Coconut Ginger Scones

Not too long ago, my friend Hannah Rose and I pondered the intersection of snow days and sweets. As it turned out, we had both experienced the former and, in response, spent the day baking. Hannah Rose, tasked to stay home from work because of a substantial snowfall, took the day to make peanut butter cookies. She used a recipe that pairs maple syrup with peanut butter and almond flour—a warming, hunker-down-in-your-knit-socks combination. I, confronted with a similar snowfall (albeit on a weekend, making it a snow day in name, but not practicality) baked scones with tropical notes—ginger and coconut. The two of us had independently decided to snuggle into our respective snow blankets with homemade dessert, which I take as a rather good sign. When winter calls, bake something, whether you're looking for a snowbird's escape into sunny flavors or something that says winter comfort with every bite.

These scones are just faintly sweet, an apt pairing for jam, cheese, or frosting alike. The fresh ginger, finely diced, adds pockets of floral flavor. Coconut oil provides most of the coconut flavor and lends sweetness, while the flakes are kept for the top alone, a nod to what drove me to the kitchen in the first place (for what better way to keep warm then by hovering around the oven, eh?).  Feel free to add flakes to the batter, but I like the pure scone crumb, for the texture of these scones is their true triumph. The buttermilk creates a beautifully flaky scone, reminiscent of a biscuit. Follow these directions, and you'll have mini scones: two-bite delights that are easy to share and easy to eat.

Adapted from Simply Recipe's Ginger Scones Recipe

Coconut Ginger Scones

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 TBSP grated fresh ginger
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:
--Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the ginger. In a small saucepan or the microwave, melt the butter and oil together. Add to the flour mixture with the buttermilk and stir just until incorporated.
--Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and take out two cookie sheets (line with parchment if your sheets aren't nonstick).
--Flour a cutting board or clean work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Flour your hands and press the dough into a square about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut five strips width-wise and three length-wise so that you have fifteen squares. Cut each of these on the diagonal. Place onto the sheets, making sure the scones don't touch. Top each with a sprinkling of coconut flakes.
--Bake 10-12 minutes or until scones are firm to the touch and coconut is lightly toasted.