On day 4 or 5 of Whole 30, I start thinking about baked goods. Y’all know this. We also know that they’re not technically Whole 30 because of that whole “baked goods” rule, so just scroll right on by and don’t report me to the Whole 30 authorities if you’re following the plan by the book.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… these scones. If you’re familiar with baking, you’ll probably look at this ingredients list and notice something major missing: sweetener. These Almond Flour Mixed-Berry Scones are not sweet, other than the natural sweetness you get from whatever berries you choose. If you would like for them to be sweet, omit the applesauce and add 1/4 cup of honey (or maple syrup or agave or liquid sweetener of choice). I have not tested with a dry sweetener, but I think you could get away with 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and just end up with a drier scone. If you’re adding sweetener, mix it into that melted butter and brush a little bit on top at the end.

They have a fantastic moist texture, which is perfect for those (like me) who can’t stand dry pastries. I’d liken them to biscuit or muffin moisture (albeit, with a different texture). If you’ve mixed up your scone dough and it seems too wet, add an additional tablespoon of almond flour and teaspoon of tapioca. NOTE: Your dough will be sticky. But, it should be able to hold together once you’ve patted it into a circle. If you’re really having issues with it, refrigerate for 20 minutes to make it easier to mold. It has been consistently sticky for me, but it bakes up just fine.

Fresh or frozen? Fresh berries are ideal for this recipe because they don’t have all the extra moisture of frozen berries, but, that being said, fresh berries are pricey and you can’t get that good mixed berry blend. So, I used frozen berries. I put my berries on the stove to thaw them—you could also pop in the microwave for 10 or 15 seconds—and then spooned the berries (not the extra liquid that came out of them) onto a paper towel. Once it had absorbed some of the moisture, I added to my wet ingredients.

Almond Flour Mixed-Berry Scones

DRY:
2 3/4 cups almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

WET:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbsp. ghee or butter, melted (and an extra tablespoon for brushing on top, if desired)
1 cup mixed berries of choice (I used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries & cherries)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Start by whisking together your dry ingredients until combined. Make a well in the middle of the bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with applesauce. Pour in 4 Tbsp. melted ghee/butter (shouldn’t be too hot—just enough so that it’s melted) and whisk until wet ingredients are combined. Add in berries (see my note above about moisture).
3. Add wet ingredients to the center of the dry ingredient bowl, using a wooden spoon or fork to gently combine until just incorporated. If your dough needs a little more structure, add in those extra flour amounts I listed above. Turn dough onto a parchment paper-lined pan dusted with a little tapioca. Pat dough into a circle.
4. Cut dough into halves, then fourths, then eighths, like a pizza. Gently separate the scones about 1 inch from each other so they have room to bake on all sides.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, and then rotate your pan in the oven. Bake for another 12-15 minutes, until scones have started to brown. Move scones to a wire rack to cool, and then brush with melted ghee/butter.

Almond Flour Mixed-Berry Scones taste best right out of the oven—but if you want to heat up on the next day, pop them into a toaster oven (or conventional oven) to maintain that crisp exterior. If you heat them in the microwave, you’ll steam them and they’ll become mushier.

I will also be using these scones as a vessel for berry shortcake. Crumble it up in the bottom of a dish, add fresh berries, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (this is my favorite kind). Everything is just a few steps away from being dessert, friends. Remember that.