Irish Cinnamon Raisin Scones

What makes these gluten free scones Irish?  The Irish Whiskey the raisins are soaked in!  The raisins plump up becoming sweet little whiskey bombs that burst with flavor complimenting the nutty crunch of walnuts in the soft interior.  These Irish Cinnamon Raisin Scones are not overly sweet and are wonderfully spiced.

Wet + Dry + Mix

These scones are very easy to make. Wet ingredients go in one bowl and dry in another. Then pour the wet into the dry and stir it all together with a large spoon. You don’t even need to dirty your mixer!

A Big Plus

Classic Irish Soda Bread has a distinctive “plus” across the top of the bread. The "plus" is cut into the dough before baking, which gives the crust a breaking point as it rises. Without cutting into the bread, the crust would limit the height of the rise and your bread turns out more dense. This is also true for these scones. So once the dough is shaped on the baking sheet, cut a “plus” sign across the tops of the dough with a sharp knife. Then they are ready to bake.

Trash to Treasure

Save the liquid that the raisins were soaking in! It is flavor gold.  You can use it to make the glaze. Don't want to waste a drop of that good stuff;-)  The Irish Whiskey Glaze adds a bit of flavor and sweetness to the exterior of the scones. Turns them into a tasty little treasure.

Luck of the Irish

As luck would have it, if you are looking for something a little sweeter staying in the Irish theme, check out Irish Coffee Cupcakes. They are a mix of chocolate, coffee and chocolate. Yumm! On a savory note, check out gluten free Irish Soda Bread with Cheddar and Bacon or Classic Irish Soda Bread. They are both very easy to make and don't have any yeast in them, so they are pretty quick to make too!

Irish Cinnamon Raisin Scones (gluten free)

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Servings: 10 scones

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

• 1 ½ cups Gluten Free flour blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts - Optional
• ½ cup buttermilk - sub dairy free alternative + 1 teaspoon vinegar
• ¼ cup butter, melted - or dairy free alternative
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup Irish Whiskey

For the Irish Whiskey Glaze:

• Whiskey drained from raisins
• 1-2 tablespoon milk or dairy free alternative
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

For the Scones:

• Preferably, the night before baking, combine the raisins and Irish Whiskey. If you are in a rush, you can combine the raisins and Whiskey in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Then let soak as long as possible to allow the raisins to absorb the liquid. Let sit at room temp covered until ready to make the dough.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and walnuts (optional) in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, drain the raisins and reserve the liquid for the Glaze. Combine the drained raisins with the remaining wet ingredients. Mix well, making sure the egg has broken and combined well.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. This comes together pretty quickly- in maybe ten strokes/stirs of the bowl. Once all of the flour mixture has combined with the wet ingredients, use a ¼ cup measure to scoop portions out and form roughly into a biscuit shape about 2 ½ inches wide. Using a sharp knife, cut a “plus” sign on the top of the scone. You may need to clean the knife several times while doing this.
• Bake for 15 minutes until they have risen and are browned nicely on top. Remove from oven and drizzle with the Glaze. And enjoy!

For the glaze:

• While the scones are baking, place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Gradually add the reserved liquid from the raisins and the milk alternating between the two until you get the consistency and flavor you like. Some like more whiskey flavor than others;-) Drizzle on the scones right away, the glaze will dry up pretty quickly.