Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones

I work in a deli, and my coworker often bakes scones. They all smell amazing, and I think they are my favorite thing to have sitting next to me on the cooling rack because the heavenly aroma they give off makes me happy.  I used to make a lot of scones at home, but sadly, it has been a while since that last batch.

I haven't baked scones in years actually, and I figured it was about time I revamped my old recipe and healthified it to fit my standards. Because they were sounding so good to me! So, one night last week when I wanted something warm from the oven, scones it was!  I have been wanting to try scones made with oat flour in place of regular flour and coconut oil in place of the butter for a while, so now was my chance.  Would they behave like my other scones did in the oven? Or would the coconut oil melt too much?

Turns out they baked up beautifully!  I ended up making pear scones, since I had a lovely perfectly ripe pear sitting on my counter.  I added in oats for substance, walnuts for crunch and maple just because I love the scent of it with oats and fruit.  These smelled amazing while baking and tasted even better.  I think they may even be more delicious than my old scones!

Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones
Makes 8

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp gluten free oat flour
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut oil, cut into chunks
1 cup cold full fat orgainc canned coconut milk (whisked until smooth if chunky)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
2 medium sized ripe, organic pears cut into chunks
1/2 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
coconut milk for topping
coconut sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla and maple extract into the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. fold in pears and walnuts until evenly distributed. place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into trianges. There should be about 8. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Brush the tops lightly with the coconut milk, and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown (after about 15 minutes you may need to reshape with 2 bench scrapers if the scones are spreading, then place back in the oven). Cool on a wire rack.