pumpkin scones (vegan)

i never knew what to think about scones. they always look really dry, like you'd take a bite and just go "cachhhhhhh" with your throat. like sticking a bunch of saltines in your mouth or something.  i've never ordered or bought one, and i've never baked them either.  but last month at our work christmas party, i tried a cranberry scone (from panera) and thought it was great.  fast forward to january, and it seems as if i've ended up with no less than 14 cans of libby pumpkin puree in my pantry (they were on clearance for 44¢ at walgreens, so i stocked up. they also had boxes of domino brown sugar for 25¢!). and i'm a little burnt out on muffins. scone time!  i used this recipe for vegan pumpkin scones and made a few slight modifications (wheat flour & more spices).  they turned out like fluffy little pillows - not dry at all - and not overly sweet either.

Pumpkin Scones (adapted from Vegan Joy)

1/3 cup almond milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
dash of ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt

For the glaze:
1 tablespoon earth balance, melted
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line it with parchment, and set aside.

Make the scones: In a medium bowl or 2-cup measure, whisk together almond milk, vinegar, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, and pour in the liquid mixture. Using a flexible spatula, make a scraping-scooping-pressing sort of motion to gently combine the two. When you have only a few streaks of flour left in the dough, remove it to a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough evenly into a circle 6” in diameter and about 1 ½” high. Using a sharp knife, cut the mound into eight wedges; it should be fairly sticky and a bit misshapen; that’s okay. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet.

Bake until firm and just baked through (insert a knife; if it comes out clean, they’re done), 12-15 minutes.

Make the glaze: Whisk all glaze ingredients together and drizzle over scones.