Tender almond flour scones with the sweet kick of gingerbread spices and a sugar-free cream cheese glaze. This wonderful keto scone recipe is perfect for winter mornings and holiday brunches.
Have you noticed that I have a wee obsession with gingerbread? Okay, let’s call it what it really is: a full-on, all-consuming passion for all things gingerbread spice.
Every year, as the mercury begins to drop, I look forward to indulging in that old-fashioned flavor. It heralds the holiday season with spicy warm deliciousness.
And I am certainly not alone in this regard. I have so many mouthwatering gingerbread recipes that readers love. Fan favorites include Keto Gingerbread Cake, Classic Keto Gingerbread Cookies, and Easy Keto Gingerbread Muffins.
These almond flour keto scones have been on my site since 2012, and in my gingerbread craze, I decided it was time to give them an update.
Scones made with almond flour
Scones have long been one of my favorite breakfast treats. So when I embarked on a low carb diet, I simply had to find a way to make them keto-friendly.
It took a few tries to get the proportions right, and quite a bit of experimenting with various keto flours. But I was delighted that almond flour scones were not only possible, but were just as delicious as the conventional variety.
And the flavor variations for almond flour scones are virtually endless. If you love scones, try a basic recipe like keto blueberry scones, or something a bit more adventurous, like keto maple pecan scones.
Ingredients
- Almond flour
- Brown sugar substitute
- Coconut flour
- Cocoa powder
- Spices
- Baking powder
- Cream cheese
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
How to make keto gingerbread scones
This is an easy keto recipe that I modelled after my Strawberry Cream Cheese Scones. But to make the dough really cohesive, I used my food processor. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Pulse the dry ingredients. Simply add all of the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine well.
- Add the cream cheese in dollops. Scoop the softened cream cheese in small spoonfuls over the dry ingredients in the food processor. Pulse a few times to cut the cream cheese into the dry ingredients.
- Add the egg and vanilla right into the processor as well and pulse again on high until the dough starts to cling together. If there are a lot of dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl, remove the lid and scrape them up with a rubber spatula, and then pulse again to work them in.
- Lightly dust the work surface. The dough will be a bit sticky, so prep your work surface with a light dusting of almond flour or coconut flour.
- Pat in a circle and cut into wedges. I find that a 7-inch circle makes really nice-sized scones that aren’t too thin.
- Bake until golden.
- Whip up the glaze and drizzle it on!
Frequently Asked Questions
Almond flour has a lot of moisture and fat, so adding a bit of coconut flour gives keto scones a better consistency. You can replace it with another ¼ cup of almond flour.
The cocoa simply gives the scones a darker, more gingerbread colour. It won’t flavor the scones at all.
Yes, absolutely. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl, the cut in the cream cheese with two sharp knives or a pastry cutter. Add the egg and vanilla until the dough comes together.
Sure! Use a good dairy-free cream cheese alternative for both the scones and the glaze. Then use some coconut cream instead of the heavy whipping cream.
Yes, they will. I recommend flash freezing them on a sheet pan first, to harden the glaze, before placing them in an airtight container.
Gingerbread Scones
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown packed
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- Water to thin, as needed
Instructions
Scones
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle with almond or coconut flour.
- In a food processor, place the almond flour, Swerve, coconut flour, cocoa powder, spices, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the cream cheese in small dollops over the top of dry ingredients and pulse a few times to cut it in. Add the egg and vanilla extract and pulse on high until the dough clings together in a ball.
- Turn the dough onto the prepared pan and pat into a 7-inch circle. Using a very sharp knife, slice into 8 even wedges. Use an offset spatula to carefully lift and separate the wedges. Space around the baking sheet.
- Bake 18 to 23 minutes, until the scones are lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Beat the cream cheese with the sweetener and vanilla until well combined, then beat in the whipping cream until smooth.
- Beat in water, a few teaspoons at a time, until a drizzling consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the tops of the cooled scones.
Dianne Alborn says
Hello, I have a question. Did you use blanched or unbleached almond flour?
Carolyn says
Always always blanched. Otherwise you would see speckles and it would be a lot more coarse looking.
Robin says
I’m allergic to chocolate do you think the coco powder makes a huge difference in the taste? I was just going to omit it. This sounds do yummy?
Carolyn says
Feel free to omit and replace with 2 more tbsp almond flour.