Toasted Coconut Scones

Directions

1. Scones:
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the shredded coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until most of the shreds are golden brown, opening the oven and stirring them around every few minutes to encourage even browning. Transfer the toasted coconut to a plate and allow to cool completely. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Increase heat to 425 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor or large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cooled toasted coconut. Pulse or mix until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter pieces are no bigger than the size of a pea (about 16 1-second pulses). If mixing by hand, toss the butter pieces with the flour and use a pastry cutter to smash the butter into the flour until the pieces are no bigger than small peas. Add the dried fruit and then the cream. Pulse a few times or mix with a spoon, just until the mixture is combined. Don't mix too much or the scones won't be tender.
4. Scrape the dough out onto a clean, dry surface. Gather and press the dough together to form a big ball. Pat the dough into an 8-inch square that's about 1 1/4 inches thick. With a large sharp knife, cut it in half from top to bottom and then side to side, to make 4 smaller squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. You can cut each triangle in half to make 16 small scones if you like.
5. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. If you're not planning on topping them with glaze, sprinkle each with a little sugar. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

1. Optional glaze:
2. To make the glaze: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, coconut cream, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Stir until smooth. Drizzle or spoon over the cooled scones. Serve scones with lemon curd, jam or clotted cream.
3. Notes: Unsweetened coconut cream can be found at Trader Joe's and stores with a robust selection of Asian ingredients. It's much thicker than coconut milk, and makes these scones incredibly rich and tender. The cream will have likely solidified in the can. Just transfer it to a bowl and briefly melt it in the microwave at 50% power (or warm it in a pan on the stove) just until it's liquid again. Be sure it has cooled to room temperature before using. If you can't find a can of unsweetened coconut cream you can scrape the cream off the top of canned coconut milk, adding enough of the coconut milk to measure 3/4 cup. The result just won't be quite as decadent. Unbaked scones freeze beautifully so don't be afraid to store a few in the freezer. To bake from frozen decrease heat to 375 and bake about 10 minutes longer.