Pumpkin Scones with Maple glaze

My daughter LOVES the Starbuck’s pumpkin scones. I decided to try to make my own veganized version. Starting with Cookie And Kate’s recipe as a starting point, I made this version which turned out amazing!

I tried it both ways, and liked it better made with coconut oil instead of vegan butter and adding the aquafaba. They were still quite good without. I’m sure the nuts would make it even better. I went a little heavy on the glaze in the photo below, they are also delicious with less glaze.

finalscones

Clio’s Pumpkin scones with Maple glaze
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 T baking powder
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup solid coconut oil or 5 tablespoons cold vegan butter
  • ¾ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup almond or soy milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons aquafaba (optional, but adds fluffiness)
  • Note: You can make this with nuts and omit the oatmeal. Use 1 cup chopped raw pecans, toast them, add 3/4 into the batter, and save 1/4 to sprinkle on top of the glaze while wet. My kids don’t like nuts, and have a nut-free school.
Maple glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or vegan butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup real maple syrup, more if needed
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
    *If you are using nuts, place them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Chop the nuts into fine pieces.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, oatmeal and salt in a bowl and whisk together. (Add *¾ of the chopped nuts if using).
  3. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the coconut oil or butter into the dry ingredients.
  4. Stir in pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until you have thoroughly incorporated the wet and dry ingredients. If you must, use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough. Try not to over knead
  5. Form dough on a floured surface into a circle that’s about an inch deep all around. Cut the circle into 8 even slices for large scones, or a rectangle with 12 triangles for small scones.
  6. Separate slices and place on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
  7. While scones are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Drizzle the glaze generously over the scones, dipping the scones upside down into the glaze and letting it drip down sides. While the glaze is wet, sprinkle it with the remaining chopped nuts if using. Enjoy!cutscones

 

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I’m back, with 100% more aquafaba

cookie-new

I took a break from this website for a while. I went to Europe, made new plans for my career, and got bogged down in election turmoil.

All those can be posts for another time. Let’s get back to eating (and living) for a better future, a cause for which I am even more committed than ever.

I’ll admit to often feeling like my posts weren’t doing anything, so it wasn’t inspiring me to keep writing and drawing. Despite that, I continued cooking and learning, and I will keep sharing what I learn. We can each create change in our own small ways, and I will do my part to contribute positive action and motivation.

My latest experiments have been with aquafaba (the liquid or brine from beans, usually chickpeas). I kept hearing about this new miracle ingredient used to replace egg, even for meringue, and saved it faithfully from each can of chickpeas used. Inevitably, I wouldn’t get around to making something with it, and the liquid would get tossed out.

This time, after a chickpea spree making chana masala, I had enough for at least 3 recipes. Only 3 T = 1 egg.

The first recipe, a new chocolate chip cookie recipe blew me away. I am used to my tried and true recipe using flax seed. It tastes very healthy, is a bit dry, and people like it but it is not as good as this one. The omni cookie batter tastes better before it is baked. This one tastes equally as good raw or baked.

My new favorite is based on this recipe. My only recipe changes were: I had to used Earth Balance buttery spread instead of vegan sticks. Later I read that they advise against it. I also added about 1/2 cup of oatmeal since they suggested adding more flour if the batter is a bit wet. It seemed like it needed a little more dry ingredients so I tried that.

These new cookies are the bomb. I don’t usually even use that phrase. You would never guess that they are vegan. So, so, so tasty.

Favorite animal-friendly chocolate chip cookies

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter at room temperature (earth balance buttery sticks or similar)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons aquafaba (from a can of chickpeas, or the liquid from any other can of white beans)
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, for GF use all purpose flour GF flour plus 1 teaspoon xanthan gum)
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips
  • Optional 1/2 cup oatmeal

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugars with an electric beater. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and aquafaba. Beat to combine.

Add the flour and beat until well mixed. If the cookie dough seems too wet, add an additional tablespoon or two of flour or 1/2 cup oatmeal and mix till combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Let cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack to cool for several minutes more. Store in an airtight container for up to five days. Makes about 24 cookies.

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An ode to my electric car

2013-nissan-leaf

The story below is reposted from January 2013. We are now on our second lease with a newer Leaf, and it is now around $200 month, but the battery is much better and goes farther. We continue to love this car! When our lease runs out, the 2018 looks very promising. The electricity cost has not been noticeable at all- we charge it at our home and it takes about 2 hours. We charge it every 2-3 days.

I never expected to love the Nissan Leaf. We needed to replace our second car, and I had my heart set on a Prius. I realize it is not that sustainable to even own one or two cars, but if I drew you a map of where we live, work and the two separate schools our children attend, they are all in completely different directions about 4 miles apart. Somehow, with just commuting around, we were driving at least 50 miles/day.

Neither my husband or I even get excited about cars at all. In my perfect world, I would love to be in walking distance of everything, and we may get closer to that ideal. For now, I was ready to go into the Prius dealership and walk out with a car. Then my husband mentioned the Leaf. And to be honest, I didn’t consider it to be a strong possibility at all. It just seems too early adopter (to me), and confusing. But to be fair, I said I would check it out. We did a little test drive, and I was surprised by how much it just seemed like a regular car. Quieter, but accelerating and driving normally, and the interior was familiar but much cooler than any of our other cars.

I started thinking seriously about it. But, $36,000 was way more than we wanted to spend. Right now there is a $7,500 energy incentive that knocks that price down quite a bit. But still high for this new technology. There was a 2011 used Leaf for $20,000 on the lot with only about 6,000 miles on it. But, the other concern is what happens in 4 or 5 years when everything has progressed even further and you are stuck with an old model?

We went home and thought about it, and saw an ad in the paper for a lease option. Usually I feel like leasing is a bad idea since we are the type to keep the car until it dies of old age. In this case, it would give us the opportunity to try it while not being locked into it. Two years down the road, prices may be lower and battery life longer.

If you are even considering trying electric, it is a really good time to lease right now. We got ours at Nissan of Portland for $89/month (plus almost $4,000 down payment). I am almost embarrassed to admit how cheap it was. Literally, that would be our cost of gas anyway in a month, so I feel like we get to try it for practically nothing. The guys there were great!

If it is something you are thinking about- the special ends Jan 31. And, we are hoping that we also get a free charging station installed at our house as part of this deal (we applied for it). Either way, last night it charged completely on our 110 volt outlet. After that, the 2013 comes out, which is probably an even better car, and it’s price is way lower than the 2012.

What is the downside? Well, honestly, I wouldn’t do this if this was our only car unless you never want to go more than around town. And, I would only do it if your commute is mostly city street driving. It seriously hogged miles on the freeway going to Tigard yesterday (hills plus speed plus climate control and 4 people). But on the streets, it is perfect. And the electric chargers are scattered around at some Fred Meyers and other spots, I expect there to be more as there are more adopters.

We are fighting over who gets to drive it. Kids love that the back seat has seat warmers. There is much to learn about this car, as it is a little like driving around a giant cell phone. Like programming it to warm up in the morning (from your phone). I feel great about never going to the gas stations, zero emissions, and the lack of maintenance like oil changes.

Well, that’s my unpaid commercial for Leaf, as a complete amateur to electric cars, and mostly cars in general. I feel I owe them something for giving us this amazing car for almost nothing. I’ll be honest and update this if there are major issues. So far, it just requires more thoughtfulness as far as charging it and miles driven. It’s definitely a trade off I feel good about.

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