How to Make Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Lemon Scones
Is there anything more royal than tea and scones? Yes! Having tea in the company of a princess, of course! Luckily, my husband and I know a few. A couple of weekends ago, we had the pleasure of hosting the perfect princess. My dearest friend and her darling little girl, Coah, trekked several hours to join us for a sleepover.
We had a very busy Saturday. After visiting alligators, snakes, birds, and other critters at Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, we laid the smack down on some pizza and games at the local arcade. Sunday consisted of coloring, dancing to all songs “Disney Princess,” and building grand castles with Magna-Tiles. Scones and some tea seemed like the perfect way to wrap up our weekend.
Let me tell you about these scones. They’re easy, they’re gluten and lactose-free, and they’re going to inspire a regal tea party in your own home.
Here’s what you need for the scones:
1 2/3 cups gluten-free flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 pinch of salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup ghee
Zest of two lemons
Juice of one lemon, seeds removed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, you could use lemon extract, too!
What you’ll do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt before sifting together over a large mixing bowl. Add the poppy seeds and lemon zest. Cut the ghee into the dry ingredients and work until crumbly.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg before adding the milk and the lemon juice.
Slowly add to dry ingredients, mixing the dough as little as possible. Avoid overworking the dough. It can be tempting, but it results in dense scones. You want them to be light and tender!
Form a ball and gently flatten into a disc. It should be about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the disc of dough into 8 wedges and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, checking the scones after 12 minutes. The bottoms should be a light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.
For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
In a large bowl, mix the confectioner’s sugar and the vanilla extract until completely combined.
Drizzle the glaze over the scones while they are still slightly warm. Serve immediately with your favorite tea.
You’re going to love these scones. They aren’t overly sweet, like many American treats, but are more in line with traditional British scones. It gives you more control over how you add sweetness, which is quite nice. We added a tasty vanilla glaze to our scones, but they’d be just as delightful with a smear of butter and blueberry jam, or even a smattering of fresh lemon curd.
The possibilities are endless in the company of good friends (and princesses) and I’m so blessed to have these wonderful women in my life. It’s the perfect time of year to host a Spring tea party and enjoy these sunny scones. I bet they’d also pair well with some lavender lemonade or a delicious spritzer! Enjoy!