TOASTED COCONUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

~ Better Homes & Gardens magazine - April 2015

1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
2 1/4 c. flour
1 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
6 T. cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. whipping cream, plus more for brushing
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
coconut (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread coconut on baking sheet and bake 5-7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once. Cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine egg and whipping cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, the add toasted coconut and chocolate chips. Use a fork to stir just until moistened.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing in for 10-12 strokes or until dough is smooth. Pat into a 10x4-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, then in sixths crosswise to make 12 pieces.

Place pieces two inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with additional whipping cream. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with additional coconut for the last five minutes of baking, if desired. Serve warm.

Makes 12 scones.

Notes: I toast the coconut in a skillet instead of in the oven. We've made these both with and without extra coconut sprinkled on top and don't think the ones with the coconut were any better than the ones without. 

CINNAMON RAISIN SCONES

~ 100 Days of Real Food, Fast and Fabulous: The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food, written by Lisa Leake 

2 c. whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for rolling
1 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
2/3 c. raisins
1/2 c. cold butter
3 eggs, divided
1/2 c. heavy cream
3 T. honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fit food processor with dough blade and process flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add walnuts and raisins, then pulse until just combined.

Cut butter into tablespoon size chunks and spread across flour mixture. Pulse until crumbly. Add two eggs, cream, and honey. Process until it comes together in one smooth ball. If it's too sticky, then use your hands and a little extra flour to bring it together.

Turn dough on lightly floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and use your hands or rolling pin to pat and shape into an 8-inch round that's about 3/4 inch thick. Cut round into eight wedges and carefully transfer to ungreased baking sheet.

Whisk remaining egg with a splash of water and brush egg wash over top of dough to help with browning. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: We've only made these with regular flour because we didn't realize we were out of whole wheat, but we'll try it the right way eventually. We like nuts, but not in breads, so we skip the walnuts.

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CRANBERRY SCONES WITH ALMOND CREAM

~ A Bountiful Kitchen

SCONES
1 c. fresh cranberries
1/4 c. sugar
3 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 T. sugar
6 T. butter, softened
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 egg, beaten
turbinado sugar
sugar

ALMOND CREAM
1 c. whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray cookie sheet.

Wash cranberries and remove any shriveled berries. Chop and coarsely and place in bowl with 1/4 cup sugar, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cut in softened butter. Add buttermilk, vanilla, and egg. Mix well. Add cranberries and any juice, kneading a few times until dough has gathered and forms a ball.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and pat into two 5-inch or one 10-inch circle, about one inch thick. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and cut each circle into eight wedges. Place wedges on greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.

While scones are baking, prepare almond cream. Whip cream until it starts to thicken. Add powdered sugar and extract, then continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

Remove scones from oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Serve with almond cream.

Makes eight large or sixteen small scones.

Notes: I use frozen cranberries, as they're what we always have on hand and happen to be easier to chop than fresh, and skip both the turbinado and granulated sugar sprinkled on top. Whipped cream takes shape faster if you put your bowl (a metal one) and beaters in the fridge or freezer to chill before you make your whipped cream. Better yet, get one of Pampered Chef's Whipped Cream Makers and have the whipped cream made in a few seconds without chilling bowls or beaters.  

COCONUT SCONES

~ Sunset magazine - January 2003

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
3 T. sugar, divided
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. cold butter, cut into chunks
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. raspberry or cherry jam

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, coconut, oats, two tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter in until mixture forms coarse crumbs.  
3. In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk. Set one tablespoon of egg mixture aside, then stir remaining egg mixture into flour mixture until evenly moistened.  
4. Place dough on lightly floured surface and and pat into an 8-inch round. Slide round onto a greased baking sheet and cut into eight wedges, leaving wedges in place. 
5. Brush the top of the wedges with reserved egg mixture, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Make a 1-inch-diameter depression on top of the wide end of each wedge and fill each with about 1/2 tablespoon jam.
6. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Re-cut scones to separate and serve warm or transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes: I separate them on the cookie sheet, otherwise they take way longer than directed to bake. Mine take about 30 minutes to bake when separated a bit.

PUMPKIN GINGER SCONES

~ Taste of Home

2 c. flour
7 T + 1 t. sugar, divided
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. baking soda
5 T. cold butter, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, 7 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and baking soda. Cut int 4 tablespoons of butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.  In a separate bowl, mix egg, pumpkin, and sour cream. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture until just moistened.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead ten times. Pat into an 8-inch circle and cut into eight wedges. Separate wedges and place on greased baking sheet. Melt the remaining butter and brush on wedges, then sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Notes: These are wonderful as is, but we like to add an extra 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of ginger. As for the sprinkled sugar, we've skipped it entirely, sprinkled as directed, and used cinnamon sugar instead.