Apple Spice Scones

Ever since I tried an apple spice scone with caramel glaze from SweetArt Bakeshop & Art Studio in St. Louis (the best bakery EVER), I've been wanting to recreate it. Flaky and perfectly spiced (Reine, head baker and co-owner at SweetArt, has spicing down to an art -- just try their signature Sweet Burger). My first attempt I tried a few weeks ago didn't impress me much. After a lot of Vegan MoFo-ing this morning (i.e. looking at vegan blogs), I got the idea to use cashew cream to replace the heavy cream in cream scones. I'd been wanting to try coconut milk, but I have cashews in the house so they won. The results were delicious! I think I'll nearly double the sugar and bake them a tad bit more next time, but overall I was very happy.

I adapted this recipe from smitten kitchen.

Apple Spice Scones:

For the scones:
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar (add 2-3 tablespoons more, if you prefer a sweeter scone)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter, chilled in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to an hour
1 cup cashew cream (recipe below)

For the spiced apples:
1 apple, skin removed, chopped finely
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cashew cream: (Note: this makes twice the amount you'll need for this recipe. Cut the recipe in half if you only want to make enough for the scones.)
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight (or soaked in just-boiled water for 30 minutes, in a time crunch)
1.5 cups cold water

Prepare the apples: Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples and cook for 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, stir and remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and store in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Make the cashew cream: Blend soaked cashews and cold water in a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

At this point, preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the scones: Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter or coconut oil. If you don't have a box grater, cut into small, pea-sized pieces. Add to dry ingredients and use a whisk to evenly distribute butter into the dry. Add apples and whisk again. Make a well in the center and add cold cashew cream. Use a rubber spatula to form a wet dough. Don't overmix. Flour an 8- or 9-inch pie pan and press dough into pan. Remove from pan onto a floured work surface. Cut into 8 triangles and place onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until light brown and scones bounce back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before eating, if you can wait that long!

Yield: 8 scones