Shortly after his passing, my family and I loaded up our car to drive to San Diego for Grandpa’s 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!)
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 longer — but 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 stop — In ’N Out Burgers for everyone else, a fresh salad for me! — and pit stops to refill the gas tank. We also hopped off the freeway for a bit to drive past my parents’ 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 bars…
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!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY RASPBERRY SCONES
To make these healthy breakfast scones, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. That sounds a little strange, almost like a paradox, doesn’t 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, closer to that of all-purpose flour, which really lets these scones’ 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’d like to make these healthy raspberry scones gluten-free!
Next, you’ll cut in a small amount of very cold butter. Just 2 tablespoons! The rest of these scones’ 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 healthy raspberry scones a protein boost too!
However, it’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) The very cold butter won’t 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. This means it’ll quickly turn to liquid once you begin mixing it into the dough, and you’ll miss out on those little air pockets and really tender texture.
To sweeten your scones, you’ll skip refined sugar and use pure maple syrup instead. Be sure you buy the real kind! Skip the pancake and sugar-free syrups because they behave differently in baking recipes and often change the texture of these scones. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Of course, we can’t forget two of the most important ingredients… Almond extract and fresh raspberries! Almond extract is my all-time favorite baking extract. It gives these healthy homemade scones an extra fancy flavor and makes them taste like bakery-style ones! 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, you’ll 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.
Time to eat! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy raspberry almond scones!
Healthy Raspberry Almond Scones
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ 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 almond extract
- ½ cup (70g) fresh raspberries, diced
Instructions
- 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 (highly recommended!) 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 ¾” 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 golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Raspberry Almond Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Raspberry Almond Cheesecake Bars
♡ Healthy Raspberry Raspberry Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Raspberry Dark Chocolate Bark
♡ Healthy Single-Serving Raspberry Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
♡ Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy scone recipes!
I measured them in millilitres.
We’ve found the culprit! Kitchen scales can’t actually measure fluid ounces or mL. I know many of them say they can, but it’s not true… and it drives me nuts. 😉
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 ½ fluid ounces) will differ between nearly all liquid ingredients because volume is independent of density… Whereas weight is directly related to density. Kitchen scales aren’t programmed with all of those different densities, so while they may *say* they’re measuring fluid ounces, they’re 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? 🙂
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! 🙂 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! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear which recipe you decide to try next, once your scones all disappear!
Hello Amy, I would love to make that recipe but I can’t eat the raspberry seeds, is there an alternative like blueberries that won’t change the texture? Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear you’re excited about this recipe, Maryse! We actually have a recipe for healthy blueberry almond scones that’s very similar to this one but uses blueberries instead! We’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you try making some! 😉
Hi Amy. I made the gluten free version of the scones this morning. I used strawberries instead of raspberries and they came out great. One big problem is that I have already eaten half the batch (and counting). Do you have a solution for that? 😳
Haha! We love to hear that, Marilyn! The best solution I have for you is to double the batch next time you make them. 😉 I’m so happy you loved these scones so much. We are honored, and appreciate you taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe. It truly means the world to us! 🙂
I intend to try this recipe as written. But I have been wanting to try a rhubarb scone recipe. I’m wondering if you could give me a little guidance on this. I like the way you use yogurt in your recipes to cut down on the need for heavy cream and so much butter. And I like that you understand the chemistry of baking. As you know, rhubarb is not sweet like other fruits, so I’m reluctant to just substitute for another fruit in a scone recipe. I am thinking about mixing it with some stevia before adding to the scones. Do you think this would work? If so, liquid or powdered stevia?
I know this is an old recipe so I may not hear from you. If not, I’ll just give it a go.
Thank you,
Maggie
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Maggie! I’m honored that you’d ask me for advice too. 🙂
I haven’t tried using rhubarb to make scones before, so I’m not personally sure. Your idea of tossing them with sweetener ahead of time seems like it’s worth a try though! Many powdered stevia products aren’t quite as concentrated as the liquid stevia that I use, so it might be easier to get an even distribution/coating on the diced rhubarb. Another option would be to replace some (or all!) of the milk in the scone dough with an equal amount of pure maple syrup. This would make the scone dough sweeter, which would counteract the rhubarb’s tartness, while still maintaining the correct dough consistency and texture of the fully baked scones.
I’d love to hear how your scones turn out if you do end up trying them, either the original raspberry version or the rhubarb version — or both!
Thank you so much for taking the time to offer some suggestions. I’m inclined to try the rhubarb scones both ways to see which works best. It is getting to the end of rhubarb season, so may have to see if I have enough rhubarb for both ways. I will let you know when I try both the raspberry and the rhubarb scones. Really appreciate you. You make It possible to enjoy healthier treats. Thank you.
It’s my pleasure, Maggie! I’m always happy to help. 🙂 It’d be nice if rhubarb season was a little bit longer… The end always seems to sneak up on me much too quickly! I’m really looking forward to hearing about how each batch of your scones turns out too!
Where do I get this white whole wheat flour? I only see unbleached all purpose at my grocery’ store. What is the brand you use?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Yvette! If you click on the flour link in the recipe box (my links are the pink underlined text — I know it can be easy to miss that detail though! 😉 ), you’ll see the exact white whole wheat flour that I use, including the brand and its packaging. Other brands work too though! I’m based in the US, and many Targets, Walmarts, and national grocery store chains carry it where I live. If you’re also in the US but unable to find it at any of those places, then I’d recommend checking a health-oriented grocery store, such as Whole Foods or a similar place! You can also purchase it online. If none of those options work for you, then I’ve shared some flour alternatives in the Notes section of this recipe that work perfectly as substitutes for white whole wheat flour. I understand some stores’ baking aisles aren’t as well stocked as the ones where I live, so I try to share as many options as I can! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you end up making them!
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
I’m so happy you think that, Suzanne! We’d love to hear if you decide to try making some of these scones! 😉