Coconut Lime Scones

It seems crazy that we’re well over halfway into the year 2025, but here we are. And now that we’re well into August, hopefully that means the heatwave that has been this summer will start to subside.

What with this summer being so extremely hot, I’ve been somewhat limiting my baking so as to keep the oven off and the heat in my apartment to an all time minimum. That sucks, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

That means that when I DO decide to crank the oven up and bake something, it’s gotta be for something good. Really, REALLY good.

Today’s recipe definitely fits that description. For about a year or so, I’ve been experimenting with toasted coconut in my baking to some really great results. I’m obsessed with it as an ingredient; it adds not just a warm and nutty flavor to just abut anything, but also a really great textural component that can elevate desserts that may have a tendency to ‘feel’ one note.

I’ve put this to the test with other Blank Canvas recipes that lend well to experimentatin like cake, cookies and tarts to really great results–so it only makes sense that I’d try it with another of my favorite Blank Canvas recipes: scones.

So long as you get your base ratio of ingredients right, there’s really next to no flavor that you can’t make work in a scone. There’s one out there for everyone’s tastes, or for that matter, for every season.

I had some leftover toasted coconut in my pantry from a previous recipe I made for the blog. Not wanting to let it go to waste, I figured, what better flavor to give to scones at this time of year than a ‘tropical’ one?

Lime and coconut aren’t just great ingredients for a tropical flavored drink; they work really well together in baked goods as well. In this recipe, I zested up about 6 key limes to make sure that the fresh citrus flavor would actually come through in the finished product. I also packed as much toasted coconut as I could into the dough to make sure it had that textural component so that the scone wasn’t one-note in how it chewed.

But wait there’s more! On top of toasted coconut, I also added coconut emulsion, AND used coconut milk as the primary liquid base. Coconut is a very soft, and subtle flavor and it’s easy to get muted, especially after baking. Safe to say, there’s no chance of that happening here.

I’ve learned through lots and lots of practice anf trial and error that the key to delicious scones (and regular biscuits, actually) that rise high and aren’t tough comes down to three things: even butter distribution, a gentle touch when assembling the dough, and a generous resting period. This is why every single biscuit and scone recipe on this blog features directions that instruct you to first, grate the butter into the dry ingredients rather than rubbing them in with your fingers, handle/knead the dough as little and quickly as possible, AND give it an overnight rest in the fridge.

I’ve been making scones (and biscuits) this way for over a decade now, and I feel very confident in it as a fool-proof method that works no matter what kind you’re making. These were no exception.

I mean, c’mon: just look at them, will you.

They rose and browned beautifully in the oven. They smelled absolutely divine. And yes: they taste every bit as delicious as they look whether you’e eating them spread with butter and jam, as the base for a kickass breakfast sandwich, or even completely plain. They’re that good.

They were also well worth turning on the oven for. If you’re like me and are holding out to crank yours on for a special summer recipe to try: this one is it.

Coconut Lime Scones

Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups (85g) shredded coconut, unsweetened, toasted
2 tablespoons lime zest
16 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, frozen
4 large eggs
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup coconut milk or 1 cup regular milk (plus more, if needed)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder toasted coconut and lime zest and stir together with a fork. Set aside.

Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients. Stir together until well blended.

In a separate medium bowl combine the eggs, vanilla and coconut extracts. Make a well into the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture. Add the coconut or regular milk and use a fork to combine, just until the dough starts to clump together.

Turn dough out onto a clean and lightly floured work surface, and knead once or twice until it comes together; flour your hands if needed. If there are any loose bits, add them to center of dough and knead once more to incorporate.

Pat dough into a rectangle, about 1.5 inches thick. Working from a short side, fold dough in thirds as you would a letter. It doesn’t need to overlap perfectly. Pat dough into another rectangle, then fold dough in thirds like a letter one more time. (You’ll have done the folding procedure two times total.) Pat dough back into an rectangle and straighten up with your hands and/or your bench scraper.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour and unwrap the scone dough out onto it. Use a bench scraper or very sharp knife to trim the edges of the rectangle. Use a square cookie cutter, or a knife to cut the remaining dough into squares, about 2″ each.

Remove the cut scones to the baking sheet you’ve lined with parchment paper, placing them rather close to each other (it will help them rise higher). Freeze until cold, about 15 minutes.

Spray the tops of the scones with cooking spray, and then sprinkle with white sugar, if desired.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until scones are golden brown and cooked through at the edges (they should not look wet).