Gluten Free White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

I will never forget the first time I had these gluten free white chocolate chip cranberry scones!  My aunt made them for a family get-together in the early years of eating gluten free, and I was impressed someone could make something taste so good gluten free.  Her reply was “add enough butter and cream and you can make anything taste good!”  While that certainly has its place, what really shines in these gluten free scones are the fresh cranberries, lemon zest and the white chocolate drizzle.  Gluten free scones are one of the simplest breads to bake, they’re quick and easy, egg free, and can be pulled together using one bowl!

Gluten free scones retain the perfect amount of moisture.  Not too dry and crumbly.  They hold together and melt in your mouth.  And with a few simple steps, you can have a gluten free cranberry scone baked in under 20 minutes!

While I make these gluten free cranberry scones year round, they have all the look and flavors of Thanksgiving and Christmas!  They would be the perfect addition to a holiday breakfast table.

What kind of gluten free flour should I use?

I make my own gluten free flour blend – JAG gluten free flour blend.  I do this because almost every gluten free flour blend you purchase contains xanthan gum, which causes too much intestinal pain in our household!  I’ve used it for years, and every time I try to change or tweak it I always go back to this blend.  You can purchase something similar, like King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. NOTE**if you use a brand other than what is listed in the recipe please check the brands recommendation on grams to cup to use.  It varies significantly between brands!

Once you have the dry ingredients mixed, take small cubes (about 1 inch square) and place them all in the flour mixture.  I prefer to use a pastry cutter like this one: pastry cutter, but your hands would work well too.  If you use your hands, crumble the butter with the flour until all butter is less than pea size.

Do I have to use 2% milk?

I adapted this recipe from what originally called for heavy whipping cream.  I was curious to see if the result would be the same with less fat from the milk.  I used 2% milk in the following recipe, which I find to keep the scone light while maintaining its structure.  You can use heavy whipping cream, I find the scone to be a little more dense and stickier on the palate with it though.

Can I substitute dried cranberries for fresh cranberries?

Of course!  Fresh cranberries are not available year round, unless you plan ahead and freeze.  Dried cranberries are a perfect substitute for fresh.  Use the same amount as you would for fresh, but there is no need for chopping.

What is the easiest way to shape and cut scones?

I find this to be the simplest method – to divide the dough into two equal pieces and flatten each into the shape of a disc, approximately 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.  Use your hands to gently press the dough so it’s nice and smooth.  The dough may be slightly sticky.  If it’s too sticky, lightly get your hands wet and shape the dough.

Once you have two similar discs, cut eat disc into 8 equal pieces.  If you use a large enough knife, you will only need to make 4 cuts.

Now that the gluten free scones are cut, separate them out onto a baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between each scone.  I love, love using silicon baking mats.  I’m pretty sure I purchased these from Costco, but you can find them on Amazon for fairly inexpensive: silicon baking mats  There is no need to waste parchment paper (although it certainly has its place!) and no need for cooking spray.  Everything detaches perfectly, they’re heat safe, and they wash well.  I also find they would great to roll dough out on before you cut it.

These are the gluten free cranberry scones after they’re baked.  You should have very light browning around the edges and bottom.  At this point you can leave them on the baking sheet to cool (especially if you pulled them out at 9 minutes), or transfer them to a cooling rack.

How do I get nice white chocolate drizzle lines?

You can absolutely use a spoon to drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cooled scone.  I’ve found it to be a little difficult to get even distribution until the last scone.  A super easy method is to pour the melted white chocolate into a sandwich size ziploc bag.  Remove most of the air and seal shut.  Then cut a small piece of one of the corners off to create your very own piping bag and drizzle away.  Easy piping, easy clean up!

How far in advance can I bake gluten free cranberry scones?

While these gluten free cranberry scones are delicious the second day, they taste their absolute best the day of baking.  I’ve never frozen them, mainly because they’re devoured before that point!

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Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Fresh cranberries and fresh lemon zest are the perfect combination in these scones. If fresh cranberries are not in season, you can substitute dried cranberries.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time9 minutes mins

Servings: 16 scones

Author: Just As Good Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300 grams) gluten free flour blend
• 1 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum (omit if in blend)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
• ½ cup butter, room temperature, cut in small cubes
• ¾ cup 2% milk
• ¾ cup fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Cranberry Scones

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with a silicone mat or parchment paper, or spray lightly with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, sift gluten free flour, guar gum, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon or orange zest.
• Using a pastry blender, fork, or hands, add the cubed butter and blend until coarse and crumbly.
• Add the milk and stir until combined. Add ¾ cups white chocolate chips and cranberries. Using your hands, combine the dough by pressing and kneading until everything is incorporated. The dough will be slightly sticky, but if you have troubles lightly wet your hands when working with the dough.
• Divide the dough into two equal pieces and flatten each piece with your hands into a round disc, approximately 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut each round into 8 equal triangles. You should have 16 scones now. Place them on your baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before frosting.

White Chocolate Drizzle

• Place ½ cup white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at 30 second intervals until fully melted.
• You can either use a spoon to drizzle the melted white chocolate over the scones or you can place the melted white chocolate in a sandwich baggy, seal the baggy shut removing the air, and cut a small section of the corner off to create an easy piping bag.

Recipe adapted from:

LandOLakes

Hey there!  Just As Good Gluten Free LLC participates in the Amazon Associates Program, which mean many outgoing links on Just As Good Gluten Free are affiliate links.  After clicking on a link, I may receive a small percentage of the sale for referring you, which comes at no extra cost to you.  This allows me to  continue creating gluten free recipes for you!  Many thanks –  Amy