Oat and Pear Scones (GF, V)

Learn how to make healthy oat and pear scones, made with 100% oats (oat flour and rolled oats). The scones are gluten-free, vegan, and easy to make, too.

Vegan Scones Made from 100% Oats

Saturday mornings in my childhood home had a distinct pattern: the dual sounds of my Dad grinding coffee in his hand-powered mill while blasting Dixieland jazz; my Mom at the dining room table, making menus and shopping lists behind a mountain of cookbooks; the Bugs Bunny & Roadrunner show; and big breakfasts.

The big breakfasts were typically one of the following options: pancakes, honey-nut waffles, crepes (always with sugar and lemons from our Meyer lemon tree out back), crumb coffeecake, or currant scones.

Scrambled eggs and bacon (regular or Canadian) made occasional appearances, but it was mostly carbohydrate heaven. My brother, sister and I all swam for the local swim team, and the hearty breakfast typically fueled us well beyond lunchtime.

Oats: The Smart Carb

All of this reminiscing brings me to one point: whether you are an endurance athlete, a casual exerciser, or anywhere in between, forget the bunk and embrace your carbs! You need them.

Oats are always a great option in my book because they are frugal, convenient and versatile. They provide a whopping 27 grams of carbohydrate per 1/2-cup serving, but are also super high in fiber and low on the glycemic index food, meaning that the energy they provide is long-lasting.

And while I’m guessing you love oats as much as I do, there’s no reason to stick with porridge and granola. You can fancy things up on weekend mornings, like I did with these delectable pear and oat scones.

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.

I use oats in two forms: whole and ground into flour. You can buy oat flour, but I prefer to throw my oats in a blender and whiz until very finely ground. Here is everything you will need:

• oat flour, purchased, or grind whole oats in food processor–GF, if needed
• rolled oats (old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats), (certified GF, as needed)
• natural cane sugar, (or coconut sugar)
• baking powder, (certified GF, as needed)
• ground cardamom
• fine sea salt
• solid coconut oil, cut into chunks
• flaxseed meal (or 1 large egg, if not vegan)
• nondairy milk (such as oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk; or dairy milk, if not vegan)
• chopped fresh pears (about 1 large pear, such as Bosc pears, Anjou pears, Bartlett pears or Comice pears)

While these take a bit more time to prepare than a bowl of oatmeal, the bonus is additional breakfasts for the days ahead.

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Using your fingers, a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the coconut oiluntil the mixture crumbly.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the flax egg and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Carefully fold in pears.
4. Turn dough out onto a surface lightly dusted with oat flour. Gently pat into two 6-inch (15 cm) circles, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 17 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. 
6. Transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or let cool completely.

Storage

Store the cooled scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Variations

• Spice Variations: Replace the ground cardamom with an equal amount of your favorite spice, such as cinnamon, nutmeg (stick with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, at most), allspice, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or your own combination of spices (no more than 1 teaspoon total).
• Cinnamon Sugar: Sprinkle scones with cinnamon sugar before baking.
• Fresh Fruit Variations: Replace the diced pears with an equal amount of diced fresh apples, apricots, or peaches, or with an equal amount of blueberries or raspberries.
• Dried Fruit Option: Replace the pears with 1/2 to 2/3 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried figs.
• Chocolate: Add up to 1/2 cup of your favorite dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate chunks, or two to three tablespoons of cacao nibs, to the scone dough before baking.
• Nuts or Seeds: Add up to 1/3 cup chopped nuts or seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, almonds, pepitas, or sunflower seeds. Alternatively, sprinkle a few nuts or seeds on top before baking.
• Extracts or Zests: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract. You could also add a teaspoon of finely grated lime, lemon or orange zest to the scone dough.
• Coconut: Add up to 1/4 cup chopped shredded unsweetened coconut or flake unsweetened coconut (toasted or un-toasted).

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