Ah, yes, I am talking about moist & delicious scones – not hard rocks. These are fluffy, moist, sweet & *almost* vegan. I have adapted the recipe from one I was given many years ago and I have almost got it to a vegan point… I just haven’t found a worthy replacement for the butter.
You want to try these at home!
2 cups unbleached white (bread) flour
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter – chillled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup coconut cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. egg replacer & 3 Tbsp. water
- or -
1 egg
optional:
1/2 cup currants or dried fruit of your choice
- or -
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet (I use a Silicone Wonder Mat
, but you can lightly butter it)
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Distribute the butter cubes over the mixture. Using a pastry blender or two knived scissors fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a seperate container, combine the cream, vanilla and egg or egg replacer. Mix them thoroughly and pour them into the flour mixture. Stir them until just combined. Stir in the fruit, if desired.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and – with floured hands – pat the dough into a round or rectangular shape about 3/4″ thick. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. Using a pastry cutter of butter knife, cut the dough into triangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Reomve from the oven & allow to cool for 5 minutes – yes, you can wait that long even though your mouth is watering!
Serve them with assorted jams & preserves, lemon curd, whipped cream, butter, honey… whatever your topping of choice, or eat them as they are. I also recommend coffee, tea or cocoa. They can be kept for up to 3 days in the microwave or an air-tight container (if they last that long!)
**
Problems:
“My scones came out flat & hard, what did I do wrong?”
You worked the dough too much. Stir them until the dough is just or almost combined & work it just long enough to finish combining it & shape it. Do not knead the dough, as it will cause it to flatten & get hard.
“Many of the scones I have seen are shiny, why aren’t these?”
If you want them shiny, brush them with an egg glaze made of 1 egg and either 1 tsp. water or milk.
“I used blueberries and my scones are all purple”
If you are using frozen berries, make sure that you don’t mix the dough very long. The more you mix it, the more juice wil be released.
For fresh berries, toss them lightly in flour before adding them, and don’t mix them much.
“Where do you find coconut cream? Will coconnut milk work?”
I get coconut cream at an Asian market. Safeway stores have a pretty good Asian section, and may have the cream. Or look online. IF you can’t find the cream, coconut milk should work – just don’t go for the lowfat stuff as it is too watery.
“Can I use whipping cream instead of coconut cream?”
Yes. That is the original recipe. Many people are afraid of the coconut taste, but it is very mild and very tasty! It adds a touch of sweetness that is unique.
“What about the sugar – what is evaporated cane sugar?”
Evaporated cane sugar is just that – what is left from sugar cane juice when the liquid evaporates. It is a natural sugar that has not beed refined to take averything good out of it. Yes, you can use regular bleached white sugar, this is just better for you.
“What is the egg replacer? Where do I find that?”
The egg replacer that I use is from Bob’s Red Mill. There are other brands (I think Ener-G is another one) It is a powder that is mixed with water to replace eggs as a binding agent. For those looking for a vegan meal, it helps bind things instead of eggs. If you don’t have it & aren’t avoiding eggs, use an egg.
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