Coconut Cream Scones and Earl Gray Tea, truly an afternoon delight.[/caption]
Scones are one of those underrated baked goods that aren't often repped well in coffee shops and cafes. I think many people are turned off by scones because they've had a bad experience with those overworked-cakey-dried-out-sugar-glazed-biscuit-rocks that a lot of places try to pass off as scones. A proper scone should have a variety of textures and flavors; a buttery base with layers of crumbly, chewy and crunchy bits.
While living in Portland, I was spoiled by Grand Central Bakery and their perfectly baked scones. So spoiled in fact, that most other scones are ruined for me now. Since I live in a land far, far away from the Pacific Northwest and those treasured GCB scones, I bake them myself and share with friends. The keys to good scones are simple; quality ingredients, cold butter, and a soft hand.
This recipe for Coconut Cream Scones begins with good goods. The Organic All Purpose Flour from Bob's Red Mill is always my jumping off point, it comes from a good place, it's versatile and always bakes up consistently. I like using European butter in my baked goods, I know it's more expensive but the flavor it brings is worth every penny. Roughly cutting cold, quality butter into the dry ingredients is what gives these scones their crumbly, airy consistency. It's important, trust me. The Unsweetened Coconut Flakes from Bob's Red Mill have long been one of my favorite ingredients to use in baked goods. They are unsweetened so you don't get that weird sugary gritty texture. The flavor is subtle and almost nutty when toasted and the toasty flakes bring a much appreciated chewy crunch to the the scones. And lastly, the coconut cream, it brings a velvety richness to the recipe and a slightly sweet coconut essence throughout each bite. I use a version from Trader Joe's, it isn't uber sweet or oily, so it is ideal for these Coconut Cream Scones.
I can't reiterate enough how important a soft hand is when mixing scones. If you overmix, you'll end up with hockey pucks. When mixing the dough, it should just barely come together and look rough and ragged. The best scones are like a diamond in the rough, literally rough.
to shape into round scones.
together the powdered sugar, ground ginger and coconut cream.
and baking sheet
when I glaze my scones.
Recipe
Coconut Cream Scones
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6
Description
These Coconut Cream Scones with toasted coconut flake, velvety coconut cream and a ginger coconut glaze have a rich coconut flavor & crumbly textural crunch.
Ingredients
Units
- Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All Purpose Flour - 2 ½ cups
- granulated sugar - ¼ cup
- baking powder - 1 tablespoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- ground ginger - ½ teaspoon
- cold unsalted butter (cut into ½ inch cubes - ½ cup (1 stick))
- eggs at room temperature - 2
- coconut cream - ½ cup
- Bob's Red Mill coconut flakes - 1 cup
Coconut Ginger Glaze
- powdered sugar - sifted - ½ cup
- coconut cream - 1-2 tablespoons
- ground ginger - ½ teaspoon
Instructions
For the Scones
- Preaheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- On an unlined baking sheet, toast the coconut flake for 5-7 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ginger together in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Blend the cold, cubed butter into the dry ingredients by hand or with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on low. Mix until the chunks of butter are the size of almonds. Do not overmix, the butter chunks give the scones texture.
- Stir in the toasted coconut.
- Whisk together the eggs and coconut cream until smooth.
- Add two-thirds of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients with mixer on low speed until the dough begins to come together.
- Stir in the remaining egg mixture, the dough should look rough with some dry patches mixed in. Scrape the dry bits from the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate into the dough ball. Some visible chunks of butter and floury bits should remain, for texture.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather it together with your hands to form a rough disk about 7-8 inches around and 1-inch thick. The top of the dough shouldn't be smooth, this will give the scones texture and character.
- Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out scones. You may need to gently re-form the dough scraps to get the most of your dough.
- Place the scones on lined pans, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 30-ish minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the scones are golden brown.
For the Glaze
- While the scones bake, prepare the coconut ginger glaze by sifting together the powdered sugar with the ginger and whisking in coconut cream until the glaze runs off of the whisk in a smooth ribbon.
- Allow scones to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once the scones have cooled, drizzle with the coconut ginger glaze.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Amy Papenhausen says
Can I add blueberries(fresh) to this recipe???
Becky Sue says
Sure! My only suggestion is to freeze the blueberries first and gently fold them into the dough so they don't burst and bleed blue streaks throughout your scones. However, if that does happy it's no biggie. They will still taste delicious!
Becky says
These look very good but I can't find the actual recipe with amounts and ingredients… am I missing something?
Thank you,
Becky
beckysue says
My apologies, Becky, you caught me right as I was redesigning the site and recipes. The Coconut Cream Scones recipe, and all of the rest of the recipes are up now on the new and improved website! http://bakingthegoods.com/2015/03/17/coconut-cream-scones/
Susan says
Thanks! And ditto - always great to connect with fellow foodies!
Susan says
Thanks Becky Sue. Lovely sharp focus - I have a Canon 550D, it's baby sister!
beckysue says
Thank you, Susan! The lens is what really made the difference for me, I am so glad that I spent a little more (than I wanted) on the glass. 😉 I just checked out your blog, it's lovely and the photos are beauties. So happy to connect with you.
Susan says
Those look great! I've never had much luck with scones, but these look doable. Also love your photography - do you mind me asking what type of camera/lens you use?
beckysue says
Hi Susan. Thank you! Let me know how they turn out if you try the recipe. I don't mind you asking at all, I am currently using a EOS Cannon 70D SLR with a Canon
EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens. Hope that's helpful!