When I was little, my mom had a British baking cookbook she used to make recipes from. One of the recipes I remember her making from that book is scones. I remember them having either currants or raisins in them and she would use a large biscuit cutter to cut them into circles. These coconut raisin vegan scones remind me of those scones from all those years ago.
I grew up in a tea household...meaning, my parents were tea drinkers. Every evening, well after supper, they would enjoy a cup of tea before bedtime. And some nights, there would be a little something extra to have with their tea, like scones. If we were lucky, us kids would get a mini cup of hot chocolate to enjoy along with them. We felt so grown up sipping our hot chocolate during tea time!
Scones are not a very sweet treat, they don't have a lot of sugar, but I remember loving the scones my mom made, despite the lack of sugar. I was all about the sweet desserts when I was little, and I still am, as you would know by browsing all the desserts on my website!
My mom no longer makes those scones, but I should ask her about that book. I'm sure it's still hanging around somewhere in her house. It would be fun to compare my recipe to that original one.
I know one big difference would be that my scones are vegan. I'm quite certain hers contained butter, as traditional British scones do. These coconut raisin vegan scones use coconut oil as the fat and it's cut into the dry mixture. Doing this makes the scones "flaky" in a way, and gives it such an enjoyable, tender texture.
The outer surface is crispy but when you bite into one, you'll see that the inside is so soft and has layers, much like pastry. This is due to the way the coconut oil is incorporated into the flour and from the 15 minutes the dough spends chilling in the fridge. These vegan scones also rise really nicely while baking.
These are best when they're still warm, but the recipe makes 8, so finishing 8 in one sitting while they're still warm isn't going to happen unless you have a crowd. So serve them at a brunch you're hosting or at a family breakfast. They are also great during the holidays when you are entertaining. And if you can't finish them while they're still warm, not to worry because they are still just as delicious after they have cooled off.
Serve your coconut raisin vegan scones just as they are, the coconut and raisins together give them a wonderful flavour, or serve them with a spread, like a jam (try this easy strawberry chia seed jam), jelly, or vegan butter.
And of course, they're also lovely to enjoy with a cup of tea, coffee...or hot chocolate. 🙂
If you like this recipe, I think you may like these recipes too:
- Vegan Pumpkin Scones
- Coconut Raisin Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins
- Apple Raisin Cinnamon Rolls
How to Make Coconut Raisin Vegan Scones
Coconut Raisin Vegan Scones
Ingredients:
For the scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil soft, not melted, see note below
- ¾ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup coconut milk (I use canned coconut milk, see note below)
For the tops of the scones:
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat over to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Add soft coconut oil to the bowl and using a pastry blender, cut coconut oil into the flour mixture until the mix looks sandy and all of the bigger chunks have been broken up.
- Add the raisins and the shredded coconut and mix until combined.
- Add ⅔ cup of coconut milk to the bowl and with a wooden spoon, stir until a dough is formed.
- Knead the dough lightly and quickly until all ingredients have combined and there are no more dry parts in the bowl. Form into a ball.
- Transfer dough ball to the parchment lined baking sheet and form dough into an 8-inch wide, 1" tall disc.
- Place baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
- After dough has chilled, brush the top with 1 tablespoon of coconut milk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
- Using a knife, or a pizza cutter, cut the disc into 8 equal wedges and arrange them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top.
Recipe Notes:
- The coconut oil must be soft, but not too soft or melted (like room temperature butter) so it can be cut into the flour. If your coconut oil is too soft, refrigerate until it firms up a bit.
- I use canned coconut milk but feel free to use the type of coconut milk you have on hand, as long as it is unsweetened.
- I recommend using extra virgin coconut oil in this recipe because of the coconut flavour it adds.
- Fresh coconut is great in this recipe, it will give an extra boost of coconut flavour, but if you don't have any, shredded dry coconut works perfectly fine as well. Learn how to crack open and use a whole coconut.
Meredith Smith says
Delicious! The combination of raisins and coconut was a delicious combo that I never would have thought of!
Gwen Leron says
Thanks so much, Meredith! I'm happy you've been enjoying the scones. Thanks for taking the time to leave your note and rating, I appreciate it very much 🙂