Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp/90ml coconut oil cold and solid
- 10 tbsp/150ml coconut cream unsweetened, cold
- 2 tsp/10ml apple cider or white vinegar
- 1 tsp/5ml vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cup/270g all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup/78g light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp/12g baking powder
- ½ tsp/2g baking soda
- 1 tsp/2g ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp/3g salt
- 1-2 medium apples peeled and diced (140g/1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup/120g powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp/ ½ g ground cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp/15-30ml oat milk
Method
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick baking sheet.
- Peel and dice the apples into 1/2”/12mm chunks or smaller. Cutting the apples in 8 or 12 slices and then cutting across into thin pieces will produce a good size to incorporate without the apple melting into the dough during baking.
- In a small bowl or mixing glass, whisk together the coconut cream, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Mix together.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
- Finely chop the chilled coconut oil into crumbles. Work into dry ingredients with fingertips until thoroughly distributed and broken into small pieces.
- Add in the coconut cream mix. Stir gently to incorporate until dough forms a shaggy mass. If too dry, add a small drizzle of coconut milk. The dough should not be sticky, only just wet enough to hold together when worked.
- Fold in the apples.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface/board, work just enough for it to hold together, and flatten into a circle ~1”/2.5cm thick on a lightly floured surface. The edges do not need to be perfectly shaped. Overworking will lead to tough scones.
- Cut into 8 equal segments.
- Place on lined baking sheet and chill for at least 15 minutes before baking.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200 C.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to cooling rack.
- Combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl or cup.
- Add oat milk a bit at a time until just pourable.
- When the scones are mostly cool, pour the glaze over them. Allow to harden.
- Can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. Best the same day.
- Can be frozen for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before serving. Glaze will get sticky when defrosted.
Notes
Texture/taste Notes: Vegan scones with fresh apple chunks and a cinnamon glaze. Tender, crumbly scones that are easy to make using coconut oil and coconut cream – no need for vegan butter or egg replacers. Bakery style soft, rustic scones with crunchy edges are loaded with fragrant fall flavors of cinnamon and apple and covered with an easy powdered sugar glaze.
Coconut cream: Use a full fat coconut cream (not regular coconut milk) chilled. You can recover the coconut cream from coconut milk if your coconut milk does not have emulsifiers (separates). Let a can of coconut milk sit overnight (or longer) in the fridge for the coconut cream to solidify at the top of the can and measure out 10 tbsp/150ml without mixing.
Coconut oil: Cold, solidified coconut oil is important for creating a tender crumb in the dough. For easier measuring, scoop coconut oil while melted or soft (at room temperature) and freeze before using.
Chilling the dough helps create lighter, better risen scones with a more tender crumb.