Scone of the Month: Toasting coconut, raspberries, white chocolate

Three tastes had been on my mind when I made scones in July — coconut, raspberries and white chocolate. These had, in fact, been on my radar since wintertime,  when contemplating scone flavors. This trio of tart berry, soft sweet chocolate and nutty shreds of coconut seemed idyllic together in a scone.

I found a recipe I liked for Raspberry & Coconut Scones on the BBC Good Food website. It was a simple formula (although in metric measurements that I had to translate), and I liked that the scones were cut into squares (rather than the usual triangles and rounds). No white chocolate was included in the recipe, but with the forgiving and amenable nature of most scone recipes, I figured I could add in some white chocolate chips easily.

[I} meandered another way in the recipe, too. It called for desiccated coconut to be mixed in the scones. I had a finely shredded, unsweetened. type that I thought would be perfect in the scone, a finer texture and less stringy, but full of flavor. But another more coarsely shredded version I had looked like one that would add some nice texture to top each scone and would hopefully bake up to a toasty brown, as well. 

[T]he scones are an easy blending of self-rising flour, a little salt, the coconut, and butter, then tossing in some sugar.

[T]o this, I added in about a third cup of white chocolate chips (I usually have both white and chocolate chips on hand, I recommend Ghirardelli).

[T]he dry ingredients and butter are then blended that with  buttermilk. The dough is a bit shaggy.

[R]aspberries, though in season, are quite delicate to work with when fresh, so I used frozen for this recipe. Much sturdier and more accessible, since I usually keep a range of berries in the freezer all year.

[I] gently kneaded the raspberries into the scone dough…their bright pink color promised an alluring finished scone.

[T]he scones cut easily into squares, but left a few raggedy edges with berries and bits of coconut protruding. I didn’t mind. A homey-looking scone is a welcome thing.

[W]hile the scones called for an egg wash on top, which I accommodated, I also took the topping a step further.

[I] sprinkled some shredded coconut on top of the scones, hoping to add to their rustic presentation.

[T]he look of the finished scones did not disappoint — golden brown, with toasty coconut topping and bursts of bright pink from the raspberries within.

[T]he scones had a nice crusty, chewy exterior, made nutty with that addition of coconut, but had tender, flavor within,  full of the sweet, almost marshmallow-like flavor of the white chocolate and tart bursts of juicy raspberries. 

Raspberry, Coconut and White Chocolate Scones

Adapted from BBC Good Food (https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/raspberry-coconut-scones)

Makes about 5 to 6 scones

  • 1-2/3 cups self-rising flour, plus a little more for dusting
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, plus a few tablespoons more for sprinkling
  • 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix flour, salt and coconut in a large mixing bowl Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add sugar and toss to mix. Then add in the  white chocolate chips and stir gently to mix in. Add the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork (or a table knife drawn through), just until all the buttermilk is absorbed (the dough will have a shaggy appearance). Gently knead in the raspberries until dough  comes together.

On a lightly floured work surface, pat out dough into a square that is about 3/4- to 1-inch thick. Using a knife or a 2-inch square cutter, cut the dough into squares.

Place scones on a baking tray and brush with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with coconut. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Best served the same day. 

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