I’m back to baking again! This time with scones, and they just happen to be grain free for another one of my Valentine’s Day bake-off entries. I got a little carried away with my Valentine’s day goodies – scones, bars, panna cotta — and that doesn’t count the multiple vegan cheesecakes, scones and donuts I attempted to make but wasn’t satisfied with.

The following is an example of one unfortunate failure: dark chocolate and pink peppercorn scones. I thought I would be creative with the “pink” theme but they tasted awful! The scone base needed tweaking and the pink peppercorn was so overwhelming that I couldn’t bare to try another batch with the same flavor profile. I think they looked pretty…but they definitely didn’t taste pretty.

I must say, I have great respect for vegan, gluten free bakers; my past posts of baked vegan recipes have usually been unintentional and this bake-off has been more challenging than I anticipated!

I did have success was with these almond rose petal scones though! I was aiming at a girly pink color  and I enjoyed experimenting with edible dried rose petals for the first time. The rose flavor isn’t pronounced at all like I had expected (I think I was scarred from the peppercorns) so the petals are for more aesthetics and a festive Valentine’s Day spin. For a more prominent flavor, I think I would need to soak the petals in warmed non-dairy milk and then add to the batter. That being said, you could eliminate the rose petals altogether with yummy results that won’t affect the flavor; add in chopped dried fruit, cinnamon or chocolate/carob chips to make different variations.

Lightly sweetened with a hint of almond and coconut, these scones are tender in the middle and with a slightly crisp exterior straight out of the oven. I drizzled the tops with melted coconut butter mixed with a dash of agave and a few drops of almond extract. You could eliminate the agave altogether and just use melted coconut butter if preferred as well 🙂

Almond Rose Petal Scones (Grain-Free)

Ingredients

For Scones
1 cup almond flour (I grind my own, see below*)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp edible rose petals, slightly crushed when rubbed between your fingers
1 tsp beet powder, optional for pink color
1/4 cup coconut/palm sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (might be able to eliminate but will be more crumbly)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup non dairy milk, room temperature (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
3 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil or Earth Balance, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

For Drizzle
3 Tbsp coconut butter, melted**
1 tsp agave
a couple drops of almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (almond flour through salt). In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add to dry and stir to combine until it forms a soft dough that sticks together in a ball. If the mixture is too wet, add in a little bit more almond flour and if it’s too dry, add a drizzle of milk.
3. Press together in a ball and flatten into a circle onto parchment paper lined baking sheet (mine were about 3/4 to 1 inch thick). Cut into 8 wedges and gently spread them apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden on top.
4. For drizzle, combine all ingredients and stir. Spoon over scones and enjoy!

Variations: Add 1/4 cup of your favorite mix-ins to this batter along with the dry ingredients (dried cherries, cranberries, goji or strawberries would be great additions to fit with the pink theme) – chocolate chips or carob chips, ground cinnamon, or flaked coconut would also be delicious. The rose petals and beet powder didn’t affect the taste like I had hoped so this is a good base recipe for grain free and egg free scones to build on!

*Homemade Almond Flour: To make your own almond flour, add 1/2 to 1 cup of blanched almonds (I used the blanched slices) to a cup of your Magic Bullet fitted with a “S” blade (or a food processor) and pulse several times until you achieve a flour consistency. Do not over process or will turn into a crumbly butter! Sift to eliminate any chunks you may have missed and there you have it!

**To melt coconut butter, I place the butter in a oven safe ramekin in a preheated 200F oven and let melt for a few minutes.