December 2016 Recipe Redux Challenge:

Grab and Cook:

We’re playing a little party game at the end of 2016: Grab your nearest cookbook and Redux the recipe on page 201,16,216 – or any combination of the number “2016”. (Of course, please don’t forget to credit the original recipe and change enough of the recipe to make it your very own.)

I took a deep breathe and stepped forward to ring the door bell. Behind the heavy wood door, I could hear commotion and high pitch excited shriek. I nervously stood there clutching my luggage as I heard the door knob turn. It had been several months and now I was finally home.

Christmas at home was always something I looked forward to. It was always special. I almost couldn’t contain the excitement on the cab ride home from the airport as we drove by the familiar scenes of bridges, ships, buildings, shopping malls. I watched as the early Sunday morning rays illuminated the dark skies, slowly creeping across the city, waking the silent city from its deep sleep. From the window, I could see the majestic evergreen trees that stood proudly in downtown Central, right next to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. As the lights reflected off the glass exterior of the skyscrapers, the intricate details of the colorful ornaments, fairy lights, tinsels on the tree became evident. I simply couldn’t wait until everything turned dark because that was when the magic happens: the city comes to life in its full Christmas spirit with lights that filled the night sky.

The moment I walked into the door I caught sight of our humble decorations of ribbons, scattered presents, glass balls. There was nothing grand, nothing fancy – nothing like that beautiful Christmas tree I saw in Central, but somehow beyond the presents, the fancy decorations; it was home that made it feel like Christmas. I ran over to our earthy dark dining table, surprised to see it covered with  a spread of Artisan bread, boxes of Japanese cookies, shortbread, chocolate truffles, crunchy nuts! Some were gifts, others were souvenirs…I had forgotten there was always so much food, so much to eat at home. My fingers ached to bake something sweet to add onto this outrageous stock of food, but my body said otherwise. I was exhausted from the jet lag and long flight. It would be hard but I guess I would have to wait just a little longer.
Christmas for me is the season of inspiration. For the past few weeks, I found myself filled with new ideas and creations for this special festive time of year. Somehow I couldn’t quite push off the longing I had for the warm flavor of gingerbread or snickerdoodles. Coming from a Chinese family there had never been a tradition of Christmas baking, but the gorgeous displays of decorated gingerbread homes made the idea of baking some homemade gingerbread romantic and enticing. So in the midst of our busy finals week, Zoe and I squeezed in time to develop this  gorgeous ginger scone recipe. This idea of gingerbread scones was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s Raspberry Scone Recipe (pg. 16). I ADORE that cookbook and we finally settled on gingerbread scones for our December challenge.

FYI: Zoe and me absolutely LOVE English scones. We usually had them doused in fresh clotted cream and slathered with homemade berry jam. For the record, I don’t usually like raspberry or blueberry jam but this was the one exception I would have it and actually enjoy it. Let me just say this –  the combination is to die for. Our family first discovered this scrumptious treat during our trip to London and we fell in love with it instantly. Maybe it was my soft spot for all sweet things but you also to have understand how addicting this  dense, crumbly cake/bread is.

You could say it was a pretty ambitious move considering the fact that I don’t personally know of anyone else who makes homemade scones. So this Christmas is the perfect opportunity to dig out that old recipe again! Except this time our’s  is paleo, vegan, gluten free and oil-free! What’s to say we can’t reintroduce an old family favorite with a Christmas twist?

With Michael Buble Christmas music softly playing in the background and my laptop balanced on my knee as I write this post, I can’t help but lick my lips at the thought of this yummy and decadent dessert. Although the first time wasn’t quite successful, but our second trial really hit the spot after we tweaked the proportions of spices and molasses to make it perfectly moist and dense. It isn’t the traditional crumbly scones you will find in bakeries across London, but this is a delicious rendition for those who want something healthier and lighter. For Zoe and I, these scones were just as good as the ones we enjoyed that summer afternoon in that café at Hyde Park. And here we have it: a guilt-less, Christmas treat complimented with flecks of ginger and cinnamon as well as a rich nuttiness from the almond flour.

This recipes combines 2 of the most traditional English treats- gingerbread and scones. Unlike its similar counterpart – the American Biscuit, it contains much less butter and sugar. However, it is thick, fluffy, cake-like and looks almost identical to the American scone. Interestingly, it often lacks any sort of add-ins like chocolate or salted caramel (and if there is any they are often quite simple because it is served with extra toppings of your choice: jam, clotted cream, butter). Our version however contains hints of cinnamon, ginger and molasses which warms you head to toe. Top this off with our creamy coconut maple glaze and there you have it: a sweet, dense dessert for breakfast, tea or snack. A delightful indulgence for this beautiful season that comes together without having to take out your blender, KitchenAid or food processor!  

Vegan Maple Gingerbread Scones (GF, Paleo, DF, Oil-Free, Refined Sugar Free)

 

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Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Cookbook (pg. 16)

Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Dry Ingredients:
• 2.5 cups almond flour
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp sea salt (1/8 tsp regular salt)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp Molasses (or more maple syrup)
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ cup applesauce
• Creamy Maple "Coconut" Glaze :
• 2⅔ tbsp yogurt maple syrup
• 4 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp coconut flour ( + more if it needs to be thicker)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl combine together all the wet ingredients.
3. Prepare a baking tray and line with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to the baking tray and using your hands shape a 7" diameter circle dough (about 0.5" thick).
4. Slice into 8 pieces.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. In a blender, add all the ingredients for your maple glaze. Depending on your yogurt, you may need to add more coconut flour to make the glaze a bit thicker. Add ¼ tsp at a time to test and mix.
7. Once the scones are cooled COMPLETELY, drizzle your frosting over the scones!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 273.4 Fat: 19.6g Carbohydrates: 20.5g Protein: 8.3g

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe & Mia

(This post is featured on Gluten Free Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Traffic Jam Weekend, Weekend Potluck, Saturday Sparks, Tuesday with a Twist, Creative Munster, Allergy Free Thursdays)

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