“Oh no, I'm one of them!”
Admittedly, this is what ran through my head the day I realized (months ago now) that I could no longer eat nuts.
I know that nut allergies are a big struggle for many of you, so rest assured that I now know how you feel. It stinks. And, truthfully, I don't even care much anymore about baking treats very often, so it's not that. It's more the sprinkling of the crunchy, fatty, flavor-filled bits that I miss incorporating into recipes. You see, when you develop an allergy to something that you have eaten all your life, you know what you're missing.
I miss walnuts. And strawberries…
I've had an oral allergy to both walnuts and pecans for many years now (along with strawberries and kiwi – sigh…), but after the stress of writing two books in less than a year (you've all read Practical Paleo, so you are well aware of how much stress can affect immunity, right?), the allergy expanded. And, no, this isn't the type of allergy that will likely improve or go away if I work on gut-healing or an AI protocol. So, please be aware that this is not a food intolerance – it's an allergy – and it could potentially be dangerous for me to eat these foods. It's not surprising to me to have this allergy develop as I'm already allergic to bee stings, penicillin, and prone to sinus infections (which I rarely get anymore since changing my diet).
I can no longer eat almonds or hazelnuts either. So, as you may imagine (or know first-hand if you share this allergy), this can make the idea of enjoying a grain-free treat quite daunting.
While lots of folks out there may think that it makes more sense to just enjoy “the real thing” once in a while, referring to gluten-filled goodies that are everywhere, that's just not going to happen. I don't eat gluten. There comes a point in time when you just would rather make something from scratch, from high quality ingredients, than eat some junky donut or cupcake just because it looks good or it's easier, or you think it's “real” versus a grain-free one that isn't?! I don't understand that logic, to be honest. And I know a lot of you are with me on this, because you've eaten them after not eating them for a long time – and they're not as good as they look.
All that said, sometimes it's nice to enjoy the texture of a baked good on a cold day with your cup of #coffeewithben or tea. And understand that, for all you with nut allergies while eating a grain-free Paleo type of diet, I feel you.
Give these grain-free, nut-free scones a shot.
These are a bit more dense than traditional scones, but their mildly sweet taste is just right. If you tolerate dairy, a bit of butter as a topper on these would be perfect!
This recipe also contains one of our Balanced Bites Spice Blends - VANILLA Infused Sugar - which you can shop here!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- zest from 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from ~ 1 -1/2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- VANILLA Infused Sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a food processor or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, thoroughly combine the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut milk, vanilla extract, and honey.
Sift in the remaining ingredients, except the blueberries, and mix for about 2 minutes or until the batter is well combined and forms a loose, very wet dough. If the batter is still too loose to somewhat hold its shape, let it sit for 15 more minutes.
Gently fold in the blueberries until they are evenly dispersed through the mixture.
Using 1/4 cup of batter for each scone, gently roll each scone into a loose ball and put on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press down the top of each scone to flatten slightly.
Sprinkle with VANILLA Infused Sugar.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
Notes
If you find your batter too loose to hold a scone shape, varying brands of coconut flour may be a reason for this. One way to potentially remedy it is to let the mixture sit for 10-15 mins before spooning to bake. After about 15 mins, if it’s still too runny you can add 1 tsp extra coconut flour to see how that helps – go slowly adding it, it’s very fiber rich and can dry out the mixture quickly!