Scones have never been my dessert or breakfast pastry of choice. Because, truth be told, when I used to eat breakfast pastries way back when, I would always go for the chocolate turnovers. (I literally cringe thinking now about how I would basically eat butter, cream and sugar first thing in the morning!) But once I turned over a new leaf and cut out processed foods–sugar, white flour, dairy – I rarely even saw a scone that did not have all three. Maybe I would see a vegan scone that didn’t have dairy but they always had some form of sugar, whether it be maple syrup or agave. 
Creating a classic but healthy scone was an exciting challenge that I was determined to take on. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, especially considering I had never made a scone in my entire life – even one that DID have cream, butter and sugar. HA! But after doing some research I figured out how I was going to do it. The biggest challenge for me would be substituting for the butter. The first thing that came to mind was Essentially Coconut Butter. This is NOT coconut oil! It’s made by pureeing coconut into a butter form. There is literally just coconut in it! It tastes great and the texture is amazing – exactly like butter! This healthy substitute was a no brainer. Essentially Coconut Butter is offering my followers an exclusive discount code!–The first 25 buyers receive 25% percent off their entire order Code: FIRST25 everyone else can enjoy free shipping until June 21st Code: FREESHIP
Blueberry lemon scones is what I was aiming to make but when I opened the fridge I found someone had treated themselves to the blueberries I bought to make these scones. (I know I am not alone with this issue. Yes I do hide my food sometimes…actually more than I would like to admit. I kinda wish I hid the blueberries in this case!) But I rolled with the punches and turned this into an Apple Cinnamon Scone which is so good, if not better than a regular scone. I will be trying this recipe with blueberries in the near future. But I love the apple cinnamon combo as a breakfast treat. I wouldn’t even call it a treat! Its super low in sugar and so good for you! 
I tested the recipe out on my mom who actually makes the real thing all the time! She was really impressed with how well they came out and even more impressed when I told her I didn’t use eggs or any dairy products. I think the secret here is the Coconut Butter, which gives it that same richness that real butter offers. And they are super easy to make! 
I know I will get a couple questions regarding making these gluten free. I think spelt flour would work well here but I did not try it with spelt so I am not sure how it will come out. If you do try a gluten free version let me know and leave it in the comments.
Recipe
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons of Essentially Coconut Butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)
- 1/2 cup organic raisins
- 1/2 cup green apple diced (1/2 apple)
Glaze (optional)
- 5-6 tablespoons water or nut milk
- 3 tablespoons of coconut cashew butter
- 2 tablespoons apple sauce
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, and whisk together.
- Add your 5 tablespoons of coconut butter to the flour mixture, mix note: you may need to use your hands to avoid chunks of coconut butter.
- In a separate bowl add milk and apple sauce and vanilla extract, mix well.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and combine with a big spoon. Mix until you have thoroughly incorporated the wet and dry ingredients. You may need to use your hands to fully mix well.
- Once mixed fold in walnuts, raisins and apples.
- On a cutting board, form dough into a circle that’s about an inch deep all around.
- Use a pizza slicer or sharp knife to cut the circle into 8 even slices.
- Separate slices and place on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 22 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- While the scones are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Let the scones cool completely, then drizzle the glaze over the scones.
Thanks for the discount code, Lottie! I bought the sampler pack. Super excited to try it with this recipe! You are so creative – I really like the pizza technique to make authentic looking scones. 🙂
I LOVE scones and I LOVE Essentially Coconut! xoxo
Lottie, at what oven temperature do you bake your scones? King Arthur Flour suggests freezing dough for 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 425 degrees.