Vegan Miniature Holiday Nog Carob Chip Scones

Mmmmhmmmm. These scones are made with so much holiday cheer, Santa would be almost envious! A hint and a wink for every vegan (or curious visitor) that cherishes the Mrs. Claus baking inside of us.

Tis the season! We're moving right into the nitty gritty of the infectious spirit.
The first semester at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fines Arts is over. I would say no more work is in store, but this is only a three week much needed relaxation. Frankly, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't be making any art. Heehee!
Now is the time to celebrate giving season with family and dear old friends. As you all know, I was home three weeks ago and am going back again to spend both Christmas and New Year's. Despite how much I've grown to appreciate and enjoy Philadelphia and its partying sister, New York City (Chelsea especially), I suppose my friend is right- I'm just a simple Daytonian through and through.
Now today's menu is quite a special treat- yummy scrumptious, out of this world scones!
Recently discovered that Calfia Farms makes an awesome, authentically brilliant Nog that tastes like the real thing. It also happens to be a little less guiltier than the dairy version. And Whole Foods is selling it for $3.99 ( a $1 off) until the 31st of this month! So please go out and try a four ounce cup or more. It's delicious.
Except here in these sweet addicting scones tells another story. The flavor is amped up with carob chocolate chips, crunchy walnuts, and spices that give these nog scones some good loving. One might manage to eat more than their fair share of goodness. I'm strictly speaking about Santa, of course, but if that includes you or me....

Vegan Miniature Holiday Nog Carob Chip Scones Ingredients and Preparation

3 1/2 cups flour (used 1 cup oat & 2 1/2 cups all purpose)
1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 1/2- 3 cup Califia Farms Holiday Nog
1/4 cup Sunspire carob chocolate chips
generous sprinkling of turbinado sugar & cinnamon for topping (optional)

First fold flour and sweetener choice.
Add baking powder, almond meal, salt, and walnuts. Stir.
Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Stir in Holiday Nog 1/4-1/2 cup at a time.
Fold in the chocolate chips.

Do not over mix.

Only knead a tiny bit. Never overdo scone batter. Let rest for 2 hours at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place scone batter onto cookie sheet. It should be thicker than an average cookie, almost but not quite thinner than the standard brownie. Use a pizza cutter to make long rectangles and turn those rectangles into signature scone triangles.

Closeup of the red & green sprinkle action. Bake for 18-20 minutes until edges are well browned.

Delightful little scones dancing on a plate even though the red/green sprinkles have lost their merry seasonal colors! You can always sprinkle a bit more to recapture the yuletide magic!

They were also very lovely accompaniment to a piping hot Starbucks beverage. Nom nom indeed!

Vegan Cherry Berry Walnut Scones

A plate of delicious served with a side of fresh fruit & almond milk!

Mmmmhmmmm  fruity scones- veganfied!
What's better than a scone that tastes lightly sweetened and seems to border between a biscuit and cookie?
This recipe was loosely based on The Innocent Primate Vegan's blog post: Vegan Cherry Scones.

Vegan Cherry Berry Walnut Scones

3 1/2 cups flour (used 1 cup oat & 2 1/2 cups all purpose)
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup walnut cocoa meal (recipe below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup fruit ( thawed & chopped a mixture of cherries, blackberries, strawberries, & blueberries)
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup soy milk (used So Delicious Unsweetened Almond Protein Plus)
1 teaspoon vanilla
generous sprinkling of turbinado sugar & cinnamon for topping (optional)

No almond meal on hand? Why not a walnut cocoa blend?

Walnut Cocoa Meal

1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons cocoa

Grind into blender of food processor until a fine, coarse powder is produced.

Mixing agave & flour.

Getting cherries & berries ready for action!

Add 1/4 of milk at a time, but don't over stir the ingredients. I let dough rest for 2 hours before preheating oven to 400 degrees.

With oven preheated at 400 degrees, I skipped kneading and made triangle shapes on cookie sheet, & sprinkled on sugar & cinnamon. A bit sloppy, but it's still scone-y!

Bake for 12-18 minutes, smiling as cinnamon takes over the kitchen air.

Crunchy on the outside, soft, moist, & chewy on the inside.

Though I enjoyed these sweet fruity, walnut treats, somehow, I want to get my dough to be less wet so that it can be kneaded and cut into appropriate triangular shape. Maybe I'll strictly use only oat flour & use fresh fruit as opposed to frozen.
Overall, a good recipe to try, especially if you love walnuts and that slight hint of chocolate flavor.