Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Scones (Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Paleo)

Ok, I love pumpkin a bit too much maybe. I know Vegan & Paleo diets are all the rage right now, but due to health reasons many people can't eat or handle Gluten. Having at least 2 friends who that's the case I felt it was imperative to add this recipe. I didn't find any similar recipes to this. Here is the link to the original blog post. http://www.glutenfreeveganlove.com/vegan-gluten-free-recipes/starbucks-copycat-gluten-free-vegan-and-paleo-pumpkin-scones/

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 scones

Ingredients

•  scone, ingredients
• 1 1⁄4 cups pumpkin puree, at room temperature and well strained
• 1⁄2 cup coconut oil
• 1⁄4 cup coconut butter
• 3⁄4 cup maple syrup or 3⁄4 cup liquid sweetener, at room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup hot water
• 1  tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1  dash salt
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon clove
• 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice (omit for AIP)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg (omit for AIP)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  coconut flour
• 1  cup tapioca starch

• Glaze Ingredients

• 1  cup cashews
• 1⁄3 cup maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener)
• 2  tablespoons coconut oil
• 1  tablespoon  non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Use coconut milk for AIP)

• Pumpkin Spice Drizzle

• 1⁄3  glaze, mixture above (see directions in step 7)
• 2  tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1  tablespoon  non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Use coconut milk for AIP)
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon clove
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg (omit for AIP)

Directions

1. Pre-soak nuts and strained or boiling water for 15 minutes For AIP version, use 1 cup warmed coconut manna instead.
2. Place coconut oil and coconut butter in an oven safe baking dish or glass container and place in a toaster (or microwave) for a few minutes to warm up the oil and butter and let them melt a little. Note: If your maple syrup or pumpkin puree are colder than room temp, include them in this as well so that all the ingredients are warm enough not to make the coconut oil solidify.
3. Pour the coconut oil, coconut butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, hot water, vanilla, and spices into a large mixing bowl and blend all the ingredients together into a smooth mixture using an immersion blender (you can also mix by hand or put this mixture through a food processor and then pour into a mixing bowl).
4. Cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover a cookie sheet. Place it on a cutting board and set aside.
5. Add coconut flour and tapioca starch to the liquid mixture in the mixing bowl and mix using a wooden spoon to combine the liquid ingredients with the dry. Now it’s time to get your hands dirty — you’ll notice the batter will need more mixing than your wooden spoon can handle. Use your hands to thoroughly knead the dough and then lump it into a large ball.
6. Place the dough ball onto parchment paper on the cutting board. Flatten it with your hands into a 1″ tall disc. Fix up and round off all the edges with your hands so that the disc looks nice and rounded everywhere. Using a knife cut the disc into 8 triangles (I first cut mine into 4 parts forming a cross, and then cut each triangle in half). Do not separate the scones just yet. Place the entire cutting board into the fridge and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F Once the scones have chilled, remove from the fridge and transfer the parchment paper along with the scones onto a cookie sheet. Carefully separate and spread the scones apart on the cookie sheet on top of the parchment. Bake scones for approximately 22-26 minutes (watch the edges and remove from oven when they begin to brown up). Then, cool the tray on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
8. In the meantime prepare the glaze by placing all glaze ingredients in your blender and blend on high until smooth. I used my Vitamix for this and recommend it for smoothest results (or another high power blender). If your blender isn’t up to scratch, you may want to add a tiny bit more non-dairy milk to help it blend better. Once the scones are cooled a little, use a spoon to spread this glaze over each scone, but RESERVE about a third of the mixture for the next step (just leave it in the blender).
9. Add pumpkin spice drizzle ingredients to the blender. Blend on high to create a smooth mixture. Transfer into a squirty bottle or a piping bag and then drizzle over the glaze on the scones. Serve warm with a hot cup of coffee, or enjoy these chilled (or reheated in the toaster) for an incredible breakfast treat!