Hands up if you are you a scone lover! There is something quintessentially English about scones…a perfect afternoon treat and a high tea staple. It feels so decadent munching through two halves of a scone slathered in cream and jam complemented by a hot pot of tea.

A friend from Hong Kong asked me to describe what a scone was. Well looking at good old Google for help(!), it is a lightly sweetened biscuit-like pastry popularised by the Duchess of Bedford back in the 19^th Century. She requested sweet breads for afternoon tea. The cook made scones and she loved them so much, she started ordering them daily! How cute is that?!

I’ve always loved scones, so I thought, let’s make them healthy! This revamped healthy version uses oat flour, ground flaxseed, chia, applesauce (instead of fat), dried goldenberries as the dried fruit, plant protein and a little coconut sugar. This recipe is therefore suitable vegans, coeliacs (providing gluten-free flour and oats are used), those avoiding refined sugars and for people like me, who simply love food but want to eat more healthily. (I wonder what the Duchess of Bedford would have thought?!)

These goldenberry protein scones are super easy to make (a one-bowl wonder) and are delicious too; not too sweet, slightly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. (Oh I see how the biscuit-like pastry description fits now!)

I love to serve mine with coconut cream and raspberry chia jam. Now, what do you think, jam first or the cream?!!

Makes: 12 scones

Preparation time: 20-25 mins

Baking time: 22-25 mins

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 120g oats (gluten-free if required)
• 100g wholemeal flour (gluten-free if required)
• 50g plain flour (gluten-free if required)
• 40g ground flaxseed
• 30g chia seeds
• 1tsp. baking powder
• 4 tbsp. coconut sugar
• 4tbsp. protein powder (pea or soya bean)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Wet:

• 5 tbsp. applesauce
• 160ml milk of choice

Add ins:

• 60g dried dates (5 medjool dates), chopped finely
• 70g dried goldenberries

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line a baking sheet.
• Put the oats in a blender or food processor and whizz to form an oat flour. Pour into a large bowl.
• To this bowl, add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Stir in the wet ingredients to form a dough.
• Mix in the chopped dates and dried goldenberries, until evenly distributed.
• Using your hands, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll to 1 inch thick. Using a cutter, cut out rounds (I use a 5cm cutter).
• Place the rounds on the baking sheet and brush the tops with a little milk.
• Bake in the oven for 22-25 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 10 mins on the tray before transferring on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve with cream and jam!

Tip: to make the coconut cream: simply place a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the cream rises to the surface. Spoon off this cream and mix with 1 tsp. maple syrup and ½ tsp. vanilla extract and then whip up to make a delicious vegan cream.

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.