Applesauce Biscuits (vegan)

The first vegan biscuits were such a success, I was itching to try another kind.  The boyfriend suggested applesauce biscuits.  I'd secretly been wanting to try applesauce as an ingredient anyway, so why not?

The applesauce I used is homemade by my dear mother.  It's awesome.  Seriously.  The boyfriend agrees.  I hoard the stuff anytime she sends me some (which is now quite the feat being four rather large states away).  And the boyfriend is under strict instructions to not open a jar without my leave.  I know it sounds crazy, but you would be the same way if it was in your cupboard.  And if the apocalypse happens, we'll be sitting pretty with our jarred applesauce!

So, I'm sorry you can't use my mom's applesauce for this recipe.  But, use an applesauce you like.  Perhaps even your own homemade!  (Someday I will learn how to do that, but our current kitchen is simply not designed for more than one butt at a time, let alone the counter space required for such an endeavor.)

Luckily, for this recipe, I already had a template of sorts to use - the Sweet Potato Biscuits.  I like it because with all of the moisture from the applesauce (or sweet potato puree), you need far less fat (butter, lard, or coconut oil), so this is a "healthier" version of a biscuit that still tastes good enough to not be identified as such.

Also, if you'd like to make them "regular" and not vegan, feel free to swap out the almond milk for cow's milk and the coconut oil for butter!

Applesauce Biscuits (Vegan)
(Heavily adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 12 to 14 2-inch biscuits

3/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk with 1 tsp. lemon juice in it
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) table salt
5 tablespoons coconut oil, cold

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop out coconut oil, put in bowl, and place in fridge for a half hour or so until it hard and cold, and take it out at the last moment when you need it.

Combine almond milk, lemon juice and applesauce.  Whisk until smooth and set aside.  Mix dry ingredients in your food processor, a few pulses will do it.  Scatter the coconut oil chunks (cold) over the dry ingredients and pulse briefly, until it resembles a coarse meal.

Dump the mixture into a bowl and stir in the almond milk and applesauce mixture by hand.  Stop when the dough forms a uniform texture.  (The food processor will overwork it and produce tough biscuits.  Tough biscuits = all the bad things in the world!)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.  Roll it out evenly, until it's about 3/4 inch thick.  Dip a floured biscuit (or cookie) cutter into flour before cutting out the biscuits.  Place them onto the prepared pan.

Bake the biscuits for 5 minutes in the 450 degree oven, and then rotate the pan and turn the oven down to 400 degrees.  Bake for 10-12 more minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack, let cool a few minutes, and then enjoy!