Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: 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 (like this one!) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your scones and make the dough crumbly.

It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) 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.

Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.

As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Before adding the raisins, cut them in half. (This ensures every bite contains a bit of raisins!) To hydrate, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, and completely cover them with water. Add a lid on top or tightly cover the top with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the raisins rest for at least 5 minutes (or while measuring and mixing together the other ingredients!) Drain thoroughly before adding to the mixing bowl. This makes them especially plump and juicy!

Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots (also called “matchstick” carrots) for the freshly grated carrots. Store-bought pre-shredded carrots are too thick and dry, and they don’t soften properly while baking.

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. Instead, I recommend the vegan version below! (See my blog post above for more information!)

For a vegan version, I recommend Earth Balance sticks in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt, and non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.

Optional Drizzle: Stir together 5 teaspoons of confectioners’ style erythritol and 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons of milk (any kind!) in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag, cut off a tiny piece of one corner, and drizzle on top of the cooled scones.

For this drizzle, I buy my confectioners’ style erythritol online here. In a pinch, regular confectioners’ (powdered) sugar may be substituted for the confectioners’ style stevia. However, regular powdered sugar is more absorbent, so start with ½ teaspoon of milk and add more as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.

If you’d like to fully coat your scones with the drizzle instead, you definitely can! Just make 3-4 times the amount of drizzle, and dip the tops of your scones directly into the bowl instead of transferring the glaze to a plastic bag and snipping off the corner.

When refrigerating leftover scones that have already been drizzled, the drizzle will turn brittle and crack if made with erythritol, or it will dissolve into the scones if made with powdered sugar. Neither will affect the flavor—only the appearance!

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, vegan option}