Healthy Almond Scones

Yields: 8 scones

These scones are quick and simple to bake, making them perfect for lazy weekend brunches or even quick weekday breakfast treats! They’re really moist and tender on the inside with a hint of a crust on the outside, and they’re full of delicious almond flavor from both the extract and the sliced nuts. Leftovers will keep for at least 5 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they freeze really well too!

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed (see Notes!)
½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk, divided
2 tsp almond extract
2 ½ tbsp (19g) sliced almonds, slightly crushed or broken (see Notes!)

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 2 tablespoons of the sliced almonds.
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. Gently press the remaining sliced almonds into the tops. Bake at 425°F for 21-24 minutes, or until the tops are deep golden and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important 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.

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not separate the 8 dough wedges before baking in Step 3. Instead, leave them touching on the baking sheet! This helps make the insides really moist, soft, and fluffy.

IMPORTANT TASTE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: 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 in the dough. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk in the dough to 2 tablespoons.)

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

BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: 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.

For this reason, I do not recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a much lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones. If you do decide to substitute coconut oil, just keep that in mind!

For a dairy free or vegan version, use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the unsalted butter for the best results.

SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I do not recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. They usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

ALMOND EXTRACT ALTERNATIVE: Almond extract makes these scones taste a bit sweeter, and it also gives them their “bakery-style” flavor. If you're not a fan or don’t have any, vanilla extract may be substituted for the almond extract.

SLICED ALMONDS NOTES: These are the sliced almonds that I used, and I broke them into smaller pieces in my palm before adding them to the dough. This makes it easier to incorporate the almonds into the dough, and it also ensures your scones bake evenly.

If you love almonds, you can definitely add more! However, I strongly dislike nuts in my scones, so… I almost always skip the sliced almonds! If you’re not a fan of nuts in your baked goods too, you’re welcome to omit them. There’s still plenty of sweet almond flavor from the almond extract in these scones without the sliced almonds!

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: 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 (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.

EGG-FREE, DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) 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.

HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.

I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating them! It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again! I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.

These scones also freeze really well!

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

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.