dried apricots, chopped
- 1 tbsp. vanillated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- juice from one large orange
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2-3 tbsp. oat flour for dusting the work surface
- 100 g (3 ½ oz.) white chocolate, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place the orange juice, cranberries, and chopped apricots. Allow the fruit to soak for 10 minutes. Drain the excess juice and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Place the oat flour, salt, sugar, vanillated sugar, and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk them well. Finely dice the butter. Add it to the flour mix and rub with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the whipping cream and mix until dough holds together. Add the cranberries and chopped apricots.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times until the dough is smooth. Using your hands, gently shape the dough into a disc 2 cm (¾ inch) thick and cut it into 8 equal triangles. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake scones for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Allow the scones to cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Optional: Melt the white chocolate in bain-marie, and brush over the surface of the scones.
