In my college town, a combination pizzeria and bakery sat on the very edge of downtown, right next to the railroad tracks in a tiny faded yellow storefront no larger than an airport coffee stand. While tourists and incoming freshmen generally overlooked it due to its quaint size and location, all of the locals considered it one of the best pizza places in town.
With their main bakery production facility on the other side of the city, the owners opted to drive over a fresh batch of pastries every morning and install a few brick ovens in the back of the storefront, which took up much less space than traditional bakery ovens, to prepare just the pizzas on site. They offered all of the classic flavors, like Margherita and meat lovers’, to more interesting ones, like eggplant with feta and roasted bell peppers with goat cheese, all on a thin crispy crust with barely a hint of char from those brick ovens.
Throughout the day, they baked fresh pizzas to cut into jumbo slices (bigger than my face!) and placed those in a glass display case next to the cash register. Rotating between four classic styles—cheese, pepperoni, Hawaiian, and vegetarian—they quickly sold those individual slices because the majority of college patrons loved stopping by for an easy lunch or dinner after class.
While most of my friends stood in line for a slice or two, I occasionally opted for a fresh salad from their refrigerated display along with a leftover pastry. They discounted their breakfast treats to $1 or less after 4 pm, and I always looked forward to those tender muffins or buttery scones! While I loved the flavors of their blueberry scones the most, those treats sometimes turned a little dry and crumbly as they sat, so I swore that when I finally baked my own at home, I’d make them the exact opposite and incredibly tender.
So that’s what I did with these Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones! They’re perfectly tender, with just a hint of sweetness, and positively bursting with juicy berries. Unlike those bakery’s scones, these are much healthier with no refined flour or sugar and nearly 5g of protein!
To start, you’ll use white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier strain of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour (and perfect for these scones!), but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute, and I’ve included my preferred gluten-free option in the Notes section as well.
Unlike traditional scones that depend on a full stick or two of butter and heavy cream for a tender texture, this healthier recipe requires just 2 tablespoons of butter. Yes, that’s it! It’s extremely important that the butter is cold, straight from the fridge. With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.
Note: This is why I recommend against using coconut oil, if at all possible, because coconut oil has a much lower melting point than butter and will quickly turn to liquid once you begin mixing it into the dough.
With just 2 tablespoons of butter, the rest of these scones’ tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. Do you know what it is? I’m sure you do… It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your scones a protein boost too!
And now for the best part… Fresh blueberries! Sweet, juicy, fruity pockets of bliss folded into that buttery, tender scone dough. Seriously, does life get any better than biting into one of those purpley gems?? Especially warm and fresh from the oven… Mmmmmmmmmm.
Pure perfection! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! ?) I’d love to see your scones!
| The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (80g) fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center, and add in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Stir until just incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Using a spatula, shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free version, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if they’re measured like this.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
In a pinch, coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but the texture of the scones will be affected. Very cold butter is required to achieve their tender texture, and since coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature, the results will not be the same.
Frozen and thawed blueberries may be substituted for the fresh. They may stain the dough a slightly gray color, but the flavor will remain the same.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
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Thanks for this fabulous looking recipe. I am makings them tonight. But wondering if the blueberries would freeze well in the baked scones or would dried cranberries be better if freezing them.
I’m honored that you’d like to try making these scones, Sharon! Either will work. I haven’t had any issues with using blueberries when I’ve frozen these scones after they’ve been baked!
If you’d like to try using dried cranberries instead, then I highly recommend hydrating them first. It makes a big difference in their taste and texture! If you’d like to try doing that too (no pressure — just thought I’d offer to share!), then here’s what I do…
Add the dried cranberries to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, and cover the top of the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the dried cranberries sit for at least 10 minutes (or while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients). Thoroughly drain the excess liquid before folding them into the dough. This makes them plump and juicy! 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones, regardless of which version that you try!
These are absolutely delicious. SUPER easy recipe but no guilt at all.
I’m so excited that you loved these scones, Heikura! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — it means a lot!
Hi there! Can I use almond flour for this recipe? I saw your note as well on how to measure flours but just wanted to be sure. Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Leslie! I typically don’t recommend that substitution in my scone recipes. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Almond flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, scones, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. Does that make sense?
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with almond flour (where your scones may collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making these blueberry scones!
Problem with almond flour also is it spikes calories twice as high as regular flour. If avoiding gluten use oatflour. If trying to make a keto scone? Almond flour will be a mealy heavy unpleasant high calorie brick not a true scone.
It was a bit dry, but with some butter it was YUM. 🙂 I appreciated how easy it was!
Hiya, hope your well. Can you provide the nutrition value for these please? Also how long should they keep in a air tight container?
Thanks 🙂
Tried this recipe for the first time and popped them in the oven 20 minutes before my husband’s family was due to arrive to celebrate our daughter’s tea party themed birthday. Quite a leap of faith!
They turned out great. Softer, more moist and a bit heavier than I would expect from a typical scone. But they still had a bit of a crumbly, biscuit-like texture on the outside. Since we were topping them with clotted cream and jam, it was nice to know they weren’t already made entirely of butter like a typical scone.
Oh my goodness — I’m so honored that you tried my recipe as part of your extra special birthday celebrations, Lisa! That’s such a huge compliment. I’m glad they turned out well, and I hope everyone enjoyed them! Happy birthday to your daughter too!
Love them! Soft from inside with a bit of crunch on the outside. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you like them, Jo! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
How many calories / protein / etc on each scone ?
The full nutrition information is actually included directly underneath the recipe! I know it can be easy to miss. 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you try making them, Alma!
I used whole wheat flour. The amount of butter indicated was not enough to make it crumbly so I added a little more. It still came out dry and tasteless. Three tablespoons of maple syrup is not enough sweetener for my taste as I could hardly taste it. Although I wanted to make it healthier, I don’t recommend using whole wheat flour as I think it ruined the recipe.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Deborah! That sounds disappointing and not like how these scones should turn out at all. I’d love to help figure out why that happened with your batch! In order to do so, I have some questions for you. 🙂
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, other than using regular whole wheat flour?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure the ingredients — especially the flour, maple syrup, and milk?
If you used the latter, can you describe how you used them to measure the flour?
How much extra butter did you end up adding to make the dough come together?
Can you describe the texture of the dough once you added the extra butter? Did it fully hold together and look like my dough in the video above the recipe?
How long did you bake your scones?
What did they look like after you finished baking them? Can you describe their color, how much they rose, etc?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit and how to fix it once I know your answers to all of them!
Hello, I made this recipe today and the scones came out doughy and the inside tasted raw. This is my first time baking with gluten-free flour, so I’m not quite sure what went wrong.
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Angie! That sounds disappointing and not like how these scones are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you. 🙂
Other than the gluten-free flour, did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
What’s the exact gluten-free flour blend that you used? Was it the homemade blend I recommended in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients, especially the flour, maple syrup, and milk?
Did you happen to add all of the milk to the dough, rather than just 3 tablespoons?
Did you use fresh or frozen blueberries?
How thick was your disc of dough prior to baking?
How long did you bake your scones?
Were they a light golden color, deep golden, or something else when you removed them from the oven?
Did they collapse at all while cooling?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
great texture! Preschooler and parents alike loved this!
Oh, and I used gluten-free flour!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed these scones, Melinda! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It really means a lot! 🙂