Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Scones

Andy asked me to make scones the other night. This isn't a request I hear often, not that we're scone haters - quite the contrary - but usually, I'll hear a request for brownies or something of the like. As it happened, I was flipping through my Better Homes and Gardens' magazine, and they had four different fun recipes for scones! Kismet, right? Two of the recipes caught my eye, one for a strawberry shortcake scone, and these toasted coconut and chocolate chip scones. I chose the latter because I had all the ingredients on hand, and I was pleasantly surprised to see only one tablespoon of added sugar in these scones. I, of course, swapped out the AP flour for my stand by, whole wheat pastry flour, which did the job beautifully, but I kept everything else the same. These turned out really well. We cut up some strawberries, I whipped up some whipped cream, and we enjoyed a little strawberry shortcake with toasted coconut and chocolate chip scones standing in excellently for the shortcake!

Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Scones (via Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread one cup coconut on a baking sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes or until golden, stirring once. Cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor. Process until finely ground; set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or food processor, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine egg and 3/4 cup whipping cream. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Add toasted coconut and chocolate pieces. Using a fork, stir just until moistened. Do not overmix! Your scones will be tough.

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat dough into a 10x4-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise and in sixths crosswise to make 12 rectangles. (Mine made 14!)

5. Place rectangles 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush wedges with additional whipping cream. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, top scones with additional shredded coconut the last 5 minutes of baking. Remove scones from baking sheet. Serve warm.