All natural and unprocessed vegan scones with chocolate chips and cacao nibs make an excellent breakfast option with this easy recipe.
“Mom, can we bake? Mom. Mom, I want to bake. Mom, bake. Bake.”
After a long flight last Friday I headed straight towards the kids’ elementary school to volunteer. When I finally arrived home later that evening, I was tired. Exhausted. Wishing it was later so that the kids wanted to curl up in bed rather than demand dinner followed by popcorn for movie night.
Within moments of entering the front door my youngest was holding up cupcake liners we had purchased the weekend prior, eyes wide, and his small voice hopeful.
The older kids off to school, we’ve been establishing new routines, and where Lene often is my most willing baking companion, the small man has been appearing more and more often, sometimes requesting snacks in the kitchen that he can put together himself, as if they have been specially seasoned with a sense of empowerment.
It was his eagerness to enter the kitchen and try new foods that brought this site into existence, the belief that involving your kids will make them eager eaters and mini chefs. It is what I know.
This summer my book came out. There were no fireworks, and rather than pride, I felt instant self-doubt (Anne Lamott tried to warn me). Instead, there was a launch party where a group of 60-some people headed to a commercial (teaching) kitchen in a public global market (Thanks, Molly and Tracy!) where I stood in front of them and attempted to say something mildly worth listening to all while shaking, feeling my heart in thumping at an alarming pace in my throat where it had lodged itself.
I’d rather not relive that day. I’ve had a lot more practice giving my spiel, talking to several people across the country and demonstrating recipes over and over and over again, and it would sort of be nice to erase that day from memory and have a do-over. Still, I would never have met Robin if I did away with the day entirely.
Robin was a kind soul with only pleasantries for me and words of congratulations after I felt I could have been far more witty and relaxed. Her new cookbook has arrived, and I have the pleasure of sharing it with you.
Subtly sweet, these scones get much of their flavor from the chocolate. Choosing (or making) a high quality chocolate is important, and you’ll be eating it with every bite. The recipe is adapted from Sweet & Easy Vegan to make it unprocessed. I omitted the agave and substituted a mixture of maple syrup and palm sugar, and I also opted to make my own chocolate. The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of coffee extract along with the vanilla as well for a mocha-like treat. However, some of my children (cough, Lene) won’t eat them if they taste like mommy’s preferred morning beverage.
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, chilled
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup palm sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped chocolate (vegan chocolate or make your own)
1/3 cup cacao nibs
Preheat your oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, combine the pastry flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Grate the chilled coconut oil or chop into fine pieces. Add to the flour mixture and toss to coat evenly with flour. Whisk and agitate the flour to break up any bits of oil that may have stuck together.
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, palm sugar, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly blended. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the flour. Stir with a spoon just until the flour is mixed in. Add the chopped chocolate and cacao nibs and incorporate into the dough so they are evenly distributed.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disk. Using your hands, pat the dough into a round 1″ thick. Cut into 12 wedges, and place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet 1″ apart.
Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Makes 12 scones.
“Are they good, Magnus?”
“Yes, Mom. We bake!”
A Giveaway
Enter to win a copy of Sweet & Easy Vegan by Robin Asbell by leaving a comment below. Do you ever bake vegan? Do you love cookbooks?
This giveaway is provided by Chronicle Books and will run through Saturday, October 20th, 2012 at 11 p.m. EDT. A winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!
I occassionally bake vegan and often cook vegan for entrees. I especially enjoy subbing applesauce for eggs.
I bake vegan sometimes, but not often. I enjoy experimenting though! Cookbooks are wonderful inspiration for me in the kitchen.
Looks great! I think the only time I like mocha is when it is paired with chocolate. 😉 I don’t bake often but when I do, vegan is the way to go! 🙂
These look SO good! I am learning to bake vegan since my best friend was diagnosed with an egg allergy. This cookbook would be a welcome addition to my shelves.
He is so darn cute! What gorgeous pictures 🙂
I occasionally bake vegan and I adore cookbooks!
oh how i love these! Off to pin them for you
These are fabulous! And I think your kids are some of the cutest ever!
The fireworks went off when I started baking from your beautiful book. Ah, there’s a first time for everything, right?
Amazing scones! And I have all the ingredients. I think I may make it to the end of OU, now. I think I love you.
These look amazing.
Time to convert them to gluten free and enjoy over the weekend.
I have all the ingredients
Hmmmmm
I am not vegan but one of my good friend is and i am always struggling with food and cooking around her. I would love to have a cookbook to solve that problem!
I adore scones. I wish I had learned to make them earlier in my life.
My son is vegan. I would LOVE this book to expand my vegan horizons for us!
Yes! To vegan AND cookbooks. I’m an equal opportunity baker. If it looks scrumptious, I’m there. And these scones are definitely in this week’s cooking rotation…
I recently gained some vegans in my family and would love to have a recipe book to help me figure out what to make that they can eat. Thanks for the blog and I hope I win!
I am drooling over these. Seriously.
I’ve been trying all sorts of things, gluten free dairy free. I love to cook and bake and these look so yummy!
I bake vegan occasionaly but this cookbook sounds fantastic!
Interesting that you chill the coconut oil so you can grate or chop it. Never thought of doing that, must remember. I do not bake much but do occassionally cook vegan.
I am learning to cook vegan and gluten free. Just found out that my not even 2 year old soon has ALL theses allergies. 🙁 a little over whelming but I an learning.
I love cookbooks but have never baked anything vegan before. I think I’ll start with these scones ~ they look amazing!!
what a cutie!! it’s always a good sign when the kids approve a vegan treat 😉
Your little guy is so stinkin sweet!! Precious photos and I love that he is your baking companion. 🙂
These scones look fantastic!
I’m a vegetarian recently turned vegan, and I love baking so this cookbook sounds perfect for me! And the scones look amazing! 🙂
Who could resist that face??
And I am sure everyone who watched you that day thought you were amazing, just like I do 🙂
My kids are the same way… bake, bake, BAKE! It provides lots of good family time though. 🙂
I have recently switched to gluten and dairy free and since then have eaten some vegan. This book would help me with my journey. Thanks 🙂
That face! Oh my gracious, so precious!
Such a cutie! And thanks for the excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast 😉
I do vegan bake regularly, as I have an aversion to eggs and dairy. I use flax meal, applesauce, and bananas to replace eggs and butter, and nut milks to replace milk. I love those faces, btw! So adorable!
I love baking vegan! I love to make all sorts of baked goods and I have a mild chocolate addiction. When I became vegan, there were some things I had to find substitutes for right away! I love making vegan brownies (with zucchini and sometimes black beans), and I love,Love,LOVE making pancakes and waffles for my boys. They don’t even know they are vegan! I add applesauce, bananas, all manner of things to reduce the fat and take out the dairy and they love them just as much.
I am an occasional vegan baker to accommodate friends with egg and dairy allergies–or vegans, of course. 🙂 But it never occurred to me that it would be possible to make vegan scones! I can’t wait to try this recipe, and I’m putting this cookbook on my library request list. Thanks for the introduction!
Never cooked/baked vegan but I have been trying to cook a lot of things from scratch recently. We have been feeling a difference in doing so, just eliminating processed foods.
I do bake vegan, although not often. I love cookbooks and read them like novels!
I am always in the mood for a good scone!
I’m vegan and I love to bake! I’ve got quite a few vegan cookbooks but I still have a long list of cookbooks I want to cook and bake from.
Precious, precious Magnus. These scones sound delicious. And quit beating yourself up about Round 1, you did great. 🙂
Aww you have the cutest helper, might have to borrow him. 🙂 I do cook vegan and actually have been all about cacao nibs lately.
Cocoa Nibs are fairly new to my kitchen but I love them! Your kids are so adorable.
ohgoodgolly yes! I have been a bake-aholic since I was a kid…and I do love cookbooks because they are so inspiring! They’re like paintings by artists…the best expression of the creativity of amazing cooks and bakers, and they teach so much and share so much with those of who aren’t nearly as gifted. I’m eternally grateful to cookbook authors and the spirit of generosity and love with which they write. 🙂
I care less about the Vegan and more about the Sweet and Easy. I looove to bake, and if I can make stuff that more people will eat, then there’s less temptation for me! 🙂
These scones are beautiful. And, I wouldn’t be able to resist the request to bake from such a cutie. 🙂
Oh these look delicious Shaina………and you know where you can send the little guy when you want 😉
I make some vegan dishes by default. I have an adult son who is lactose intolerant and it is the easiest way to find recipes without dairy. I love to send him treats while he is away at college.
Yummy! Always try to bake , cook, and eat vegan.