These Paleo Orange Chocolate Scones are one of my favorites! Gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo with nut-free options. Orange and chocolate is a flavor combo that just belongs together.
These are perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, or snacks. Plus they freeze great! Easy to make: 10 minutes to prep using basic Paleo ingredients. Only sweetened by maple syrup. It can be cooked in a scone pan, circular cake pan, or in a muffin tin.
I remember quite a few Christmas’ my mom got herself a chocolate orange for Christmas. It came in shiny gold wrapping and just looked decadent. She didn’t share it, this was something just for her. A decadent flavor combo you can enjoy any day with this easy recipe!
Tips and Tricks
These Paleo Chocolate Orange Scones can be cooked in a scone pan, circular cake pan, or in a muffin tin. I bought a metal scone pan from Amazon and can’t recommend it. The scones are a bit hard to get out! If I were to buy a scone pan again, I would buy a silicone one like this one.
We love it with Enjoy Life chocolate chunks, but you can also use regular or mini chips. Hu Chocolate Chips are a great option for paleo chocolate chips. They are only sweetened by coconut sugar, but a bit pricey. I love the richness and healthy fats that using almond flour provides, but there is a nut-free cassava flour option included as well!
Paleo Muffins in your Lunchbox
We make muffins every week for my kid’s lunchboxes or after-school snacks. Generally, they are more budget-friendly than most store-bought gluten-free muffins or granola bars. Plus, I love being able to actively chose what ingredients go into my kiddos!
I double batch my muffins and then freeze them in single-serve Glad or Ziplock reusable containers (from the Dollar Tree). There they are good for a few months, and my kids can put them into their lunches without getting smooshed. Also, the reusable containers prevent them from getting smushed.
Other Paleo Muffins you might love:
- Paleo Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Paleo Birthday Muffins
- Paleo Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Paleo Blueberry Lemon Scones or Muffins
- Flourless Chunky Monkey Muffins
- Flourless Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- Almond flour – I use “super-fine” almond flour to get the best texture. I like this one from Blue Diamond I can get at Sam’s Club or Amazon. See notes for nut-free cassava flour option!
- Tapioca flour – Tapioca is what gives these muffins their nice stretch. I recommend it over arrowroot, if you can. I get mine from the bulk bins at Winco. You can also find it easily on Amazon here.
- Baking powder
- Salt – Just basic iodized salt here!
- Extra light tasting olive oil – This is an olive oil that doesn’t have the heavy “olive” flavor. Be sure to look for “extra light tasting” on the bottle. I can find it at most of my local grocery stores. Or you can use melted coconut oil, melted first then measured.
- Maple syrup – Use 100% pure maple syrup to keep this paleo or you can sub honey.
- Egg
- Orange Zest – Just the orange peel of a regular sized orange finely grated into small pieces = “zest”
- Vanilla – We often can’t afford pure vanilla extract, though that’s ideal. If it’s not accessible to you, vanilla extract is fine.
- Chocolate chunks – See above note about these!
Paleo Orange Chocolate Scone
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup almond flour see notes for nut-free variation
- 1/4 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/4 cup extra light tasting olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks or chips we prefer the chunks!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. If using a scone pan, spray with cooking oil. If using a round cake pan, line with parchment paper. If using a muffin tin, spray tin with cooking oil or line with muffin wrappers.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients except chocolate chunks in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Then stir in the chocolate chunks or chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Cook at 350 for 30 minutes if using a circle cake pan, 16-18 minutes if using scone or muffin pan. They are done with you touch the tops and it springs back.
- These freeze great - freeze in a single layer and then put all together in a sealed container or reusable bag for up to 3 months.
Love this recipe!! Sometimes I double the recipe to have more. I used cacao chips. The orange and cacao go so good together. I left out the vanilla and used maple syrup. Sweet enough. The batter is a little thick and I had to dip a spoon in water to spread the batter evenly.
Yay that this one was a winner! Thank you for letting me know what swaps you used and how they worked for you, that’s helpful. Thanks for the review, I appreciate it!
This was a great recipe! So easy to make. The scones came out moist and are absolutely delicious. I like that they are freezer friendly, although they were all gone in a matter of days so I didn’t get to that stage 🙂
Lol, we don’t have leftovers often with these either. So happy they were easy and enjoyed – thank you!
I used the cassava flour as a substitute and a donut pan. So yummy! I will be making these again!
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed and want to make it again – thank you!
Hi Autumn! This recipe looks so awesome ! I just ordered some fall baking ingredients from Thrive and cannot wait to try these. Can you tell me if there is a difference between the tapioca and arrowroot flours? I ordered both as some paleo recipes call for one or the other. Thanks for the great content as always. I will respond back once I bake these 🎃😋
Apologies for the delayed response. Tapioca and arrowroot are often interchangeable. If I list both, both will work just fine in that recipe. Tapioca results in a gummy texture that can work really well for a soft texture in baking but is tacky and not ideal in sauces. Arrowroot is better in sauces. Hope that helps!
I made these with my 4 year old daughter and we couldn’t resist taste testing them before dinner. So insanely good!! You are my go to blog for yummy recipes that I know will be crowd pleasers. Thank you!!
It makes my heart happy to hear that I am a go-to for delicious recipes, thank you!
This recipe was amazing like all of Autumn’s recipes. The orange zest adds a citrusy flavor, but not overpowering. My husband and boys LOVED it!
Aw, thank you for those supportive words. I’m so happy this was another win!
Absolutely fantastic! Made on a whim two weeks ago and made it again this past week because it is so delicious! Love the flavor combination. So appreciate how quickly this pulls together!! Thank you for another winner!!
Wahoo that this was a winner! Agreed, love this flavor combo and how easy these are – thank you!
Tonight I had a craving for a baked good with cherries we bought. So I changed things up by omitting the orange, adding chopped up cherries, and swapped almond extract for the vanilla extract. They were gone in about 7 minutes. The kids devoured. Thank you for such solid recipes that can be modified for my wild cravings. 🙂
Oooo, I love these swaps you made! I love almond extract. YES to them being so versatile. Thank you!
I made these to go with my tea this morning. Love the orange zest and chocolate combination. Yummy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed these – I love the chocolate + orange combo in them as well. Thank you!
Made these two days ago with the cassava flour substitute and I was so happy to have baked goods again after being told I’m gluten, almond and coconut intolerant. I baked in muffin tins for 18 minutes. I added lily’s chocolate chips and I put a tiny bit of Kerry gold butter on top before eating. Yum!
Wow, that makes my heart happy that the modification made these a possibility for you. Thrilled they were a win, thank you!
Your recipes are a home run every single time. I love that you focus on budget friendly meals and ingredients that are easy to come by. Have never been disappointed, and this recipe is a new one to add to our list of weekly repeats.
Well, that’s such a kind compliment, thank you! I’m thrilled that has been your experience here and my recipes are supporting your family in that way. Thank you!