Traditional scones are made with loads of butter and cream, making them rich, crumbly and decadent. When someone recently asked me to come up with a new scone recipe, I started noticing that a lot of vegan scone recipes out in the blogosphere still contain loads of fat. Although my scones are not fat free, I use applesauce to bring down the overall fat content, making these scones much lower in fat than most other recipes I've seen. With the complex and complementary flavors of exotic cardamom and dried cherries, these scones are definitely not lacking in the decadence department.

This recipe is intended to make generously sized scones by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup but you can also making mini scones with this battery by using a 3-ounce scoop (like an ice cream scoop) instead.

Enjoy with fresh fruit as part of breakfast or with your afternoon tea!



Cherry Cardamom Scones
Yield: 9 scones

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (unfiltered preferred)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cinnmon
1/4 cup applesauce
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped almonds, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together almond milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle (making vegan buttermilk).
3. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. 
4. Stir in applesauce with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Use your hands if you have to! 
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the almond milk mixture, canola oil and vanilla. 
6. Stir until just combined, then fold in cherries. 
7. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto the baking sheet, leaving approximately 1/2 inch between scones.
8. Top each scone with a bit of chopped almonds, if using, patting down gently. 
9. Bake 25-27 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and the almond topping is lightly toasted.
10. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature and freeze for up to a month.

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