These fresh, citrusy scones are a tasty treat, either with some great black tea for breakfast or with decaf for some after dinner subtle-sweetness. The peaches and orange zest give these babies a kick of vitamin C while the pepitas offer a healthy dose of zinc. In place of oil I used applesauce to cut the fat and put in just a touch of oil for a better texture. Using low fat milk replacers will also lower the fat of these yummy scones.
They have just a touch of sweetness and the ripeness of your peaches will really dictate how sweet these turn out. If you do not have ripe peaches put them in a paper bag over night or sprinkle the diced peaches very lightly with sugar and allow them to sit for at least an hour. Another way to add natural sweetness is to replace the rice milk with fresh orange juice and put the dash of vinegar instead in the soy creamer. Play around with it, it is hard to go wrong with scones.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
¼ cup sugar (plus turbinado/raw sugar for sprinkling)
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tbsp veggie oil
½ cup soy creamer
¾ cup rice milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup diced fresh peaches
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line some baking pans with parchment paper. Be sure you have your fruit chopped and ready to go before you get the batter going. Whisk the dry ingredients together — this whips in some more air to help keep your batter a bit fluffier. Put the teaspoon of vinegar in the rice milk (or any milk substitute) and let it sit for about a minute then add the rest of the wet ingredients to the dry. Don’t overmix. If there is some flour left, it is okay. Add in the fruit and pepitas as the last step, just folding them in. Use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop out the mix onto parchment paper and use your hand to reshape them where needed. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and pop in the oven. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom and a bit firm to the touch. I garnish mine with calendula petals. These are fabulous on their own but are best served warm, with a bit of Earth Balance or any vegan margarine.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tracy says she finds the best deals on pepitas (pumpkin seeds) when she buys in bulk at Sprouts or Trader Joe’s. Find more vegan recipes on Tracy’s blog.
