I really don’t write a lot on my website because:
- I’m not a writer.
- I figure you all come here for the recipes anyway.
- What’s the point? I like short and sweet. Literally.
Every now and then though, I do get the itch to write just a bit. And this recent comment on Facebook tickled my writing fancy:
I absolutely adore your recipes. I’ve been Paleo for over a year and feel/look amazing. I have to ask, though, aren’t treats such as Paleo baked goods supposed to be a very occasional treat? It seems that they’re being posted on a near daily basis.
And this was my response:
You are totally right, however I have a houseful of almost a dozen growing boys here everyday after school and they aren’t Paleo (most aren’t even gluten-free) so they get at least a Paleo treat a day –far better than the standard teenage fare of soda and chips, if you know what I mean!
Why the heck are there so many dessert and bread recipes on here? Well, it’s not that much of a challenge to come up with a Paleo chicken recipe –they’re all over the internet. Just sift through the websites of people like Martha, Ina, and Elise, and you’ll likely find some nice healthy steak and vegetable dishes as well. They’re probably gluten-free and maybe even Paleo. However, when it comes to finding baked goods that are of course treats, well, that’s not as easy, and that it is something I provide on this website –I create classic Neolithic dishes (like these Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones) that use Paleo-friendly ingredients.
Further confirming this hunch is the list of the Top 10 Most Viewed Recipes on my sidebar; just crank your eyes over a few inches to the right and take a gander at that feature. As you can see, folks look at, and I assume therefore want, baked goods. And so I am pretty much always testing something, and thankfully, the hordes of boys that come to my house after school take pleasure in eating the items that I am continuously testing.
And now back to our regular programming:
Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup palm shortening
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup chocolate chips, coarsely chopped, about 3 ounces
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
- Pulse in shortening, honey and eggs
- Stir in chopped chocolate by hand
- Scoop batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 10-14 minutes
- Cool and serve
These gluten-free, dairy-free Chocolate Chip Scones are made from coconut flour. So no, the measurement of 1/2 cup of flour is not a typo (I get this question on just about every recipe on my website that uses coconut flour). Coconut flour is unique in that just a little bit goes a long way.
On another culinary note, I want to point out that coconut flour is quite light and fluffy –great for cakes and muffins. So these quick and easy Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones are rather cakey and fluffy and don’t have a heavy crumb. They’re a bit different than a classic scone. They’re also nut-free which is deliberate as I’ve had more and more requests for nut-free recipes lately.
Finally, yet most importantly, I based this recipe on one from Brian Musial at mypaleodiet.net, although I’ve made a number of modifications. He has a lovely site that you may wish to peruse for other healthy Paleo recipes. Enjoy the scones and thanks for listening.
Peace out,
Elana
Cori says
I LOVE EM! Keep them coming!
Nina says
Just curious about the amount per scone that you put onto the baking sheet? Any guidelines?
Love your site if you are out there Elana! I’m a Jamestownian just above you by about 2,000 ft. and I appreciate that your recipes work for me.
Many thanks for bringing a bit of sweet bake into my cave woman life (and my family appreciates it too).
Linsey says
Hi, I am curious as to why use vegan shortening when the recipe includes eggs and honey, what else could be used instead of vegan shortening? Butter?
Thanks,
Linsey
Deirdre says
Linsey,
I have used butter as a substitute for vegan shortening in another of Elana’s recipes and it worked fine – equal measurements. If you’re not dairy-free then go for it!
Another general suggestion is to halve the recipe and try it with substitutions, then you’ll know to play with the ratios and see if the oil content is right. Good luck! :)
Michele says
Good idea with the butter! I think Elana might be DF though I couldn’t confirm that easily.
Cat says
I sub coconut oil for shortening in baked good recipes all the time. I love it because it seems to make the outsides of things crispier, while the insides stay tender. Have used it with great success in cookies, muffins and scones.
Lisa says
I am also glad for your baking efforts and sharing the results with us! I love to bake and having your recipes to use instead the wheat filled (unhealthy in my eyes) bread and scones is a blessing when I am ready for a treat! Thanks =)
Julie says
You are so right – it’s easy enough to wing it on gluten free and paleo meals… but desserts? Baked goods? Completely baffling! Thank you so much for your super delicious, and super SIMPLE, recipes! I’m never disappointed. If ever I have to bring a dish to an event, I hit your site, and usually end up sending a handful of friends there after they enjoy the recipe!
Alyssa says
I always want to make your recipes and then I realize that mine won’t taste as good as yours look. Can you just ship me some instead? ;-)
Rachel B says
When I gave up grains and flour products, I was feeling so deprived until I found you, Elana! Sadly, there are so many gluten-free recipes out there that call for sugar and I can’t eat that either. I love, love, love your dessert recipes. They give me so much pleasure.
Kely says
Thank you so much for your generosity of sharing your passion wit us. We love your recipes. I live outside the USA and its very hard to find good Shortening. What could we do to substitute for that?
Thank yopu!!!
Meg says
You could try substituting butter or coconut oil for the shortening. I found that coconut oil nearly doubled the baking time in the batch I made, but that may be because I did something wrong (the eggs weren’t room temperature, for example). Despite the longer baking time, the scones were still very tasty. Good luck with your baking! :)
Aricate says
I tried to sub with butter and it doubled the cooking time as well. They turned out great though!
DamselflyDiary says
I did not start reading your blog because it was Paleo. I am not Paleo. I started reading it for the gluten free goodies as I was a little lost after going gluten free.
I do try to eat gluten free and as a fish eating vegetarian, I appreciate the high protein, healthy and simple recipes! My favorite? Fruit cake!
Britt says
Your blog has been a saving grace to me over the past couple years as I’ve journeyed through all sorts of GI health issues to finally find the (very restrictive) diet that works for me. I particularly appreciate these treat recipes, as I agree that they are the most difficult to come up with and being able to treat myselves once in a while is what keeps me sane on this diet
I follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is similar to Paleo in many ways, for health needs, AND I am a pescatarian by choice. I would, personally, love to see veggie and/or fish dish recipes in addition to all these beautiful baked treats you give us. Or if you, or anyone else reading this comment, have good suggestions of where to find those, I’m all ears!
Thanks for all you do to help out all the different varieties of “restricto-diet” eaters out there!