When I was in college, I used to grab a cup of coffee and a scone in the morning before I head out to class. I'd sit somewhere in the back of the lecture hall so the professor wouldn't see me and then I'd break off a piece of my scone and quietly eat it. If I haven't finished it yet, I'd try to eat the rest on my way to my next class or save it for a snack while I was studying. When you're a college student and you don't have time to sit down and eat, you'll just squeeze in the time whenever you can. And that's why scones became my on-the-go snack because I could just keep them in my backpack all day and eat them whenever I had the time.
Nowadays, it feels like my life is more hectic than ever. From the moment I get up in the morning till the kids are off to bed, I'm constantly on the move. Whether I'm running errands or doing chores around the house, it seems like there's not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I'm not trying to be Super mom or anything. I'm just trying to keep up with my life.
Despite this frenetic pace of life, I'm really trying to make conscious effort to slow down, relax and appreciate everything. It's easier said than done but at least I try. Which brings me back to my favorite scones. Back in college, I basically just scarfed down my scone and washed it down with my coffee. So now, I'm going to make sure I find the time to just sit down and relax with my cup of coffee and my scone. Maybe in the morning before the kids are up or in the afternoon when my oldest is doing his homework and my little one is taking a nap, I'll make sure I'll find the time.
What I love about scones is that they're like eating a muffin but there's more of the toasty crunchy top part. They're studded with dried fruit but just enough so they're not too sweet. I usually just eat them plain but sometimes I'll cut them in half and spread a little butter or some jam inside. They're perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack and they go great with coffee or tea. They're really quick and simple to make and I can store them in the fridge if I want so I can eat them throughout the week.
These coconut milk scones are a slight adaptation from a cream scone recipe I found in The Joy of Cooking cookbook. Since coconut milk has a rich and creamy texture, I though it would be a suitable replacement for heavy cream. I was so thrilled when these scones turned out looking and tasting just like regular cream scones. And the best part is they're dairy-free!
Coconut Milk Scones
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Makes 8-12 scones
Allergy Note: contains wheat
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)*
1 1/4 cups canned coconut milk (cold)
1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries, raisins, etc.)
coconut milk
sugar
*you can also use vanilla extract or lemon zest.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in coconut milk. Gently mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula just until it's combined. Fold in dried fruits. Transfer dough onto a floured surface and shape into a disc about 3/4 inches in thickness. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 8 or 12 wedges. Place onto prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with coconut milk and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately or store them in an airtight container after they have completely cooled. You can reheat them in the toaster or the microwave oven.
21 comments:
I haven't ever successfully made a scone. It looks like I need to give these a try!
looks soooooooo good !! i love coconut !!
Where can I find the canned coconut milk?
Shannon: The key to making scones is not to overwork the dough. Just mix it gently until all the ingredients are combined.
Jen: You can usually find canned coconut milk in the Asian food aisle in any local grocery store.
These looks so good. I have to try them :)
Rianne - I have been following your blog for a while now. Absolutely love how you have taken allergy-friendly cooking to a total another level. And, that's why you are one of the recipiants of the Liebster award: http://allergyfoodie.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/liebster-award-recipiants-my-list/
Congrats!
I made these tonight and they were absolutely fantastic! Super fluffy and moist! The coconut flavor was perfect, not overpowering. My boyfriend said he could not tell the difference between these and a normal scone, and he is from England.
I will be making these regularly! Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Do you have a way to make these without coconut? My son's allergic to coconut, tree nuts and eggs. Thanks! Great blog by the way! I've told all my friends about it!
Allergyfoodie: Thank you so much Anu! I love your blog so this means a lot to me :-)
Jessicadiane: I'm so happy you like them and your British boyfriend approves :-)
Anonymous: If you're okay with dairy, the original recipe from Joy of Cooking uses 1 1/4 cups heavy cream. I've been making those for a while until I needed to find a dairy-free alternative for my youngest son. I hope this helps. And thank you for sharing my blog to your friends :-)
Thanks so much for a delicious recipe. I used dried cherries with a bit of vanilla extract and whole wheat pastry flour for half of the AP flour. Yummy!
Made these for breakfast today, very very yummy. in futures would at least 1/2 the sugar add some mixed spice and put more space between them on the baking tray as they spread a lot.
But def one for the future and a bit of experimenting :)
thanks for an excellent recipe! the soft dough comes together beautifully, just don't overmix it. i have a convection oven so i went with 415 deg f and only 12 minutes. i folded in cherry preserves, chopped prunes, and cinnamon, and could have reduced sugar more than i did.
Rianne - can you tell me if there is a difference between canned coconut milk and the kind you find in cartons in the refrigerated section of the grocery store?
Hi qt-cakes! For baking, I tend to use canned coconut milk because it's thicker and richer, which works really well when you're trying to replace cow's milk and butter in recipes. I try to look for the ones that are "first-pressing" or has more fat content. The refrigerated coconut milk taste good but works better as a beverage. It's a bit too watery for baking. I hope this helps :- )
Thanks so much. I recently became vegan and I'm excited about your recipe. I'm known in our extended family for butter-rich scones. Hoping they like these instead!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried the scones and they are simple amazing. Because I'm diabetic I just changed the recipe a bit to become even more healthy. First, instead of 2 cups of all-purpose flour, I used 1 of wholemeal and 1 of white flour. I also replaced the sugar by the same quantity of Stevia sweetener and put walnuts, pecans and cranberries just to avoid the most sugary dried fruits.
Even with the wholemeal flour they where very light and with an amazing texture (even in the next day).
My daughter is always asking when am I doing them again!
Great recipe! Made it on a whim today and had scones within a half hour! I decided to sub the orange zest for lemon and the dried cranberries for frozen blueberries. Delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made the scones - and used lime zest instead of orange... oh my! A little bit of tropics in the middle of winter! The house smells lovely too! I split the dough in half and made 16 "mini" scones, but even with 20 mins in the oven, they came out more like American-style biscuits, rather than the dryer scone texture I'm used to. Still - lovely! This recipe is a keeper!
They turned out great! Substitute dried fruit for chocolate chips for a more unhealthy treat. And add cinammon on top! It's delicious!!!
- Willis and Kirby
I was searching for a quick and easy scone recipe this morning and came across yours. Wonderful! I subbed chocolate chips and added a pinch of cinnamon and they were a huge hit. Thanks so much for posting!
Hi Rianne,
I made this scones this morning for breakfast. My wife was still in bed but the smell from the Kitchen brought her out for breakfast. Delicious and easy to bake.
Cheers
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