You’ve heard of hot cross buns but have you ever had hot cross scones? These keto scones are easy to make with all the delicious flavor of the classic buns! This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns.
Come on, sing it with me! Or dig out your recorder from when you were a kid and try to play it from memory. Because clearly we all have that little ditty burned deeply into our collective psyche.
But these pretty little baked goods aren’t actually hot cross buns. They are hot cross SCONES.
Think about how brilliant that is for a moment. A classic British Easter recipe married to another classic British treat. And far easier to make than the traditional buns!
Why make hot cross scones?
Why? Because I saw a conventional version on Pinterest and I knew I had to make them over!
Why else? Because I adore scones of every sort. I mean, a quick look in my recipe archives will produce keto maple scones, lemon scones, cranberry orange scones… the list goes on and on.
Real hot cross buns are made from yeasted sweet bread, which is tricky to do with keto ingredients. It’s not impossible, but the work involved is significant and the results may or may not live up to the expectations.
Making a scone with the same flavors and the same traditional cross shape on the top is a far sight easier and just as tasty!
Tips for making Hot Cross Scones
I find that a combination of Bob’s Red Mill flours helps produce the classic tender yet crumbly scone consistency. This recipe uses mostly almond flour, with a little coconut flour as well.
To mimic the classic hot cross bun flavors, add spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Both cloves and nutmeg are quite strong, so you just want ⅛ teaspoon of each. And adding a little orange zest also helps emulate the classic flavor of hot cross buns.
Cutting chilled butter into the flour mixture also helps create that traditional scone consistency. I like to use a pastry cutter, but if you don’t own one, you can also use two sharp knives. Work the butter into the dough until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Hot cross buns typically include dried fruit, most of which isn’t keto friendly. Although cranberries are not traditional, I used some of my sugar-free dried cranberries in place of other dried fruits.
Shape the scones by hand into round “buns”, and brush the tops with melted butter to help brown them. Finally, once the scones are baked, simply pipe the icing over them into a cross.
Making keto scones ahead
The great part about scones like these is that they store quite nicely. You could bake the scones a few days or even weeks in advance and freeze without the icing.
Then thaw them out and gently warm them up again in a low temperature oven. Pipe the icing over an hour or two before serving.
These keto hot cross scones are phenomenal with a smear of butter and make a perfect Easter brunch recipe!
Keto Hot Cross Scones
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup butter chilled and cut into small pieces
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- zest of half an orange
- 3 tbsp sugar-free dried cranberries chopped into smaller pieces
- ½ tablespoon butter, melted
Icing
- 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Scones
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Using a pastry cutter or two sharp knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg, cream, and orange zest, until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chopped dried cranberries.
- Roll the mixture into 2 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press down to about 1 inch thick and brush the tops with the melted butter.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned and just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely on the pan.
Icing
- Whisk together the sweetener, cream, and vanilla. Place in a ziploc bag with the tip cut off and pipe a cross over the top of each scone.
Laurie O. says
I made these yesterday for our Easter dinner. They came out great, although I need more practice on piping my icing in straight lines! The flavor was perfect. My British husband loves them, and he’s an aficionado of traditional hot cross buns.
Joanna says
Turned out awesome and my house smells amazing! I like my scones a little sweeter and don’t love Swerve that much so I used 1/4 c swerve brown and a generous 1/4 c botcha sweet. I also used chopped frozen cranberries since I didn’t have dried. I love them! I also love portioning them out like this, may make all scones this way now. I only baked 20 min and they are nice and tender.
Carolyn says
I am so glad you tried them out!
Monica says
Made these today for the first time they’re great,but I think I’ve done something wrong because they seem dry in the mouth.
Monica.
Natasha says
I love scones and making this keto-friendly is a plus! It’s absolutely delicious and will be our go-to-dessert recipe at home. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Lisalia says
Yummy! I’ve followed your blog to learn how to bake and incorporate my old time favorites back into my diet. Keto is awesome but I often miss my old favorites. thanks for this NEW favorite!
Katie says
Always love getting more healthy dessert ideas! These look delicious!
Rosa I Figueroa says
Hello. What baking powder do you use?? I am having a hard time trying to figure out which one is better. Must commercial brands have aluminum as part of the ingredients. Thanks a lot. Rosa.
Carolyn says
There are tons of aluminum free brands. Bob’s Red Mill, Hains, etc.
Mary C says
Carolyn, enjoy all of your recipes. Is there a sub for heavy cream. Extra ingredients are limited here in these times. I usually have organic heavy cream but that is a luxury today since I have to travel an hr to get to where I can purchase my organic ingredients.
Carolyn says
You can use any liquid or milk but use a little less because it will be thinner.
Lisa says
These look delectable, a wonderful comfort treat to enjoy with family and hopefully soon with friends too. Thank you, hope you and your famiky are well.