Coconut Flour Banana Bread Scones {Vegan+Grainfree}

Tender, crisp-edged, banana bread-inspired scones, made with coconut flour–and ZERO eggs! They have the texture of scones made with all-purpose wheat flour (read on for my secret ingredient) , and are nutritious, delicious, simple-to-make and only 145 calories per full-size scone.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I hope you are having a good day thus far! If you are looking for some additional love, you’ve come to the right place, because I have an edible love offering: freshly baked, banana bread-inspired scones.

Admittedly, I fall head over heels whenever I encounter a warm scone, but the scones I’ve created for this post are extra-special.  They have everything great scones must have–light and tender texture, crisp edges, not too sweet, and, most importantly, perfect with a cup of hot tea :)–but so much more. Or, perhaps more accurately, less, in an entirely positive sense.

The “less” includes the following: no grains, no eggs, no nuts or seeds, no dairy, no excess of sugar, and absolutely no nonsense.

It’s no joke!

The feature flour for these incredible scone is coconut flour, which is a dreamy ingredient for multiple reasons:

*Naturally grain-free, gluten-free & allergen-free
*Available at regular supermarkets (much has changed in recent years)
*Affordable (as little as $2.50 for a bag, plus only a small amount is used in most recipes)
*Wonderful flavor (subtle coconut flavor, and faintly sweet, too)

Alas, straight-forward recipe development does not make the list, which I’ve noted several times before (approaching ad nauseum zone…sorry!).  Coconut flour can be incredibly quirky, making baked goods fall to pieces unless baskets of eggs, and/or large quantities of almond flour (pricey!) are added. The usual egg replacers (flax or chia based) do not work at all, unless you’re aiming for bread that you have to eat with a spoon.

Unless you combine the coconut flour with one ingredient: chickpea flour.

Coconut flour + chickpea flour = the ultimate grain-free flour combination. Cue the triumphal music!!!

As evidence, take a gander at the texture of these scrumptious scones:

Alright, enough yak, on to the scones!

The dough is a one-bowl cinch: whisk the dry ingredients (flours, leavener, spice, etc.), stir in the wet (milk, mashed banana, etc.), and then stir in the melted coconut oil. I add the coconut oil last for a reason: add it to, or along with, the cold liquid and it will re-solidify into little or big bits. Add it last to ensure even distribution throughout the dough.

The next step is different from grain-flour scones: refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes (turn on the oven to preheat while you’re waiting). The purpose of this step is twofold:

(1) Both coconut and chickpea flours are “thirsty,” absorbing more liquid than grain flours. Letting the dough rest allows the flours to absorb more liquid before baking and become more cohesive (and shape-able).

(2) A brief chilling gives the evenly distributed coconut oil a chance to re-firm, the end result of which is an extra-tender crumb to the scones.

Onward! Here’s my pictorial for creating perfect scone wedges. There’s nothing to it, but it helps to see the steps:

Following the final bake, you have THIS:

You still have time to make these for someone you love, including yourself. Happy Valentine’s Day to each and every one of you! ♥♥♥♥♥♥

Making this recipe? I would love to see it!
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