Rhubarb Coconut Scones (gluten free, vegan, ACD)

Rhubarb Scones!  Yum!

I made this recipe AGES ago.  If you are regular reader, you may remember me mentioning the vegan scones in the post for Raspberry Rhubarb Coconut Bars.  They were darn tasty, but in my constant pursuit of something better, I had wanted to tweak them a bit before publishing. 

But sadly, I haven't been baking as much as I had been - the hot weather isn't really good for baking.  My body doesn't feel the urge to eat baked goods as much, I want salads and raw smoothies.   Plus, I've found that reducing the amount of grain in my day and replacing it with protein or starchy vegetables seems to be happier for my blood sugar.  In short, I haven't really had the time, the desire, or the room in my diet to try making these again.  Since rhubarb season is passing as we speak, and it was a good recipe, I've decided to just publish it.  I was also prodded by email from a reader who saw the scones in the Rhubarb Bar post.  After her search of my post archives came up dry, sent me an email to ask for the recipe.  I couldn't let her down!

These are very good, and were fun and easy to make.  The dough was easy to work with, and held together surprisingly well.  Once baked, the scones looked beautiful, had a nice crisp crust, that moist crumbly texture of  a scone, and a sweet tart flavor from the rhubarb.  I served them with a made-on-the-fly blackberry coconut spread that was divine, but I don't really remember how I made it.  I think I thickened coconut milk with arrowroot, blended it with blackberries, threw in a little vanilla and agave, and let it cool in little cups.  All I know for sure is that I will definitely try making something like that again, and will write down what I do.  

The one downfall is that the scones dried out as the day went on - when I went back at the end of the night for another scone treat, it had lost the moist crumble and was definitely more of a dry crumble.  I made a few adjustments below that might help with that.  If not eating that day, I would recommend freezing the baked scone immediately, and thawing them out in a toaster oven when it is time to eat.  Easy to make, and very tasty, these scones are a winner.  They are not very sweet - scones generally aren't - but if you like a sweeter scone, add more agave or the preferred sweetener of your choice.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Gluten-Free, Vegan Rhubarb Coconut Scones

yield: 6 scones

3/4 c sorghum flour
1/4 c quinoa flour
1/4 c tapioca flour
1/4 c millet flour (or substitute with 1/4 c tapioca flour - it might help make them less dry)
1/3 c quinoa flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 T baking powder (if allergic to corn, use equal parts cream of tartar, arrowroot, and baking
soda)
3 T cold coconut oil, cut into small chunks (chilled solid in refrigerator)
1 T agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 T coconut milk (and for brushing)
1 c rhubarb, finely chopped
optional: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, etc.
quinoa flakes and finely shredded coconut for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 400*.  Wash and thinly slice rhubarb.  Set aside.

Sift flours together with baking powder.  Add to food processor with salt, and pulse to mix.
Run on high to incorporate coconut oil, mixture will be crumbly.  Add quinoa flakes and pulse a few more times to incorporate.

In a small bowl whisk together agave, 1 c of coconut milk, and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture and pulse into a soft dough is formed.  If too dry, add 1-2 more T of coconut milk and pulse.  Remove from processor and transfer to a large bowl, and stir in rhubarb with hands.  Move to floured surface and knead a few times, then pat down into a round.  Brush with coconut milk, then cover with with shredded coconut and quinoa flakes, patting so it all sticks to the scone. Slice in 6 wedges.

Transfer to baking sheet and bake 15-18 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a rack.
Dig in!  Best eaten fresh.  If not eating immediately, wrap tightly and freeze.  Thaw and crisp up in toaster oven/oven.

Update on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by Kim @ Affairs of Living

I just went back to make this recipe and 1 cup of coconut milk was WAY too much! I must have made a typo in the original recipe - it really could have used more like 1/2 cup of milk, and I had to add a ton of flour to make up for all the extra liquid.  

I updated the recipe to say 1/2 cup coconut milk + 2 Tbsp for brushing.  I hope that works better!

Comments

[swellvegan]

They look beautiful! I'm excited to see a vegan and gluten-free recipe for scones, as I'm trying to cut down on the gluten myself these days.

[Lindsey]

ARG! These look fabulous! And I just forswore all grains and sugar until I can lose this last pesky 15 lbs of baby weight. I will definately be trying these after this diet is done!

[Kim]

SwellVegan-
Yes, vegan and gf! I think you'll like them :)

Lindsey-
Bummer, what timing, huh? At least there is no refined sugar, just a tiny bit of agave. And to reduce the grain, you could always try substituting some of the grain with a nut flour (almond or hazelnut meal) if you tolerate nuts. I don't know how it would turn out, but it coudl be worth a shot! Good luck on the baby weight, and at least these can be motivation, right?

[Ricki]

Another great recipe! I am sooooo trying these this weekend!

[Christen]

These look wonderful! I can't have sorghum flour ... do you think they would work with another mix (maybe rice or coconut)? Thanks for sharing your creativity in the kitchen!

[Kim @ Affairs of Living]

@Christen - coconut flour can never be subbed 1:1 for anything - it is really absorbent and behaves totally differently than any other flour. if you try to do this, you'll have to add probably 2-3x as much liquid and come out with something super dense and weird. :) I would recommend using millet flour, which behaves much like sorghum and is already in the recipe. Brown rice flour could also work, but they don't weigh the same amount so it won't be a perfect swap, but should work pretty well.