I made a batch of these scones over a year ago now and for some reason forgot about how scrumptious they were.  So when I saw some lonely oranges in the fridge along with the raisins I had bought for my hot cross buns (to come) the memories came flooding back and I just had to make them. Like many recipes I make up on a whim I enjoy them in their moment of glory and then I get distracted by something else shiny and new. I’d compare it to how ‘stereotypically’ a guy focuses on one thing for that moment, then gets distracted by something else within seconds.

Case in point. Recently my husband and I were driving home and having a deep and meaningful discussion surrounding the movie we had just seen, reflecting on how it resonated with our own relationship. I was still pondering his last words with intensity as we waited at an intersection for the lights to change when he finally spoke and said, “I reckon if a car came over that hill fast enough it would go straight into the roof of that house”. Priceless.

These orange, rosemary and raisin scones are at their best when fresh and warm from the oven, sliced open and adorned with raw honey or organic butter or nut butter. There is something magical about the combination of rosemary and orange that comes together is a delicious harmony. The added raisins bring bursts of juicy sweetness to a not overly sweet base, as the batter is sweetened with only a hint of maple. The rest of the sweetness comes from the juicy orange.

Being a healthier version of the usual scone it goes without saying that these orange, rosemary and raisin scones will not be comparable to the lightness and fluffiness of a your grandma’s jam and cream scones. Now I am not saying that grandma’s scones do not rock in their own right, but they are not really an everyday eat. Nor are they suitable for those of you with multitudes of intolerances. These scones use the wonderful combination of sorghum flour and sunflower meal, which works similarly to the every popular almond meal and rice flour combination. The use of these flours gives the scones a soft, yet textural mouth feel leaving you truly satisfied.

You will also notice avocado is used in the dough of these scones as a bit of a secret ingredient if you will. The avocado adds a green hue to the scones before baking, but it will disappear once they surface from the oven as seen here. Avocado gives a butter like flavour and texture to the scones in place of regular butter. You could try using coconut oil if you are FODMAP sensitive however I have not tried this myself so cannot 100% vouch for it. I’m sure it would be fine though.

If rosemary isn’t your thing you could of course leave it out or even use another herb such as lavender or basil. My non-official brother in law who believes rosemary is always showing up everywhere and taking away the flavours from the star of the dish (usually lamb) would definitely be omitting it! Although, I’d enjoy serving them up to him to see if he would notice. Trust me they would be devoured in seconds.

orange, rosemary & raisin scones

Print Recipe

serves

6 generous scones

preparation time

10 minutes

cooking time

30 -35 minutes

ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons flaxseeds/linseeds
• 1 cup sorghum flour (or millet, oat or spelt flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• zest of 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
• 1/2 cup raisins (preferably organic)
• 2 tablespoons 100% maple syrup (or rice malt or honey)
• 1 tablespoon rice milk
• 1/2 cup mashed avocado
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• juice half a medium sized orange

method

Recipe adapted from Sprint@theTable.

Preheat your oven to 175c. Add your sunflower seeds and flaxseeds to a blender and blend to a fine meal. Be careful not to over blend so they start to turn to butter. If you don’t have a blender to do this I’d suggest using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle for the flaxseeds or buying flaxmeal and almond meal instead.

Combine the sunflower seed meal and flaxseed meal in a mixing bowl with the sorghum flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, orange zest, rosemary and raisins and mix till well combined.

Place the avocado, orange juice, rice milk and maple syrup into your blender and blend till combined. Pour (you may need to spoon it out) the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. As the dough comes together use your hands to bring it into a ball. It will be a little sticky but the more you work with it the more that should subside. If for some reason it seems too wet add some more flour. If it’s too dry add a little more rice milk.

Line a baking tray with some non-stick paper and place the dough in the middle. Press it out with your hands to form a disc about 3cms high. Use a knife to cut the scone dough into 6 triangles but do not pull them apart. Place the tray in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes or until the scones have lightly browned on top. Take the scones out and if needed carefully pull them apart using a knife and place back in the oven for 3- 4 minutes to cook the center that may still be a little sticky.

Once cooked, remove from the tray and either serve immediately or place on a wire wrack to cool. These scones are best eaten on the day of baking but they will store well in a air tight container for 1 day out of the fridge then they will need to go into the fridge of freezer. Enjoy them warm or toasted with raw honey or nut butter or tahini or marmalade.

nutritional information

• Avocado is rich in vitamin B5. This nutrient helps nurture the adrenal glands and is also important for healthy skin, nails and hair. Avocado is also a good source of mono unsaturated fats.
• These orange, rosemary and raisin scones are a nourishing balance of macronutrients rolled into one snack, or meal if you choose! The sunflower meal and flaxmeal provide protein and essential fats, whilst the avocado adds an addition of quality fatty acids. Complex carbohydrates are provided by the sorghum flour rich in B vitamins and minerals.
• Rosemary is quite a strong flavoured herb that is underused in sweet dishes. It marries perfectly with citrus flavours. Rosemary provides minerals such as iron and calcium. It also has antioxidant capacities that protect fish oils from oxidising. You will often see rosemary extract in with fish oil formulas for this reason. (Y, Ozogul, D. Ayas, H Yazgan, F Ozogul, E.K. Bogal, G.Ozyurt, 2010, The capability of rosemary extract in preventing oxidation of fish lipid, International Journal of Food Science and Technology).

Jessica Cox

Jessica Cox is a qualified practicing Nutritionist with a Bachelor Health Science (Nutrition) and over 15 years of clinical experience. She is the founder and director JCN Clinic, published author and established recipe developer. Jessica is well respected within health and wellness space for her no fad approach and use of evidence-based nutrition.