Vegan Wild Blueberry Scones (Panera Copycat!)
Last month Tony and I had a fun trip to Maine to learn about wild blueberries. There were many fabulous takeaways, but the one thing I could not get out of my head were the Panera Wild Blueberry Scones. They are reportedly Panera’s top seller, but of course we’ve never tried them since they aren’t dairy-free. That was something I was determined to rectify!
I analyzed the Panera wild blueberry scones recipe and nutrition facts, and what do you know, they are relatively simple cream scones! All I needed to make these beauties happen was a secret dairy-free ingredient.
As you might notice, there are two different-looking types of wild blueberry scones shown here. One is with fresh / frozen wild blueberries, the other is with dried wild blueberries. The fresh ones are a little harder to work with and do take on more moisture, which is why they look a little more “rustic”. If you want that “perfect scone” look, dried fruit is the way to go with this recipe.
The Panera wild blueberry scones are sweet, but I did test “less sweet” scones with equal satisfaction. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist drizzling some icing on those. What can I say, when I’m craving a baked treat, I like to go all the way.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ cup sugar*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup frozen wild blueberries or ¼ cup dried wild blueberries
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (I use So Delicious Original Culinary Coconut Milk), or as needed**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and lightly dust two spots with flour.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add the frozen wild blueberries to the flour, and toss lightly to coat, breaking up any berry clumps.
- Drizzle in ¾ cup of the coconut milk and add the vanilla. Stir to bring everything together. Drizzle in more coconut milk as needed (I use 1 cup total) to get a cohesive dough that is somewhat workable but not too sticky.
- Divide the dough in half and place both on the prepared baking sheet. Gently pat each into a circle that is roughly ¾ to 1-inch high. Place in the freezer while you preheat your oven to 425ºF.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the baking sheet from the freezer an cut each disk into 4 wedges. Pull the wedges apart about 1 inch to give them a little space.
- Brush the tops of the dough with a little coconut milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or individually frozen for longer.
Notes
*Healthifying Note: Since this is a Panera copycat recipe I went all out with indulgence. But if you prefer a less sweet scone, reduce the sugar to ¼ to ⅓ cup or use finely ground coconut sugar, and reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon. For a more wholesome bite, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or white-wheat flour, but the wild blueberry scones will not rise as much.
Recipe Source:godairyfree.org
