Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Scones Remix

From Feb 2009 Recipes and Product Reviews

Always my go-to book (or second after Vegan with a Vengeance) for ingredients I'm not sure what to do with, Veganomicon provided the majority of this recipe (90% of the ingredients, most of the directions, although I had to change things around a bit to deal with the agave nectar challenge).

Before I launch into the recipe as I made it, I have to tell you a bit about the scones themselves. These are best right after they've cooled just enough to handle. Also, if you freeze them the day you bake them, you'll be in good shape to warm them each time you want one or share them with others. The tartness of the cranberries is an excellent foil for the lushness of the pumpkin. They're not your typical scones. In fact, they're more muffin-y than scone-y. You know how scones are usually dry affairs that remind you of biscuits? Well, these are not like those. In fact, you could easily scoop this batter into muffin wrappers and pass them off as muffins. I might just do that myself next time I bake them -- and believe me, there WILL be a next time.

From Feb 2009 Recipes and Product Reviews

Here's the recipe as I made it.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Scones (as inspired by the recipe of the same name in the Veganomicon)

Yields 12 scones or muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
4 teaspoons baking powder (yes, you read that correctly)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks (1 individually wrapped short stick) VERY COLD
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
4 teaspoons flax meal
1 cup agave nectar
Zest of one lemon (alternately, you could use a lime, it would look great!)
1 cup frozen cranberries (or wait until you can get fresh ones), chopped
3 tablespoons shelled pepitas or pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Sift together the dry ingredients (everything up until the agave nectar in the ingredients list) in a large bowl.
2. Cut the Earth Balance up into small pieces and using a whisk as a pastry cutter, cut the margarine into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. This is done by using the whisk like a potato masher and shaking out the clumps until you have a uniform mix. It takes less time than a pastry cutter or a fork. Try it!
3. In another bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk and the flax meal until completely incorporated. Mix in the agave nectar and the lemon zest until well combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, making sure that it's not too lumpy.
5. Fold in the cranberries.
6. Heat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper or line your muffin pan with papers.
7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners or onto the parchment paper. You'll need to leave 3 inches between each scone scoop.
8. Sprinkle the pepitas on top of the muffins or scones.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, then switch the positions of the pans (if using multiple pans) in the oven. Then, bake for another 15 minutes before checking with a bamboo skewer for no crumbs.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy or freeze immediately (double-bag these).

From Feb 2009 Recipes and Product Reviews