Sweet Potato Scones with Orange Glaze
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 16 scones 1x
Description
Sweet and spicy gluten-free scones are topped with a zesty citrus glaze for a breakfast or coffee break snack that will brighten your day.
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Scones
- 16 oz (3 cups) (450 g) Gluten-Free all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (110 g) tightly packed brown sugar
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) (115 g) unsalted cold butter
- 1 cup (240 ml) tightly packed mashed sweet potato (1/2 large sweet potato)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Poke several holes in a sweet potato using a fork and wrap it in foil
- Place the wraped potato in the oven for 60 minutes or until very soft. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before placing it in the refrigerator to cool completely. When cooled, peel the skin away from the flesh, mash the flesh with a fork, and measure out one tightly packed cup of mashed sweet potato.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a mixer, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and sugar.
- Cut in the cold butter, one tbsp at a time (if you don’t have a mixer, use a pastry cutter or your hands).
- Add in the mashed sweet potato and mix together on medium speed until small beads form.
- Slowly pour in the cream and continue mixing until a moist (but firm) dough has formed.
- Take the dough in your hands and form a ball. Cut the ball in half and form each piece into a round, flat disk.
- Place each disk on a well-floured baking sheet.
- Cut each disc into 8 triangles and arrange the triangles so that they are at least one inch apart from each other.
- Bake the scones at 425 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 220
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why must the butter be cold when making these scones?
Cold butter (1 stick/115 g, cut in 1 tbsp at a time) creates small pockets of fat in the gluten-free dough that steam and expand during baking, producing the flaky, layered texture scones are known for. Softened or melted butter would fully incorporate into the dough and produce a denser, more cake-like result.
Why does the sweet potato need to be completely cooled before mixing into the dough?
The recipe bakes the sweet potato at 400°F for 60 minutes, then instructs you to cool it in the refrigerator before peeling and mashing. Adding warm sweet potato to cold butter would melt the fat and eliminate the flaky texture — a fully cooled, tightly packed cup of mashed sweet potato keeps the butter cold until it hits the oven.
Are these scones actually gluten-free?
Yes — the recipe uses 16 oz (3 cups/450 g) of gluten-free all-purpose flour as its only flour. The excerpt confirms these are gluten-free scones, making them suitable for people avoiding wheat without any substitution needed. 
