Dairy-free Cinnamon Chocolate Chip + Cherry Scones

Pastries, Please 

When I want a treat, I usually go for a pastry. I love the flaky, buttery dough of a croissant and the chocolate frosting on a perfect donut. Being dairy-free has been hard-- no croissants and no real chocolate. I finally caved and bought some Enjoy Life vegan tiny chocolate chips. Then, I found some cherries in the fridge and an idea was born. Scones are a great treat in our house because I can share them with my daughter who has an egg allergy. 

This recipe is adapted from the kitchn's Buttermilk Blueberry Lemon Scones recipe, which is delicious and worth trying. 

Donned the apron for this bake since I was wearing white and pitting cherries. 

Dairy-free Cinnamon Chocolate Chip and Cherry Scones

Ingredients 

2 cups flour 

1/4 sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

8 tablespoons vegan butter

16 cherries, pitted and cut into eighths

1/4 cup vegan mini chocolate chips 

3/4 almond milk with about 1 Tbsp lemon juice to create a buttermilk-like effect 

Directions 

1. Prepare the almond milk-- pour it into your measuring cup and then squirt about a tablespoon of lemon juice into it so that it curdles like buttermilk. 

2. Pit the cherries. I didn't know how to do this, so I asked Google. I learned that I could use a chopstick or similarly-shaped object to push the pit through the cherry. Place the point right where the stem comes out and push through the cherry, being careful not to poke your finger. I used a meat thermometer... maybe not the safest choice, but it worked. I used 16 cherries, and I think that number was about right. Extreme fruit lovers could add a few more. 

3. Cut the cherries into eighths and set aside. 

4. Turn the oven on to 400 F. 

5. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. 

6. Scoop out 8 Tbsp of your favorite vegan butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two butter knives. 

I like to have a GIANT tub of vegan butter so I have the freedom to be creative and make whatever I want. 

7. Toss the cherries in the flour mixture. The coating helps minimize redness in the batter. 

8. Mix in the chocolate chips. 

9. Pour the almond milk over the flour mixture and mix gently with a spatula until dough holds together. 

10. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a soft ball adding more flour as needed. 

11. Pat the dough down to form a round disc about an inch thick and cut into 8 wedges. 

12. Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned. 

13. Enjoy!