Coconut Scones with Ginger Glaze

 The best scones are a precarious affair. They should be so tender that when transferring them from the baking sheet to the cooling rack, you must take care not to break off a corner in the process. This recipe takes that high-wire act even higher, since each piping hot scone takes a head-first dive into an aromatic lemon ginger glaze.

My scone dough is an unusual and unorthodox invention. I use a mixture of all purpose and spelt flours — this low-gluten combination helps to keep the dough nice and tender. Coconut sugar and coconut oil add a whiff of the tropics, and whole milk yogurt helps keep the scones beautifully moist.

You can top this basic scone with just about any glaze you wish, or mix in seasonal fruit for added texture and flavor. I’ve done chai tea and pear, pumpkin and maple, almonds and Grand Marnier . . . the variations are endless! Here, Meyer lemon and ginger make a spritely combination, perfect to perk up any breakfast or tea time spread.

Coconut Scones with Meyer Lemon Ginger Glaze

An unusual scone dough made with coconut butter and coconut palm sugar bakes up tender and aromatic. The scones are topped with a fragrant Meyer lemon and ginger glaze.

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Course: Brunch

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Coco Morante

Ingredients

for the scones:

• 1 1/3 cups 160 grams all purpose flour
• 1 cup 120 grams spelt flour
• 1/4 cup 40 grams coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup 120 grams virgin coconut oil (chill to a semi-solid consistency if liquid)
• 1/2 cup 113 grams plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 large egg

for the glaze and topping:

• 1 meyer lemon
• 1 cup powdered confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup candied young ginger diced into 1/4-inch cubes

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the coconut oil to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender or your hands to distribute the oil throughout the flour, until it reaches a pebbly consistency. Do not overmix — it’s fine if there are some small pockets of oil throughout the dough.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt and egg togther until well-blended.
• Make a well in the center of the bowl of dry ingredients, then pour the yogurt and egg mixture into the center of the well. With a mixing spoon, gently combine the wet and dry ingredients just until a crumbly dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper, then gather and gently pat the dough into a rectangle, approximately 5 by 7 inches.
• Place the dough in the freezer and allow to chill for 20 minutes.
• While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper — you’ll use one to bake the scones, and the second to hold the cooling rack.
• Cut the chilled rectangle of dough in half lengthwise, then cut each of the thin rectangles into six wedges. Spread them out on one of the cookie sheets, at least two inches apart.
• Bake the scones until golden brown on the bottom, about 18 minutes. While the scones are baking, make the glaze. Using a fine microplane grater, zest the lemon into a small, shallow bowl. Slice the lemon in half and add two tablespoons of its juice to the bowl with the zest. Add the powdered sugar and ginger to the bowl, and whisk into a glaze.
• Remove the scones from the oven. As soon as they are cooled just enough to handle (they should still be very warm), drop a scone upside-down into the bowl of glaze. Scoot it around in the bowl a bit to coat the top of the scone thoroughly with glaze, then use your fingers or a small spatula to gently slide the scone up the side of the bowl and onto the cooling rack. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle cubes of candied ginger on top. Repeat with remaining scones.
• Serve warm, or allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an air-tight container. The scones will keep at room temperature for two days, or frozen for up to a month.