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    You are at:Home»Dairy-Free Recipes»Alisa's Recipes»Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones that are Deliciously Healthy and Unrefined

    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones that are Deliciously Healthy and Unrefined

    43
    By Alisa Fleming on January 27, 2013 Alisa's Recipes, Bread, Breakfast, Dairy-Free Recipes

    With so many loving holidays on the way – Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Days – my mind wanders to recipes for fresh baked goodies like this one. These special vegan scones were ones that I originally created for my mother-in-law. She is English by heritage and by culinary taste, and she simply adores scones. However, my in-laws have been working hard to stay away from white flour and sugars for the past couple of years. In order to offer her a little treat that wouldn’t derail their efforts, I baked up these vegan apple cinnamon scones using a shredded organic Braeburn apple and a little coconut sugar for the sweetness.

     

    Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Vegan Scones Recipe with Gluten-Free Option - refined sugar-free, butterless, made with healthy whole grains

    Vegan Apple Cinnamon Scones that are Deliciously Healthy and Unrefined

    I also decided to take the health factor one step further, by substituting coconut oil for what would typically be butter or shortening in your average scone recipe. Coconut oil solidifies just below room temperature, so it works well as a solid fat in many recipes. Just like chilled butter, I add the solid or slightly softened coconut oil with a pastry blender or fork to get that “crumb” consistency – a preparation method that is typically used with scones.

    To keep these vegan scones soy-free, refined sugar-free, and relatively low in fat, I use coconut milk beverage (in the cartons) instead of cream. It is just rich enough and adds a nice hint of vanilla, but is sugar-free and low calorie.

    As for the flour, I went with a whole wheat pastry flour, which is a touch lighter than ordinary whole wheat flour due to the lower-protein, soft wheat it is milled from. White-wheat flour should work nicely, too. If you prefer light and fluffy vegan scones, then you can replace all or part of the whole wheat pastry flour with all-purpose or even cake flour. The whole wheat pastry flour definitely makes for a heartier scone … something my palate prefers in the morning or for a re-energizing snack with tea.

    I know what some of you may be wondering – coconut milk beverage, coconut sugar, coconut oil – do these vegan scones taste like coconut? Fortunately, unsweetened coconut milk beverage has most of the coconut “meat” removed, so it has a very mild flavor that doesn’t overpower at all in baked recipes. All you get is some creamy goodness. Likewise, the coconut oil and coconut sugar are fairly mild, allowing the apple and cinnamon to shine through in these flavorful vegan scones. If you’re still concerned, then you can use one of the other sweetener options that I’ve included in the recipe and you can substitute shortening (I recommend using organic palm shortening to keep away from the hydrogenated oils) in place of the coconut oil.

    And oh yes, my in-laws and husband adore these apple cinnamon vegan scones!

    Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Vegan Scones Recipe with Gluten-Free Option - refined sugar-free, butterless, made with healthy whole grains

    Special Diet Notes: Apple Cinnamon Vegan Scones

    By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.

    For gluten-free vegan scones, you can trial your favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you opt to use a gluten-free flour blend that doesn’t contain any xanthan gum or guar gum, and is fairly low protein (such as a rice flour or starch blend), then I recommend adding about 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan or guar gum with the flours. Note that different four blends can produce varying results.

    4.5 from 4 reviews
    Healthy Apple Cinnamon Vegan Scones
     
    Print
    Prep time
    20 mins
    Cook time
    15 mins
    Total time
    35 mins
     
    These hearty but tender vegan scones are gently sweet, but I like to add a little crunchy coconut sugar on the tops for an extra oomph of indulgence.
    Author: Alisa Fleming
    Recipe type: Breakfast
    Cuisine: British
    Serves: 8 to 12 scones
    Ingredients
    • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon coconut / palm sugar, divided (you can substitute evaporated cane juice (sucanat) or brown sugar, if desired)
    • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (see post above for other flour options, including gluten-free)
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅓ cup solid or softened coconut oil (you can substitute non-hydrogenated dairy-free margarine or shortening)
    • 1 apple, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup of apple shreds; see Apple Note below)
    • ½ cup unsweetened vanilla dairy-free milk beverage (I use coconut milk bevrage)
    Instructions
    1. Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
    2. Place the ¼ cup coconut / palm sugar in your spice or coffee grinder and give it a quick whiz to powder it; this should take more than 10 or 15 seconds. You can skip this step if using brown sugar.
    3. Pour the powdered coconut sugar (or brown sugar) into a large bowl. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until everything is well-combined. Add the coconut oil (or other fat) and using a fork or pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    4. Stir in the apple and coconut milk beverage, until the mixture starts to come together. It should be a little crumbly, but fairly easy to handle (not sticky) and easy to form into two balls. If it is too wet, add a little flour, too dry, sprinkle in some more milk alternative.
    5. Take those two balls of dough, and gently flatten them into two disks that are about an inch to an inch and a half high on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the scones with the remaining tablespoon of sugar (the stuff you left coarse) or even a little more if desired.
    6. Cut or score the disks into 4 or 6 triangles (like a pizza), and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the scones begin to take on a nice golden brown hue on the tops and edges. I like to keep the scones touching as they bake for a pull-apart effect and tender middle.
    Notes
    Apple Note: Be sure to use a good baking apple that isn't too ripe. If your apple shreds are really juicy, add the milk beverage slowly and as needed, until it the dough comes together.
    Nutrition Information
    Serving size: 1 scone (of 12 scones) Calories: 157 Fat: 6.6g Saturated fat: 5.3g Carbohydrates: 22.9g Sugar: 6.9g Sodium: 111mg Fiber: 2.6g Protein: 2.1g
    3.5.3229

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    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

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    43 Comments

    1. Kathy Hester on May 7, 2015 7:43 am

      Those sound delicious and perfect for brunch this weekend!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 12:39 pm

        Thanks Kathy!

        Reply
      • Jacqueline on October 10, 2021 7:28 am

        Nutritional values please

        Reply
        • Alisa Fleming on October 11, 2021 5:22 pm

          There you go …

          Reply
    2. Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen on May 7, 2015 7:30 am

      SCONES!! I’ve been craving a good scones with flavor. These look amazing!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 12:41 pm

        We think these have just the right amount of flavor Monique 🙂

        Reply
    3. Abigail on May 7, 2015 6:21 am

      I bet the apple adds so much yum here and glad the recipe can be converted to gluten-free. Pinned. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 6:47 am

        They really do – thanks Abigail!

        Reply
    4. Christine from Cook the Story on May 7, 2015 6:00 am

      I bet the coconut products taste great with the apple and cinnamon. Nice recipe!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 6:48 am

        Indeed, but they aren’t very detectable.

        Reply
    5. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine on May 7, 2015 3:53 am

      These are lovely! I’ve never made (or even had) scones! But perfect for brunch!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 6:48 am

        Oh my Rebecca, you must get on it! Scones are marvelous!!

        Reply
    6. Florian @ContentednessCooking on May 7, 2015 2:42 am

      There is nothing better than homemade scones! The combination of apple cinnamon is just marvelous. All the ingredients are to my taste and your pictures makes me want to try these out!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 7, 2015 6:48 am

        Agreed and thank you Florian!

        Reply
    7. Arman @ thebigmansworld on May 6, 2015 6:41 pm

      Absolutely digging apple and cinnamon lately- This would be perfect with some coffee!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on May 6, 2015 6:45 pm

        I know – world’s second best flavor combo – next to peanut butter and chocolate naturally.

        Reply
    8. Allison on March 1, 2015 11:57 am

      Can you use oatmeal flour instead of a Gluten Free one? I know to add 2 1/2 tsp baking powder to the mixture because of rising issues with oatmeal flour. We are new to this allergy thing 🙂

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on March 1, 2015 12:28 pm

        Hi Allison, it might end up a little denser and more crumbly without starch, and I would definitely use some binder – gums, egg, psyllium husk, etc. But I think the taste would be spot on – we love oat flour! You might see my most recent recipes – I use a combo of oat flour and flaxseed (no eggs or other binders) in the Banana Trail Mix Muffins and PB Oat Bars.

        Reply
    9. Tina Kluemper on October 19, 2013 1:46 pm

      Ok. I used a gluten free artisan flour blend with guar gum to accomodate my son’s allergies. Mine were quite flat. Going to give it another try. I did a chocolate chip version instead of the apples, so maybe that is where things went wrong. I’m new to this gluten free/ dairy free baking. It’s possible my taste buds just aren’t used to the artisan flour yet.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on October 21, 2013 11:19 am

        Hi Tina, this is the tricky part – I can’t vouch for all gluten-free mixes as a good 1:1 swap for all-purpose flour. Some work, some don’t. In this case, it sounds as if more flour was needed. I’m speculating that they were flat due to too much moisture (flours didn’t adequately absorb). I would focus on the dough consistency (which I explain in the recipe). Also, if you are not at high altitude and you felt that the scones simply didn’t rise enough, you can up the baking powder to 1 tablespoon.

        Reply
    10. Carla on September 18, 2013 1:27 pm

      I just made these with some substitutions: GF flour, sugar, Earth Balance SoyFree Buttery Spread, vanilla, blueberries, and unsweetened almond milk…and holy cow, talk about delish. This is the first time I made scones and this recipe is excellent. As soon as i can get some apples, I will be making the apple cinnamon version. Cant wait.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on September 18, 2013 1:48 pm

        So glad you enjoyed Carla! And I love the sound of your blueberry version. Thank you for sharing. Did your GF flour have xanthan or guar gum or did it work without added gums?

        Reply
    11. Sarah Liles on September 18, 2013 12:15 pm

      Bookmarking this. It can be very frustrating finding recipes that are adaptable for those of us that are top 8 free. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    12. Pingback: Pumpkinitis (cured with scones) | RAWR! Foods...

    13. Jody on August 27, 2013 3:58 am

      These turned out great. I substituted applesauce for the oil and left out the sugar. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon and sugar on the top before baking.

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on August 27, 2013 6:52 am

        I love your (mostly) sugar-free alteration Jody! I’ll try that myself.

        Reply
    14. Pingback: The So Delicious® Dairy-Free 2013 Recipe Contest - Go Dairy Free

    15. Reagan on March 30, 2013 10:01 pm

      These are so wonderful! They are sweet but not overly. I used rice milk because my children have multiple food allergies. I also added an extra apple! So so good and something the whole family can enjoy!!!!

      Reply
    16. Tash on March 21, 2013 8:08 pm

      Ive been making these a lot lately, they are my favourite!! I use almond milk instead of coconut milk though as i have that in the fridge all the time and we dont get that brand here in New Zealand (that i know of). Anyway, they are so amazingly yummy and addictive. I have a batch baking right now and the smell in my kitchen is devine, i cant wait for the timer to go off 😉

      Reply
    17. Deana on February 18, 2013 9:40 am

      I just made these and replaced the coconut oil with apple sauce (same quantity) and used oat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour.I also used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It was delicious! Thank you for the amazing recipe!

      Reply
    18. D on February 12, 2013 8:07 pm

      This was very good. Hard to beat the “real” thing made with butter, but a good alternative. I had to add almost another cup of flour. It was doughy, but the next day toasted in the oven was more reminiscent and very good. Thank you!

      Reply
    19. Joanne on February 5, 2013 4:28 am

      Aww how sweet of you to make this for your mother-in-law! They look absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    20. The Peace Patch on January 29, 2013 4:53 pm

      Thank you for sharing this! All this week I’ve had the most inexplicable craving for those store-bought cinnamon crumb cakes from my childhood. These are perfect and so very much healthier…assuming I don’t eat the whole batch! 😉

      Reply
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