Cranberry Scones {Paleo}

When I was developing this recipe, I almost didn’t expect to like these scones.

I wanted a snack to go with an afternoon cup of tea that would fill me up without sending me crashing off a sugar high in a couple hours, so I tried to keep it a bit light on the sweetener. But once I popped these scones into the oven I started doubting if they’d be sweet enough because of the tartness of cranberries. It’s a good thing I didn’t start having these doubts until the scones were in the oven; otherwise, I probably would have messed around with the recipe.

I don’t know how it worked out, but in the end I’ll just chalk it up to some kind of culinary magic. Not only are these scones well-balanced flavor-wise, but they’re surprisingly moist. They’re also just dense enough to not be cake-like and just fluffy enough not to be cookie-like (read: perfect scone texture!).

Don’t be afraid of the tartness of cranberries; in this recipe, it just works.

Just in case paleo scones are your thing, but cranberries aren’t, here are a few other tasty looking recipes from around the internet:

Almond + Vanilla Scones from Healthy Chef

Chocolate Chip Cookie Scones from Taylor Made It Paleo

Grain-Free Dark Chocolate Cherry Scones from Nom Nom Paleo

Lemon Blueberry Scones from Cook Eat Paleo

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones from SlimPalate

Pumpkin Scones from SuperGlue Mom

Cranberry Scones {Paleo}

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Yield: 4 small scones/2 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (95 g) almond meal
¼ cup (32 g) arrowroot flour
¼ cup (26 g) flaxseed meal
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon ground mahlab (optional, but highly recommended)
½ cup fresh cranberries, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F; line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
Whisk together the coconut oil and coconut palm sugar, and then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
Stir in the almond meal, arrowroot flour, flaxseed meal, salt, baking soda, and mahlab with a wooden spoon; stir in the cranberries. Let the batter sit for 3 minutes.
Divide the batter into 4 equal parts; roll each part into a ball, then place it on the prepared baking sheet and flatten the ball slightly. (If the batter is too sticky, slightly wet your hands to help prevent the batter from sticking.)
Bake until the scones are puffed and golden on the bottom, about 18 to 22 minutes.