I can’t wait for you to meet our next sponsor of Celiac Disease Awareness Month with Celiac and the Beast, but first – a story about scones. I’m obsessed with scones. I was before I was gluten-free. I was specifically obsessed with Starbucks’ scones. Of course, I can’t have that now – as I’m celiac and we finally, after years, finally have a gluten-free menu on Starbucks – but it ain’t a scone. In fact, sometimes just seeing my old objects of obsessions at Starbucks makes me not want to walk in the store to get my venti drip. Sometimes, I use the drive-thru, like trying to avoid seeing an ex at a grocery store – just in and out and I don’t want to talk to anyone or see anything. Those scones. Those vanilla bean mini scones. Okay, I’ve got to stop talking about these scones.

But I’ve moved on, and for the better, to gluten-free vegan scones that will knock your socks off. My very talented friend GF Jules has a scone recipe that will help you forget Starbucks or your local coffee shop scones. But even with this recipe, something was still missing. What kind of mix-ins could I use for these scones? Maple and pecans? Check. I can figure that out. But fruit? I used fresh fruit for a while but the day after, any leftover scones had soggy fruit land mines you had to avoid. The solution was dried fruit, but what brand to use?

I ran into Graceland Fruit, a Michigan-based fruit company, at Expo West. There learned about their allergen-free facility where they process their premium dried fruit. I was impressed with their processing, and their minimal ingredients and no artificial colors or flavors. I got to sample their dried fruit, but, let’s face it, at Expo West my belly was already packed full of a strange concoction of gluten-free jerky, chocolate, and probiotic smoothies. It wasn’t the best time to fully evaluate a product! However, I did get to take home a few bags to experiment with. They have since filled a dried-fruit-shaped-hole in my heart when it comes to my scone obsession.

The GF Jules scone recipe works perfect with Graceland Fruit dried fruit. I used a mixture of Graceland Fruit dried blueberries, dried cranberries, and dried cherries

in this scone recipe on GJ Jules’ site.  It was easy to replace the eggs with an egg replacer and the dairy with any sort of non-dairy allergen-friendly milk and yogurt. The fruit softened slightly in the baking process, but it didn’t leave any soggy areas that you might have when using fresh fruit. And with Graceland Fruit, I know that the ingredients I use are safe and healthy.

I can’t wait to play around with other mixtures of Graceland Fruit, like the Berry Zest – with the same blueberries, cherries, and cranberries I used above, but just with grated orange peel. Imagine that scone topped with additional grated orange zest, maybe a little lemon zest, on top!

Shop for Graceland Fruit at your local grocery store, found in the produce section, or online. Once you buy a few bags, you’ll never run out of recipes to use them – visit their website for recipes like granola bars, fudge or even salad toppers. Never leave your pantry without these premium dried fruits! You’ll always have them on hand for endless safe, gluten-free, allergen-friendly recipes. Or just as many scones that you can make to help you forget all about your ex-scones!

Want to win with Graceland Fruit and Celiac and the Beast? Enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post is sponsored by Graceland Fruit. I was compensated for this post and provided free product.**

Tagged: dairy free, Dried Fruit, Fruit, gF Jules, giveaway, gluten free, Graceland Fruit, Michigan, Scone, Sponsored, vegan