Pumpkin Spice Latte Scone

Pumpkin Spice Story: 

(Scroll down to skip my story and head right to the recipe if you're really hungry...)

I walk through the doors of Starbucks, eagerly anticipating my first sip of that delicious toffee-nut mocha, and stare longingly at the bakery section knowing that I cannot indulge in any of the treats. Then I see it: the Pumpkin Scone. My heart skips a beat, and my palms start to feel clammy... Had this been a few years ago, I would have ordered at least three to munch on through-out the day at work. But now, I cannot, for I am a vegan. And Starbucks baked goods are not vegan-friendly. 

Scones have long been a favourite of mine. In my old blog, I had several scone recipes - lemon scones, chocolate scones, mocha scones... Always enjoyable! The secret to a good scone is as simple as cold butter. But what is a vegan to do when they can't have butter, and refuse to use vegan butters or margarines? Well, the answer is simpler than I thought: cold coconut oil. 

Yep, that's right! It's as simple as scooping some coconut oil into a little cup, and sticking it in the fridge to harden for a few minutes prior to cutting it into the flour when making the dough for your scones. 

So here - I present to you my recipe for the Pumpkin Spice Latte Scone: 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Scone

Ingredients for the Scone: 

• Roughly 2 cups of flour - I used 1.5 cups of spelt flour, and just under 1/2 cup of coconut flour. 
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• Spices: 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/2 of a whole nutmeg freshly grated, 1" of fresh ginger grated
• About 1/2 tsp salt
• Just under 1/2 cup coconut oil, allowed to harden in the fridge
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (you can use any type of non-dairy milk you like)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Method: 

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside, and pre-heat your oven to 425 F. 
• Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt in a bowl, and sift together. 
• Using a large spoon or fork, "cut" the hardened oil into the dry ingredients. Don't stir/mush the oil into the dry parts, but "stir" it while cutting through each chunk of oil. You want the resulting texture to be somewhat crumbly. 
• Add in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together just until combined, and then roughly form it into a dough with your hands. 
• Slowly form a ball with the dough, and press it into the middle of the lined baking sheet. Flatten the dough into an oval or circle shape, about 2" thick. Smooth out the sides and any cracks with your fingers. 
• Take a little bit of almond milk, and smooth over the dough as a "wash" for the outer layer. 
• Take a sharp knife, and cut down the middle of the circle. Then across the other way, and so on until you have 8 pie-slice shapes in your circle of dough. 
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 20 minutes. Check the sides/bottom of the scones - if they are lightly browned, then it's time to take them out! All ovens are different, so mine were't lightly browned until the timer hit 25 minutes. Stick a knife in the centre of one scone - they're ready when the knife comes out clean. If they are not ready, just stick them back in the oven and check at 5 minute intervals. 
• When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Then, get working on the frosting! 

Glaze/Frosting Ingredients: 

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 of a whole nutmeg freshly grated
• 1 packet of instant coffee (I used a Starbucks VIA packet)
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Method: 

• Mix it all together! The glaze should be runny, but not pure liquid. If it's too thin, just add a little more sugar. If it's too thick, add a little more almond milk. 
• Once the scones are cooled, using a spoon - spread or drizzle (depends how much glaze you want on them...) about 1-2 tbsp of the glaze onto each scone. Then, sprinkle the scones with some chopped walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Place in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes. 
• Once cooled a bit, drizzle another 1-2 tbsp of the glaze over the topped scones, and place back in the fridge to fully harden (give them about an hour - I know, I know... You want to eat them, and I feel you... But just wait! It'll be worth it, I promise!)
• Now, your last step is simply this: eat, and enjoy! I like to have my scone with a nice vanilla latte. :) 

Since I'm rushing posting this - I've only got one pictures to share - I'll try to update this later on though! :) 

Sweet, Spicy Autumn Flavours... I love!

Protein-Packed Pumpkin Spice Latte

In case you don't know, Starbucks is introducing their Fall favourites early this year. Namely, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. 
Before going vegan, this would have been like an early Christmas for me. I get giddy at the thought of Autumn flavours because it's my favourite season, and the smells and tastes of all things pumpkin make my tummy smile...
Unfortunately, they use condensed milk in their pumpkin spice latte syrup, so I can no longer enjoy this beverage while staring out at the crisp foliage turning to a bright collage of crimson and orange.
So what is a girl to do? Make her own, that's what.

This is a favourite of mine because it tastes exactly like what a pumpkin spice latte should taste like (minus the questionable orange colouring...)

Here's my (protein-packed) pumpkin spice latte! This particular one is cold, because I like it that way at the end of the summer... But you can heat up the milk to make it a hot one!

Protein-Packed Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Sun Warrior for this - it gives a creamy flavour and texture - the protein powder is also optional, and you can make this without if you want!)
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (I heavy up on this because I love cinnamon, but you may want less)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (pre-ground is fine)
• 2 shots of espresso (I still use the Starbucks espresso because, well, it's good!)
• Optional: 1/4 tsp of powdered ginger and 1/8 tsp of ground cloves. I don't always add this, and I didn't this time around, but it does make a nice little "something extra" in the flavour. 

Method: 

• If making cold, just mix all ingredients together in a blender or protein shaker cup, and then serve over ice! 
• If making hot, mix all ingredients except the espresso in a sauce pan and warm until your preferred drinking temperature is reached (alternatively, if you have an espresso machine at home - you can just steam your almond milk - and froth it - and then pour 3/4 of it into a mug. Then, mix the spices and protein powder with the espresso and other 1/4 of the heated almond milk, stir until combined, and then pour into your mug of frothy goodness...)

mmm...