Made a veganized version of these this morning and they turned out very nicely. Subbed Earth Balance out for the butter (first time baking with it; it's neat stuff, eh?) and ¾ cup soymilk + ¾ tbsp cider vinegar for the buttermilk.
Left out the dried fruit because we didn't have any on hand, but even with only ½ cup of chocolate chips, they were still quite busy. I can see these being repeated for a nice breakfast treat at home or work; they're relatively quick to make, and much less sickly than store-bought doughnuts or pastries.