Vegan Cherry Chocolate Spelt Flour Scones
These cherry chocolate “buttermilk” scones are made with whole grain spelt flour, nutty almond flour, and can be made without refined sugars! A healthier, more nutritious scone with a tender interior and crispy exterior that packs cherries and chocolate inside a delightful almond flavored base. Perfect for stone fruit season!
This scone recipe is inspired by the OG scone that got me into scones - a cherry almond scone from a (now closed) scone & coffee shop. It had a tender interior filled with cherries and a lightly crisped exterior topped with slivered almonds and a sprinkling of sugar. I’d been ambivalent about scones before stumbling across this one (it seems like good scones are weirdly hard to find?!) but the cherry almond duo and perfect texture quickly converted me to Team Scones.
Although I drew inspiration from that OG cherry almond scone, I went in a different direction - I swapped out the almonds for chocolate because the chocolate-cherry combo is a no-brainer, and I made the scones more nutrient-dense by using a whole grain flour base. To incorporate an almond element, I use a mix of almond flour (which is rich and tender) and almond extract. The result is these spelt cherry chocolate scones, which I hope you’ll love as much as I do!
Why You’ll Love these Scones
Super chocolate-y. These scones are packed with big chunks of chocolate, which melt slightly during the baking process to create the perfect softened chocolate texture you’ll definitely want to bite into again and again. 🤤
Whole grain. Instead of using all-purpose flour, these scones are made with whole spelt flour (a nourishing whole grain), so they’ve got some extra good-for-you nutrients like vitamins, fiber, and protein!
Perfectly sweetened. Since the base scone dough isn’t sweet (scone dough is typically only lightly sweetened!), the chocolate and cherries provide the perfect balance of sweetness, and a generous sprinkling of sugar on top helps give the scones a lightly crisped topping that adds that last bit of sweetness needed to bring them together!
Indulgent yet still nutritious. While the chocolate makes these scones indulgent, the cherries and whole spelt flour help boost their nutritional content, so there’s a nice balance between indulgence and nutrition (with the caveat that these are still scones, ie. a baked good and not a kale salad). Not every baked good tastes good with 100% whole grain flour (you can’t make a really delicious whole grain vanilla cake, for example), but the nutty spelt flour, chocolate, and cherries pair wonderfully in these scones!
Ingredient Overview
Whole spelt flour. I chose whole spelt as the base flour for the scones because of its rich nutritional content and texture. Spelt is a whole grain that packs more fiber, protein, and nutrients than all-purpose flour! It also has a lighter texture than whole wheat flour and yields tender, soft, and slightly sweet and nutty baked goods.
Almond flour. Almond flour has a rich flavor and adds tenderness and moisture into the scones. I didn’t want the scones to turn out too tender, so I only incorporated a small amount - just enough to add some richness to the scones without making them too fluffy or adding too much extra fat! (Too much fat will turn your scones into flat cookies - avoid!)
Light brown sugar OR coconut sugar. These scones are sweetened with light brown sugar or coconut sugar, if you’d like the option to keep them free of refined sugars (as long as you use a chocolate that’s also sweetened without any refined sugars). Topping the scones with a generous sprinkling of sugar before baking also helps add a bit more sweetness and gives them a slightly crispy sweet topping!
Coconut oil. Coconut oil is the primary fat source in these scones. Freezing the coconut oil and cutting it into pea-sized crumbles before adding it to the dry ingredient creates air pockets that expand into the scones to create a tender, buttery texture as they bake.
“Buttermilk” (non-dairy milk + apple cider vinegar mix) & applesauce. Mixing the non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar curdles the milk and forms a vegan “buttermilk,” which reacts with the baking soda to help the scones rise. This gets mixed with applesauce, which helps add moisture without adding as much liquid into the dough. I use a 2:1 buttermilk to applesauce ratio as this yielded a more tender scone during testing. (In case you’re curious, the higher ratio of applesauce to buttermilk made the scone “cakier.”)
Fresh cherries. Juicy fresh cherries are delicious in scones, especially when paired with chocolate! Any variety will work, although admittedly I’m partial to sour cherries over sweet cherries whenever they’re in season. 😍
Chocolate. Use a high quality dark baking chocolate that you can chop into chunks. (For reference, I used one with 70% cocoa content.) If completely avoiding refined sugars is important to you, be sure to select a brand that doesn’t use any during the chocolate-making process (check the ingredients label!).
Almond & vanilla extracts. These add warm notes and depth of flavor while also giving the scones a hint of that delicious almond flavor! Almond extract is extremely potent, and using just ½ teaspoon adds in sweet and nutty tones into the scones.
Baking soda & baking powder. These are the leaveners. Baking soda reacts with the acid from the lemon to help the scones rise, and baking powder puffs them up even more!
Tips for Baking these Scones
Use metric measurements or the “spoon and level” method to measure flour. Using a scale to measure out ingredients in grams yields more accurate results in baking! This is especially important for measuring flour, as scooping flour packs more flour than called for (up to 25% more flour - yikes!) which can lead to dry, dense, or just bad baked goods.
If you follow the cup measurements, it’s crucial that you use the “spoon and level method” to measure out your flour! To do this, “fluff” the flour with a spoon to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly. Use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
Use frozen coconut oil. Frozen coconut oil crumbles form air pockets that expand into the scones as they bake to create a tender, biscuit-like texture! Solid/scoopable coconut oil will lead to flatter scones with a more cookie-like texture, which we want to avoid.
Don’t add too much liquid. When you combine your wet and dry ingredients, you’ll be left with some extra bits of unmixed dry ingredients - this is okay! While your dough will look dry and not fully mixed, don’t be tempted to add in more liquid! As you fold in your fresh cherries, they will add extra moisture and help the dough fully come together. If your cherries aren’t very juicy and the mixture still seems overly dry, add in ½ teaspoon extra milk at a time and continue using your hands to mix everything together until a dough forms.
Don’t overmix the dough. Avoid overmixing! Mix the dry and wet ingredients just until they’ve come together to form a dough.
Chill the dough. Chilling the dough before baking ensures the fat is frozen solid, which helps the scones rise higher as it melts during baking. This creates a tender, biscuit-like crumb (instead of a muffin-like texture) and avoids overspreading of the dough. We want our scones to rise up, not spread out!
Top with sugar before baking. This helps create a nice crispy top while also helping to retain moisture inside the scone.
Cherry Chocolate Spelt Flour Scones
Makes 6 scones
Vegan, Whole Grain, Refined Sugar-Free Option*
Ingredients
3 tablespoons coconut oil
¼ cup oat milk (or another low-fat plant milk such as almond, soy, etc.), plus a splash more for topping
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups (spooned and leveled) / 180 grams whole spelt flour
2 tablespoons / 14 grams almond flour
3 tablespoons (lightly packed) / 36 grams light brown sugar (OR 3 tablespoons / 27 grams coconut sugar*), plus more for topping
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅔ cup / 105 grams fresh cherries**, measured after pitting and halving (if using smaller cherries) or quartering (if using larger cherries)
⅓ cup / 60 grams vegan dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (OR vegan dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Directions
Measure out coconut oil in liquid or scoopable form and place it into pinch bowls or into a small shallow bowl/plate, and transfer to the freezer to solidify.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, make a vegan “buttermilk” by stirring together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside briefly to curdle.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole spelt flour, almond flour, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine.
To the vegan buttermilk, add in the applesauce, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix together. Set aside again briefly.
Remove the frozen coconut oil from the freezer. (At this point, your coconut oil should’ve frozen to a completely solid state but if it hasn’t, return it to the freezer for a few more minutes to fully set.) Chop the frozen oil into pea-sized pieces. Add the frozen coconut oil pieces to the bowl with your dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix in the coconut oil chunks.
Add the buttermilk/applesauce mixture and use the rubber spatula to incorporate the wet ingredients in with the dry until only a few crumbly bits of dry ingredients remain.
The mixture may seem a bit dry at this point - that’s okay! Resist the temptation to add more liquid as you’ll introduce more moisture when you add in the cherries in the next step.
Add in the cherries and chocolate and use the rubber spatula to fold them in, then use your hands to finish incorporating everything until a dough forms.
If your cherries aren’t very juicy and the mixture still seems overly dry or crumbly at this point, add in a bit more non-dairy milk (½ teaspoon at a time) and continue using your hands to mix everything together until a dough forms.
Form the scone dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough into a disk that is ¾-1-inch tall. Using a large knife, cut the disk into 6 even pieces.
Use a spatula to transfer the individual scones onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, making sure to spread them out at least 1-2 inches from each other. Place the scones onto a flat area in your freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
Once the oven is ready, transfer the chilled scones to a baking sheet. Brush each scone with a tiny bit of milk and top with a generous sprinkling of light brown sugar (or coconut sugar) - I used ~1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of sugar total. Bake the scones for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges (mine took 16 minutes).
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring the scones to a cooling rack to let them cool fully, about 20-25 more minutes.
Scones are best when fresh! I highly recommend eating them within a couple of hours of baking (after you’ve allowed them to cool)! Leftovers will lose their crispy exterior over time.
Notes:
*To keep the recipe completely free of refined sugars, use coconut sugar and a chocolate that’s not sweetened with refined sugars (check the ingredients label).
**Any cherry variety will work, but sweet red cherries are my favorite to pair with chocolate!
***Recipe originally published 7/17/2020; last updated 8/31/2022.
If you try these scones, please leave a comment below to let everyone know how you liked them, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) so I can see your beautiful scones! And if you’re craving more whole grain scones, check out my chocolate espresso scones recipe.