Delightful cinnamon scones are wonderfully tender and so very flavorful. Made with almond flour, they are also gluten-free.
After I made keto scones, which were a HUGE success even with my high-carb-eating teenage testers, my daughter asked if I would be willing to make a cinnamon version.
She reminded me of one of her favorite childhood weekend breakfasts - tortilla French toast (basically, tortillas fried in butter and dusted with cinnamon sugar). Might I be able to recreate the same flavors, but keep it gluten-free? Challenge accepted!
The ingredients needed for this recipe
These are the ingredients you'll need to make these tasty cinnamon scones (the exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below):
Almond flour: An excellent flour substitute that bakes exceptionally well. I use blanched finely ground flour.
Ground cinnamon: Make sure it's fresh. A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use.
Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh.
Egg: I use large eggs in most of my recipes.
Unsalted butter: I'm partial to creamy European butter. But any butter is delicious.
Sweetener: I use stevia. You could possibly use a granulated sweetener instead, perhaps adding a little water, although I haven't tried that.
Vanilla extract: Try to use the real thing - pure vanilla extract - and not the artificially flavored stuff.
For the topping: cinnamon and a granulated sweetener.
How to make cinnamon scones
It wasn't difficult to adapt the basic recipe and create a cinnamon-flavored version. The process is simple:
You mix almond flour with cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
Then, in another bowl, you mix an egg with butter, stevia, and vanilla.
Next, you combine the two mixtures into a smooth dough.
Spread the dough into a circle, cut it into triangles, sprinkle them with cinnamon "sugar," and bake.
Like all scone recipes, this is an easy one. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full details.
Are they like traditional scones?
Not exactly. Unlike my blueberry scones, which are seriously very close to the real thing, these are a bit different.
The flavor of the stevia comes through more, perhaps because it's not masked by orange zest. They also don't rise as much as traditional scones do.
Having said that, these cinnamon scones are excellent. They have a tender crumb and delicious flavor, and I found myself reaching for seconds after I finished one of them.
My daughter actually prefers them to the blueberry ones, and she's a junk food connoisseur. She requested them every day in her lunch box until they were all gone. I'll take that as a compliment!
Can I use a sweetener other than stevia?
I make these scones with almond flour and sweeten them with stevia. I really like stevia glycerite. It nearly eliminates the bitter aftertaste typical to stevia products.
You can use a granulated sweetener instead if you can't stand stevia, including granulated sugar or coconut sugar if you don't mind the carbs.
But check the dough. With a granulated sweetener, it's possible that you will need to add a little water.
How to store these cinnamon scones
I actually find that the leftovers taste better than freshly baked ones. They are more tender and more flavorful.
Once completely cool, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Don’t eat them cold, though. Warm them up very gently in the microwave on 50% power, 10 seconds per scone. You can also freeze them in freezer bags.
More breakfast recipes that you might enjoy
I add just a bit of cinnamon to this keto French toast. It's AMAZING. And this keto zucchini bread is one of my favorite breakfasts. It's easy to make, delicious, and healthy.
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Cinnamon Scones
INGREDIENTS
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Scones:
- 8 oz blanched finely ground almond flour (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals about ¼ cup sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sweetener and the cinnamon for the topping. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, with a large spatula or a fork, mix together the almond flour, cinnamon, kosher salt, and baking powder. Mix until well incorporated.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, butter, sweetener, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula to combine into a smooth dough. You can use your hands at the last stage of mixing.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Form it into a rough circle, about 7-inch in diameter and ½-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into 8 triangles. Carefully separate the triangles from each other so that they can bake evenly. Sprinkle the triangles with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake until the scones are firm and golden, 15-17 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then serve.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 