As the holiday season approaches I am thinking of increased social activities and the food that comes with those activities. One in particular concern to me is a coffee date I am planning with the girlfriend of one of the sons and her dear Mom -- neither of these gals eat low carb. Extra pressure there!! In my pre-low carb days I would have pulled out one of my staples -- SCONES and coffee.
Well, I guess it is time to work on a low carb scone. I still find low-carb *breads* intimidating at times but have mastered the muffin -- how much harder can a scone be?
The answer is not hard at all -- these were my first attempt and a complete success (deemed by my chief guinea pig, Mr. Dreamy). Hope my non-low carb guests think so too -- I'll give you an update :)
Cranberry-Walnut Scones
2-1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup granulated sweetener (I used Truvia*) plus 2 Tbsp additional for sprinkling
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
5-10 drops Stevia liquid
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp orange zest
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheet by covering with a sheet of parchment. In a large mixing bowl combine almond flour, sweetener, baking soda, salt, walnuts, cranberries and zest. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine melted butter, slightly beaten eggs, liquid sweetener and extracts. Combine wet ingredients with dry and mix only until incorporated, careful to not overmix. Scoop scones onto prepared baking sheet, slightly flattening tops. Depending on your scoop size, you should get 8 good sized scones. Divide remaining sweetener among the scone tops and bake in center of oven for 15-17 minutes or until well browned on tops and bottoms. Remove to cooling rack and serve warm with butter or clotted cream**. Makes 8 scones at 334 calories each with 9.54g carbs, 4.5g fiber = 5.04g net carbs.
*beware of Truvia Baking Blend -- it is 1/2 sugar and not low carb friendly
**To make clotted cream: First, this is going to seem like a lot of fuss -- if you live near a specialty market or British import store, purchase it, but I don't and I think it worth the fuss. In a double boiler over medium heat bring 1 quart heavy cream to 175°F. If you don’t have a double boiler (and I don’t) place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water. Stir a little so that the cream heats evenly. Once you reach 175°F, bring up the temperature to 180° to 200°F range, holding that temperature range for about 45 minutes to an hour. At this point the cream will take on a cracked, yellow skin. Next, remove the bowl or top of your double boiler and settle in a pan of ice water to cool quickly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Then carefully skim the clotted cream off the top with a slotted spoon and layer it into a bowl -- that is your clotted cream. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. Use the rest of the cream as you would regular cream (it will be thinner than heavy cream, but can still be added to coffee).
