Almond Chia Chocolate Scones (Gluten Free & Vegan)

I remember the first time I had a scone. I was in college at the student union. There was a coffee shop that sold a variety of huge scones. One day I decided to try the pumpkin scone with frosting and thought it was amazing. Next I had the maple brown sugar scone and I was totally sold on scones. I loved the biscuit like texture that melts in your mouth and isn't overly sweet. I probably had far too many scones over the years at WSU. After college, I starting making them myself, experimenting with ingredients and recipes. I tried cutting back on the butter, adding whole wheat flour, add oats, nuts and dried fruit, using less sugar, etc.  For several years my scones would show up for weekend breakfasts and family functions. I would make mini scones, freeze them and have them with my coffee each morning. A few weekends ago I was having company and once again thought about scones. I realized that I hadn't made any in a while, quite possibly a few years. I guess I have been making more breakfast breads and muffins instead. I had brought some almond flour at Trader Joe's wanting to try some more gluten free baking. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. Once I got started I realized that we were completely out of eggs! Instead, I used a chia seed slurry to replace an egg. You could substitute ground flax as well or 1 whole egg. This scones turned out pretty well. They are on the softer end of scone spectrum- they do not have that slightly hard biscuit-like texture- but they are still delicious and great with morning coffee. Enjoy!

Almond Chia Chocolate Scones
Adapted from Elana's Pantry

2 cups almond flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
zest from 1 orange
1 tbsp ground chia
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup brown sugar (or you could use 3 tbsp agave as Elana's recipe does)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, zest, brown sugar (if using) and chocolate chips in a large bowl
2. In a small bowl combine the chia and water and mix together. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes
3. Add chia mixture and milk (add agave at this point if using) to dry ingredients and mix together. You may have to use your hand to get everything fully incorporated. Once combined, sprinkle some flour on the counter and pour contents of bowl onto the counter. Knead several times until everything is evenly combined.
4. Flatten dough into a circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 8 pieces. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until starting to brown.