Award Winning Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones (Christine's Accidental Scones)

Yep… you read that right! Award winning! :) I entered these little scones in a bake off and won third place! I won't get fame and fortune but I did win a $25 dollar Amex gift card and bragging rights! And maybe next time someone enters a vegan dish into a bake off the competition will be afraid... very afraid! :)  Don't mess with vegans!

I must share a little back story on this recipe, I happened upon it… it’s mine, but I created it by accident... so I guess you can call these my accidental scones! 

I’m not an experienced baker; the truth is, I have never baked anything in my life that didn't come in a box or a tube. Now that I am engaged in this new lifestyle, I cook a lot more often than I ever have! In an effort to become a “well rounded” cook, I decided to focus on the creation of home baked goods, maybe a sweet treat or two, so I thought I would try some vegan cookies. Well, I had some issue with the cookies especially the whole vegan thing... (I am only a few months into being vegan) I had to figure out what I would use in place of eggs, milk etc. It was a challenge for me; so needless to say, I messed up a few times. By the 3rd batch the cookies got better and the 4th batch was wonderful... but not at all “cookie like” they were more like mini chocolate chip scones! They were delicious, we all loved them! So I decided to forego the whole cookie idea and play with a scone recipe. I pulled up a recipe for a traditional scone and replaced all the ingredients with organic and vegan friendly ingredients then, I just started to create. The end result... these awesome yum-licious vegan chocolate chip scones, aka Christine’s accidental scones!

I was so excited about my creation, and flattered when people started asking for the recipe so... here it is... my "award winning" vegan chocolate chip scones!  Enjoy!

"AWARD WINNING" VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

(Christine's Accidental Scones)

RECIPE: 

1 cup of organic raw sugar or

1/4 cup of Agave Nectar

1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread

1/3 cup of So Delicious Coconut Milk or Almond Milk

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup carob chips, if you prefer chocolate chips, try vegan friendly semisweet chocolate chips. A good brand I have used is the Enjoy Life dairy, nut and soy free semi sweet chocolate chips available at whole foods.

Preheat oven to 350

Using a hand mixer or a fork, mix together, Earth Balance and sugar (or agave nectar), add vanilla and almond milk (or coconut milk) and mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and combine together, and then add the chocolate chips. Continue mixing until blended together. The batter should be smooth, moist and fluffy.

Using your hands or a serving spoon, scoop up a small portion of the batter and from into a "scone shape" by gently forming the dough into a 7 or 8 inch wide circle (think hamburger patty) that is about 3/4 - inches thick. If you wish, you can use a knife to cut each scone into triangles; or continue to form the shape with your hands. Place on a cookie sheet that has been gently sprayed or lined with parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 to 17 minutes. Best served warm or at room temperature.

*Makes 6-8 scones.

ENJOY!

Mack and Cheese... maybe...

Made this over the weekend!

 Looks good right?! It was great!! And.... it’s Vegan! It was amazing!! No one could believe there was not any actual cheese in this Mac and Cheese! I picked up the recipe from a great blog called "That was Vegan?"  I added a little Braggs nutritional yeast to take the cheesy taste up another notch. It was Delish and healthy!!

If you are looking for comfort food without the calories, fat and cholesterol this is the one to try! If you are thinking about converting to a Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyle this is a great intro to what yummy stuff can be created without using animal products! Give this dish a try! Even our children approved this one!

Helpful tips to keep in  mind when making this recipe... I tried roasting my own butternut squash, I made too much so the first batch was more butternut squashy vs cheesy. For the second batch I went with the frozen butternut squash I say go that route, the recipe calls for 10 oz of butternut squash and the frozen package is exactly 10 oz so, no opportunity to screw up.  Also, I am a lazy cook so I put all the following ingredients in the blender

• 2 T Earth Balance
• 3 T flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 10-12 ounces of butternut squash, thawed
• 1 cup soy cream

Then I poured it all in the pot to heat it up, and I tossed in the following ingredients:

• 1 small sweet onion very finely diced
• 1 bag  Daiya cheddar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon Herbamere (or salt of your choice)
• Pepper to taste

Once the ingredients came to a bubble I began to slowly add the Braggs Nutritional Yeast one table spoon at a time to taste, and then finally perfected the seasoning, sea salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Here is the link to the full recipe: 

Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese 

 ENJOY!!