Last Saturday was a good friend's baby shower. The theme was Mad Hatter Tea Party and we decided to make it pot luck style. The soon-to-be mommy is gluten intolerant and as I was thinking about what to contribute to the food mix, it dawned on me that traditional tea treats can be quite unfriendly to those who are gluten-free. However, I was also convinced that a tea party is not a tea party without scones! 

And so, I decided to attempt gluten-free scones. I had attempted a recipe a few years ago and it did not turn out too favorably - very, very crumbly and dry - so I was unsure how this batch would turn out. But I took the simplest recipe I could find, and just exchanged the flour ingredients with gluten-free flour. This recipe was so simple and took me a total of 22 minutes to make from start to finish, with very simple ingredients. 

The scones turned out to be a hit! What people loved about the scones (both those gluten tolerant and gluten intolerant) was that they were  moist, light, sweet, and had a scone texture. The scones were extra yummy with a small teaspoon of creamed honey. As a garnish I added a dash of cinnamon and turbinado sugar on each scone before placing them in the oven which was a perfect balance. 

Enjoy the recipe, and let us know what you think! 

Gluten-Free Simple Sweet Scones [Modified Recipe from Food.com]

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Arrowhead Mills)

• 1/4 teaspoon of Arrowroot powder (starch obtained by a tropical plant)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (use 1/3 for slightly sweeter scones)

• 2/3 cup milk

1. Heat oven to 425°F (220 Celsius)

2. Put flour, baking powder, arrowroot powder, and salt into a large bowl; stir mix well

3. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine granduals.

4. Add sugar; toss to mix.

5. Add milk and stir with a fork until dough forms.

6. Form dough into a ball and turn smooth side up.

7. Pat or roll into a 6 inch circle.

8. cut each circle into 6 or 8 wedges.

9. place wedges on an ungreased cookie sheet- slightly apart for crisp sides, touching for soft.

10. sprinkle desired amount of cinnamon and sugar on each scone.

11. Bake about 12 minutes, or until medium brown on top.

Best,

Sashee Chandran