Lemony Raspberry Scones
Vegan. Tangy-sweet. Delicious. Perfect for a spring brunch!
Looking for a unique springy scone recipe? Look no further! These scones are a favorite in my household, and we’ll be serving them for our “virtual brunch” party this Sunday.
Times are strange. We can’t open our house the way we usually do to welcome loved ones to play in our backyard, celebrate spring, and eat all the things we love to enjoy while lingering the day away together. This year, we have to celebrate #alonetogether. Doesn’t mean we can’t still find things worth celebrating or enjoy all the yummy dishes!
We’ve decided to have a Zoom party (in fact, we’re having two… one with local friends who’d normally be with us in person, and another with family who live far away) — complete with shared games and recipes so if we want to feel even more together we can all enjoy some of the same dishes. These scones will be the star of our brunch offerings this year.
I’ve got a gluten free option noted in the recipe, but full disclosure, if the gluten free flour mix you use has rice flour or things like xanthan or guar gum in it, these scones can be a bit dense. They’re actually still quite delicious, just not exactly the texture you expect from a scone. I’m currently working on a version with superfine almond flour, which I believe is 1 step away from perfection, but since it’s not there yet, I can’t post it. I’ll keep at it and let you know when it’s ready. Sign up at the bottom of this page for newsletters and I’ll send it to you asap. (When you do, I’ll gift you my MAGic Journaling e-guide — you’ll love this!)
These scones really are just “scrummy” as Mary Berry would say! I hope you enjoy them and are able to savor many joyful moments this spring.
LEMONY RASPBERRY SCONES
WITH LEMON-HONEY DRIZZLE & OAT CRUNCHIES
Makes 8 Scones
OAT CRUNCHIES:
¼ cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
SCONES:
1¾ cups whole wheat flour -or- all-purpose gluten free flour mix
⅓ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup chilled coconut oil -or- vegan butter
½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or any nut milk)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup fresh raspberries
DRIZZLE:
½ cup soaked raw cashews
¼ cup almond milk
2 tablespoons honey*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons + 2 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425°F.
TO MAKE THE CRUNCHIES:
In a small bowl combine rolled oats, flax seeds and coconut sugar. Spread out on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake 3-5 minutes, until the sugar begins to melt and the oats are toasty. Be careful not to burn the flax seeds. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, use a spoon to scrape the slightly hardened sugar up and mix it with the oats and flax seeds.
This mixture will be similar to muesli. (You may even want to make more to keep some Crunchies on hand to sprinkle onto yoghurt, ice cream, nut butter toast…the possibilities are endless!)
Keep the oven on—you’ll cook the scones at the same temperature.
TO MAKE THE SCONES:
In a large bowl, use a fork to whisk together the flour or gluten free flour mix, coconut sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and sea salt.
Use your hands to cut in the coconut oil (or vegan butter) by pinching it together with the dry ingredients until the dough forms many small pea-sized pieces.
Add the almond milk and lemon juice to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a fork until just barely combined. Gently fold in the raspberries (they may break apart). Shape the dough into a large ball with your hands right in the bowl.
Transfer the dough ball to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and use your hands to press into a circle that’s about 8” wide and ½” thick. Use a pastry cutter or large heavy knife to quickly cut dough into eight triangles.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the scones are lightly golden-brown, dry-crisp on the outside, and still soft to the touch if pressed. Remove from oven and let cool before topping with the drizzle and crunchies.
TO MAKE THE DRIZZLE:
While scones are cooking, combine the soaked cashews, almond milk, honey, coconut oil and lemon juice in a blender. Blend on high, pausing to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You want a mixture thin enough to drizzle onto scones, not glop onto them, so add drops of almond milk to thin as needed until you reach the desired consistency.**
Using a spoon or fork, ice the scones by dropping lines of the drizzle over them. Sprinkle the crunchies on top so they stick to the icing-drizzle.
Enjoy these delicious springy scones warm or cool.
*If you don’t eat/have honey, use maple syrup. The flavor changes slightly, but it’s still yummy!
**If you’d like to fully frost your scones, keep the mixture thick by adding less almond milk at the beginning and play with adding small amounts of it until you achieve your desired frosting consistency. You can spread the mixture over the top of each scone in a light layer. Just know that this frosting tends to clarify, so it won’t stay as visible as it is when you first put it on. At first it is a very creamy color and after a while it becomes kind of clear.
