Blackberry Scones

Yesterday I spent the morning picking blackberries, and this morning I was rewarded for my efforts with these tasty scones hot from the oven. I figured scones were a thing of the past for me -- after all, aren't they wheat and butter mixed with cream? But then I saw a tasty-looking recipe for raspberry scones over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. With a few simple modifications, I had a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free scone that used my fresh blackberry harvest. But not just any allergen-free scone -- a scone that can only be described as "Mmmmmmmmm".

And what is on top of that delicious scone? It is my own allergen-free (to me) clotted cream. After using part of a can of coconut milk in the scone recipe, I refrigerated the remainder. The coconut cream portion goes thick when cold, and is a delicious cream topping for scones. Just remember to keep it chilled until you are ready to serve it.

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
  
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup solid coconut oil (refrigerate coconut oil until it solidifies)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 overflowing cup of blackberries (I used fresh, but frozen would likely work even better)
  

1. Mix flours, xanthan gum, baking powder and sea salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Use a pastry blender to cut cold coconut oil into the dry mixture until it forms pea-sized crumbs.
3. Whisk syrup, coconut milk and vanilla together in a small bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to crumbly mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until just combined.
5. Gently fold in blackberries. (At this stage I thought everything looked like a gloopy mess and worried it wouldn't turn out. Don't panic!)
6. Drop nine mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently shape into desired scone shape.
7. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 17-20 minutes until scones feel firm and tops are lightly browned (mine took 20 minutes).