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About a week ago, we loaded up our car to drive to San Diego for Grandpaâs memorial service. We managed to fit in four people, our duffel bags and backpacks, two dogs, their dog beds, a flute, a trumpet, and our sanity. (And we even brought back a fifth person when we drove home!) Â
We eased out of the driveway shortly after 7 am, heading the opposite direction of typical morning rush hour traffic until we merged onto I-5 for the 8+ hour trip. By taking the scenic route when we reached Southern California, partially to avoid LA traffic, we extended the trip a little longerâbut our sanity remained intact!
With our two dogs, we stopped a few more times than usual to give them bathroom breaks, along with our typical lunch stopâIn âN Out Burgers for everyone else, a fresh salad for me!âand pit stops to refill the gas tank. We also hopped off the freeway for a bit to drive past my parentsâ undergraduate university and their old apartment building. Quite a fun trip down memory lane for Mom!
But with two almost constantly hungry boys in the backseat, we packed plenty of snacks to tide everyone over in between rest stops. They brought crackers, Fig Newton cookies, kettle-cooked potato chips, chocolate barsâŠ
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And I tucked in my carrot cake granola bar bites and these Healthy Raspberry Almond Scones for two slightly more wholesome options! Despite the tempting allure of those store-bought cookies and chips, these scones still disappeared first! And with no refined flour or sugar and extra protein, none of us felt guilty about that!
To make these healthy scones, youâll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds a little strange, almost like a paradox, doesnât it? However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, which really lets these sconesâ tender texture shine. Even better, it has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: I included my favorite gluten-free flour blend in the Notes section, if you prefer!
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Next, youâll cut in a small amount of very cold butter. Just 2 tablespoons! The rest of these sconesâ tender texture comes from Greek yogurt (one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking!). It adds the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your scones a protein boost, too!
However, itâs very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isnât necessary for this recipe!) The very cold butter wonât heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, which then creates 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.
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To sweeten your scones, youâll skip the refined sugar and use pure maple syrup instead. Be sure you buy the real kind! Skip the pancake and sugar-free syrups because they contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which weâre avoiding in this healthy recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be âmaple syrup,â and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs. (Iâve bought it online here!)
Of course, we canât forget two of the most important ingredients⊠Almond extract and fresh raspberries! Almond extract is my all-time favorite baking extract, and it gives these scones an extra fancy flavor. As for the raspberries, be sure to cut them to be about the same size as chocolate chips to ensure the scones bake evenly. (Frozen and thawed will work in a pinch!)
Just before popping the scones in the oven, youâll slice them into 8 triangular segments and brush the tops and sides with milk. This last part helps seal moisture into the dough so their centers stay extremely tender, and the outsides get a hint of a crust while baking.
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Time to eat! ⥠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 Iâll see your picture! ?) Iâd love to see your scones and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Raspberry Almond Scones | Print |
- 1 œ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 œ tsp baking powder
- Πtsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- œ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 tsp almond extract
- œ cup (70g) fresh raspberries, diced
- 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. Stir in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and almond extract. Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Using a spatula, shape the dough into a Ÿâ tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Bake at 425°F for 17-20 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, ÂŒ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ÂŒ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if theyâre measured like this.
Itâs very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isnât necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it wonât 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.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
If you arenât a fan of almond extract, vanilla extract may be substituted instead.
Cut the raspberries to be about the size of chocolate chips to ensure the scones bake evenly. Frozen and thawed raspberries that have been patted dry to remove excess moisture from thawing may be substituted for the fresh raspberries.
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.
You can see my video of how to make scones here. (It's for a very similar recipe, located right above the recipe!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
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You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŠ
â„Â Â Â Healthy Raspberry Almond Mini Muffins
â„Â Â Â Healthy Raspberry Almond Cheesecake Bars
â„Â Â Â Greek Yogurt Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
â„Â Â Â Healthy Raspberry Dark Chocolate Bark
â„Â Â Â Raspberry Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookies
â„Â Â Â Healthy Single-Serving Raspberry Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
â„Â Â Â Raspberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
â„Â Â Â Healthy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
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I measured them in millilitres.
We’ve found the culprit! Kitchen scales canât actually measure fluid ounces or mL. I know many of them say they can, but itâs not true… and it drives me nuts. đ
Scales can only measure weights, not volumes! This is because just about all liquids (other than water!) have a different density than 1g/mL, so the weight of 3 tablespoons (45 mL or 1 Âœ fluid ounces) will differ between nearly all liquid ingredients because volume is independent of density… Whereas weight is directly related to density. Kitchen scales arenât programmed with all of those different densities, so while they may *say* theyâre measuring fluid ounces, theyâre still just measuring weights.
By weighing the milk and maple syrup, rather than using a measuring cup, you actually ended up adding less than the recipe calls for. That missing liquid volume is what made your scones dry and not as sweet as they should’ve been!
So I always recommend using a scale for solid ingredients (or mostly solid ingredients, like yogurt!) when my ingredient measurements are given in grams, and then I always recommend using measuring cups or spoons for all liquid ingredients (where I give volume measurements in mL!) AND small amount solid ingredients (like baking powder, baking soda, salt, etc where you just need teaspoons!).
Does all of that make sense, Emma? đ
Yes, that makes so much sense! Thankyou for all your help, I will be sure to try this recipe again.
It’s my pleasure, Emma! I’m happy to help! đ I’m really excited to hear how your next batch of scones turns out!
I did the recipe again and it turned out great! Thankyou for your help, I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes.
I’m SO glad to hear that, Emma!!! I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how your second batch of scones turned out — thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! đ I’m so excited to hear which recipe you decide to try next, once your scones all disappear!