Orange Apricot Tea Buns (vegan, gluten-free, oil-free)

These Orange Apricot Tea Buns are like a cross between a biscuit and a muffin. They are scented with fresh orange juice and a hint of almond extract, and they are made without any refined sugars, and also no oil.  The orange juice really lifts the flavors of these buns and if you don’t have dried apricots on hand, try substituting chopped dates – they are scrumptious!

Tea buns were very traditional when I was growing up in Newfoundland.  In fact, you can go to just about any grocery store – or maybe any house – and find fluffy raisin-studded tea buns.

While they were very traditional, I never loved them. I guess it was that they didn’t have a lot of flavor other than the raisins and the fatty butter.  But, I love the notion of a tea bun. Even if you don’t have it with tea, it just sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

I created these Orange Apricot Tea Buns with this nostalgia. They aren’t the traditional tea bun of my youth, but have that same cozy, tea-time feeling.

Best of all, these Orange Apricot Tea Buns are a cinch to make! Hope you enjoy them…

x

Dreena

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5 from 3 votes

Orange Apricot Tea Buns

These buns are like a cross between a biscuit and a muffin. They are scented with fresh orange juice and a hint of almond extract, and they are made without any refined sugars, and also no oil.  The orange juice really lifts the flavors of these buns and if you don’t have dried apricots on hand, try substituting chopped dates – they are scrumptious!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt touch scant
• 1 1/2 tsp orange zest see note
• 1/4 cup dried unsulphured apricots chopped (or chopped pitted dates)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp plain non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp ground white chia seed
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla or orange extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine oat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda (sift in powder/soda), nutmeg, salt.  Stir through until well combined, and then stir in zest and apricots. In a smaller bowl, combine orange juice, maple syrup, milk, chia, and extract.  Stir through until combined. Add wet mixture to the dry and stir through until just combined. Using a large cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop out mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I typically yield 6 to 7).  Bake for 14 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool for a minute on baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes 6 to 7 buns.

Notes

Orange Zest Note: My favorite way to zest citrus is with a kitchen rasp (also called a microplane grater).  These are very handy, inexpensive, efficient tools that can be used for zesting, grating garlic, chocolate, and more!

photo credit: Nicole Axworthy