What’s a baker to do? I had already had my nice, healthy breakfast of steel cut oats with banana, but these scones had just come out of the oven. The scent is delicious, but I’ve never made these before, and I wouldn’t want to post something that might hurt Triangle Chance for All‘s reputation. A taste test was necessary!

I did it for all of you, and I’m happy to report that my first attempt at a gluten-free maple scone is a winner!

They can also be made with wheat flour, if you prefer, though I think the blend of millet flour and oat flour that I made for this recipe adds to the nutty, wholesome taste and texture. If you do use wheat flour, leave out the xanthan gum.

Gluten Free Maple Nut Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free flour (you can use a ready made blend or make your own; see below for a recipe)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, cubed, vegan butter
3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon maple extract (you can leave this out, but I would recommend it highly, if you love the taste of maple)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. Prepare a scone pan by lightly oiling it. You may also use a cookie sheet to spoon the dough onto, if you don’t have a scone pan. Remember to line the pan with parchment paper or a silpat.

Stir the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt all together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the flour mixture is crumbly. Stir in the soy milk, maple syrup, and maple extract and mix all together until combined.

Drop even amounts of dough into your scone pan or onto your cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until they’ve browned lightly.

Cool on a rack for about ten minutes before adding the maple glaze.

Maple Glaze

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted vegan butter
1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Directions:

Mix the ingredients all together, and top the scones with it and some toasted pecans.

I’ve borrowed some ideas from Cara Reed of ForkandBeans. com
I did use her wonderful gluten free blend in this recipe and in others.

Cara’s Special Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This makes nine cups of gluten free flour

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten free oat flour
3 cups millet flour
2 cups tapioca flour
1 cup arrowroot powder

My “far away grandma” (to differentiate her from my “close by grandma”!) was a gifted baker. My seven siblings and I can talk about Grandma’s bags of goodies for hours when we get together. She had a tradition of sending my family and my cousins’ families home with bags and bags of fudge, cookies, cakes, and popcorn balls every Christmas. How we loved those magical bags!

Now that I am vegan, I’ve taken my grandma’s old recipes and made them my own. With just a couple of changes, they taste just like grandma used to make, but they are true to my ethics. Some traditions are so worth continuing while others should be examined and discarded.

I love knowing that vegans can have their cake, fudge, or cookies while bringing greater peace into the world.

Here is my Grandma Stonebrook’s Banana Nut Cookie recipe veganized!

– Linda Nelson

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1//2 cup dark brown sugar)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 teaspoon baking soda
the equivalent of one egg replaced, use extra banana, egg replacement powder, or applesauce.
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, or chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and the sugar/s until fluffy. Add the egg replacement, and beat until fluffy again.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas (2 to 3), add the baking soda, and allow the mixture to sit for a couple of minutes.

Add the banana mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, and mix to incorporate.

Whisk the flour with the salt and spices, and add it to the wet ingredients. Mix only until combined. Add the nuts.

Drop tablespoons of dough (it will be of thick batter consistency) onto the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. You won’t believe the aroma in your kitchen!

Any time is a good time for tea time at our house, and while a straight cup of steaming tea is almost always more than adequate, we sometimes like to have a treat to nibble on as well. This Cranberry Tea Cake will appeal to those who love sweets and those with less of a sweet tooth (when coupled with tea). The tartness of the cranberries cuts the sugar’s sweetness, while the coconut gives the cake a satisfying richness, and a hot cup of tea rounds out the flavors splendidly.

– Justin Van Kleeck

Cranberry Tea Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen cranberries

Directions:

Combine the coconut milk with the vinegar and set aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9″x9″ baking pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix well. Mix together the coconut milk and vinegar, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, then add to the dry ingredients along with the coconut oil. Mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the cranberries.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread out evenly; if the batter seems a bit dry, do not worry as it will moisten during baking. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges turn golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The cake will set as it cools.

Once completely cooled, cut into 8 pieces.

– Adapted from Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan.

When Alan and I were in Scotland, we tried the vegan haggis, had a great gourmet vegan dinner in Edinburgh, and otherwise ate our weight in Scottish oatcakes that we found in a tiny corner store. We couldn’t believe our luck when we read the ingredients and found they were vegan!

I was determined to find them when we returned, but all the commercial brands in this country have animal ingredients or palm oil. So I determined to make my own.

Here is the recipe I came up with. Start them at least eight hours before you want to eat them because they do have to sit to soften.

– Linda Nelson

Scottish Oatcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups steel cut oats (I put them in my food processor to grind them down before beginning the recipe. Some texture is nice, but the cakes won’t hold together if you don’t take this step.)
1/2 cup spelt flour, whole wheat flour, or oat flour (just whir old fashioned oats in your processor or blender to make the flour)
1/4 cup vegan buttermilk (just add 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to soy milk, and allow to sit for a few minutes)
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup melted vegan butter (or use coconut oil)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Mix the oats and flour with the vegan buttermilk and hot water in a medium bowl. Cover, and leave on the counter overnight or enough time to have the ingredients soften.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 325. Mix the melted vegan butter, salt, and baking soda into the softened oat/flour mixture. Use your hands to mix into a dough that holds together. If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of buttermilk or soy milk.

Flour the counter, and flatten the dough before rolling it out to 1/4 inch thick. Use a mason jar or a biscuit cutter to cut out circles. Place 1/2 inch apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.

Bake for 20 or 25 minutes until golden.

These are equally good served with a cup of tea and a spread of jam for breakfast or with mango chutney and a cold beer for an evening snack.

They are a pretty versatile and healthy snack providing plenty of fiber.