February is National Heart Month so I thought I’d share a delicious, heart-healthy recipe with you that has become one of my favorite morning treats.
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Now don’t let the word Scone scare you away from making these. I was a little nervous making these myself for the first time, but I soon found out that it’s A LOT easier than I thought. With just a little mixing, kneading, and shaping, these scones came out pretty darn close to perfect.
Dark Chocolate and Cherries for the Heart Win
Google ‘heart-healthy foods’ and it’s most likely that you will find these two on just about every list. Apart they each have their own powerful health benefits but put them together and you’ll have a delicious treat that is PACKED with health benefits that help ward off heart disease.
Cherries are a great source of antioxidants and they have a high dose of something called anthocyanins that help lower cholesterol and help reduce inflammation. Some studies have also shown that tart cherries not only lower high cholesterol, but also help lower your triglycerides, which can help you lose weight which in turn helps to improve your heart health.
Dark Chocolate is also packed with antioxidants, but it also has flavanols that help stimulate your blood flow. Flavanols have also been shown to help lower blood pressure and make blood platelets less likely to clot.
Now I know that mixing these up with things like sugar and other ingredients may decrease these benefits, but if you’re going to enjoy a delicious treat, having these two in the mix is a good thing.
Now, on to that recipe
The Secret is in the Sifting
Before I give scroll down to the recipe, I wanted to share a little trick Iearned over the years while making gluten-free foods.
Gluten-free baking has been a challenge for me in the past. My first couple of recipes turned out quite dense or didn’t cook all the way through. So, after doing a little research and asking around, I learned a few tricks here and there.
One of those tricks that seem to help is to remember to either sift or whisk the dry ingredients. I’m not sure exactly what it does to the ingredients beyond making sure they are all distributed evenly, but it really does seem to help keep the end result less dense.
OK. So now that you’ve got that tip. Let’s get on to the recipe!
Chocolate Chip & Cherry Scones – Gluten & Dairy Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour mix
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips reserve 1/2 cup for drizzling
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 1/3 cup soy milk or coconut cream you can also use a plain dairy-free yogurt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tbsp. water or dairy-free butter, melted
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, mix gluten-free flour blend, sugar, chocolate chips, and dried cherries.
- In a smaller bowl, mix soy milk and vanilla extract.
- Stir into the flour mixture until soft dough forms, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons additional milk if necessary.
- Once mixture comes together, sprinkle a flat surface with gluten free flour. Turn out mixture onto floured surface and pat into a circle. If circle seems to big, cut in half and make two circles.
- Cut each round into 6 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
- Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove parchment paper with scones to cooling rack.
- While scones cool, melt coconut oil and 1/2 cup chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes. Stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Melt and stir until you have a nice drizzle
- Once scones are slightly cool, drizzle with melted chocolate and sift powdered sugar over top if desired.
A Perfect Hostess Gift Idea Too
As I was putting this recipe together, it came to me that these would make a perfect hostess gift. Whether it’s a holiday party or just a general friends get together, these gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones would work for any event.
They are just right for a ladies brunch or even a sweet treat after a nice meal.
It’s also a great way to bring along a treat that you can eat in case there are no gluten-free or dairy-free options available.
What About You?
Are you a scone fan? Have you ever even tried one?
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. And if you’ve never tried making them before, then please feel free to try this recipe out. It’s an easy and fun recipe to make for a first time sconer.
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Products I Use For These Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones
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