Dark Chocolate Scones- Simply Vegan

People often ask me why I bake...it's an interesting question.
Why does anyone do anything really?
For me, I love the process, the smells, the texture...
but mostly I love the joy.
I love looking at people's faces,
knowing that they are tasting something that I created for them with love.
Weird?
Maybe, but I don't care.
I love people, well, my people.
I'm picky.


These scones are a little bit picky too.
Picky in that I wanted to take inspiration from one of my favorite bakeries,
The Dahlia Bakery in Seattle.
I love everything about it, and their cookbook
is a little bit of heaven to a baker girl like me.
The difference with this recipe is that I want to make a
beautiful, tasty, and surprisingly moist VEGAN scone.
And I have a secret ingredient...actually, it's magically.
Vanilla Coconut Milk "Yogurt"
Have you seen this?
Oh my! It's a little bit of Vegan Heaven!
Especially when it comes to using it in baked goods.
You can use it as a supplement for buttermilk, sour cream, cream
...pretty much any diary product.
I have found that it helps maintain moisture,
while giving it a hint of deliciousness that is coconut.
Simply dreamy.
It's a must try if you, like me, enjoy the challenge of making
baked goods vegan and incredibly tasty.
And who wouldn't like those things? 

Dark Chocolate Pecan Scones

Inspired by Scones from The Dahlia Bakery
MAKES 12-18 small scones

Scones

1 3 ⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 ⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup cold vegan butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup cold coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 container of Trader Joe's  Vanilla Coconut Milk "Yogurt"
1 cups pecans (or really any nut that you like) finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
Sugar Crystals

Sugar Glaze
3 ⁄4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup water or enough to make the consistency that you want
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Combine both flours, the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor.
3. Pulse the mixture, and then add the butter and coconut oil until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add in nuts and pulse again.
3. Add vanilla extract and coconut milk yogurt and pulse to combine until dough comes together in a sticky dough ball.
4. Add dark chocolate chunks and pulse a couple times to incorporate.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead together just a couple times.

6. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal pieces and pat each piece into a flat round about 1 ⁄2- inch thick.
(Make 3 dough rounds for small scones, which I like to make and share.)
7. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
8. Place the scones on a parchment- lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-15 minutes.
9. Let the scones cool, but still slightly warm, then drizzle with sugar glaze.

"Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week"

February 7-February 14th is "Have a Heart for Chained Dogs"

from Dogs Deserve Better Organization.

How could the week of Valentine's Day get better than treats and helping unchain dogs?

It couldn't get any better than THAT in my world!

 

I'm bringing that idea right here in Portland with my

"Love of Dogs Valentine's Day Bake Sale."

With every cookie, scone, and pie,

a link on a chain drops away and brings a dog closer to freedom...

...with the help of my friends at Fences for Fido, of course!

Fences for Fido

 

SO...what will be baked to fill the hearts and tummies of two and four legged friends?

~Valentine’s Day Bake Sale~

Everyone needs a little love on this day!
I love to bake.
I love my friends and family.
I love helping animals.
They love to eat AND support my love of animals!

I’m mixing up a variety of treats for a Bake Sale on
February 12th and February 13th.

Perfect timing to purchase treats to eat or share with others
…or BOTH!
Of course, all of the money goes directly to Fences for Fido.
That's 100% folks!

Want to order cookies or treats, but don't work with me?
Sure, no problem!

Cookies:

-Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
-Cream Tea Wafers
-Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
-Chocolate “Red” Chip Cookies
-Snickerdoodles

-"Love in the Tummy" Cookie Mix

        (I'm making several small batches of other cookies for my school bake sale...

           ...this is a mix of the above and additional cookies)

Treats:

 

-Red Velvet Brownies

-Mom's Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting...made by my momma, the baking master!
-Scones (Red Velvet, Chocolate Chip, Lemon, Blueberry, Buttermilk or a Mix)
- Personal Mini-Pies (Apple, Cherry, Peach, or Chocolate Cream)

**Cookies can be ordered by
- Full Containers will be $10.00
(16-20ish cookies depending on cookie size)

- Half Containers will be $5.00

**Scones can be ordered for $10.00
     (8-10ish large scones, depending how many I can fit in the container!)
**Mini-Pies $3.00 each

**Cinnamon Rolls- 2 for $3.00

Orders will be ready by February 11th...just in time for Valentine's day! Though I'm pretty sure everything will be done for the orders by Sunday night. We can set up a meeting point!

No pressure...

but let me know if you have questions

or if you want to order any goodies.

               Oodles of Love,

Lori :0)

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Scones

Brrr...it's chilly outside!
Winter has barely settled in here in Oregon, but I'm already cold.
I know. I know.
It's not really that cold here.
And that's very true...it's not that cold here, but it's cold enough for me.
Sure, I'll take this dry, cold spell over the sideways rain any day,
but it is making me wish for Summer.
Since I can't have summer for awhile,
I'm sure glad that I preserve some little bits of summer to get me through these cold days.

Aren't these pretty?!

Even straight from the freezer,

these are a beautiful reminder of summer.

They deserve a new gorgeous spot, 

as the highlight of delicious scones.

Blueberry-Lemon Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from AlexandraCooks and Tartine
Yield=20-24 Scones

Ingredients:
4 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
3 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 cup + 1 Tbl. cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 cups blueberries

Topping:
turbinado sugar for sprinkling (regular granulated sugar is okay too.)

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Zest and juice one lemon.  Set aside for later.

3.In an electric stand mixer, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar, salt and lemon zest and stir to combine.

4. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and scatter the cubes over the dry ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients.

5. Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until it is combined. If the mixture seems dry, add a little bit more buttermilk, though mine was very moist.


6.  Add blueberries into the dough and gently fold in berries.

7. Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. If you’ve made the whole recipe, divide the dough into two or three even portions. Using your hands, pat each portion into a circular disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Sprinkle with sugar. Cut each disk into 6 wedges.

8. Transfer the triangles to baking sheet.

9. Bake until the tops of the scones are lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. (They took 23 minutes to be browned in my oven.)

10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. 
Or take them to your next breakfast movie-fest morning. ;0)
That's what I'm doing!

Lemon Lovin'

One of my great loves....LEMON!

http://twistedfood.com/2011/05/04/tripps-tip-lemon-squeezing-101/

This morning I woke with a craving for lemon. I could even close my eyes and smell lemon! Those that have stepped into my home, know that I love anything yellow.  Yellow, yellow, yellow...My walls are even yellow.  The craving for lemon was relentless through my morning walk with Murphy and his playdate with his little girl-friend.   (Not girlfriend, but friend that is a girl.  Though I think he has a great love for her!)

So, what is a girl with a craving to do?!  Whip something up, of course!

Stronger than my love for lemon, is my love of baked goods.  Since it was breakfast, I just had to make scones. But not any scones, lemony scones!  I hadn't made these before, but I hoped that it would dull my need for lemon. 

I loved the idea of these Vanilla Bean Scones, but I didn't have any Vanilla Bean in the house. 

 

Vanilla Bean Scones from Alli 'n Son

Of course, that would not dull the need for lemon....so

I modified the recipe and added in my own twists.

Very Lemony Scones

adapted from Vanilla Bean Scones from Alli 'n Son

Ingredients:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

zest of 2 lemons (for very lemon, which I love...if you want a hint of lemon, zest 1 lemon)

sugar crystals for sprinkling

Directions:

• Mix together flour, sugar, sea salt, and baking powder.  I put it in my mixer and turn it on low until all of the dry ingredients are blended.
• Add chunks of butter slowly and let it mix.  It should look like sand.
• In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, vanilla, milk, and lemon zest.
• Pour liquid mixture into flour mixture and slowly stir it together.  Mix until it has combined.
• Divide dough in half and make 2 roundish balls.  Flatten each ball out to about 1 inch thick.
• Cut each circle into 5 or six slices and place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle with sugar crystals for a lovely, sugar crunch.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees



Let them cool, if you can manage...

I couldn't so I plucked them right off of the cookie sheet. 

Delicious!

Enjoy :0)