Birds Nest Scones- AKA Coconut and Jam Scones

It’s the time of year where my apartment starts filling up with canned goods. I swear it’s by osmosis, I couldn’t possibly spend this many hours, this often, making preserves and yet there they are, slowly taking over cupboards and shelves, the pickles(!), the peppers(!), the peaches(!). It gets out of control.

This is the sort of thing that drives someone a bit batty at times, but in the winter when all is dark, this is a glorious glorious thing, one that should not to be scoffed at.

However, it is also the time of year where scrap bits of jams begin to accumulate. The parts that don’t quite fill a jar, so get pushed into old jars and thrown in the fridge where I begin to forget about them. I do, I’ll confess to that.

So lately I’ve been trying to use up these scrappy bits, sandwich them with cookies, spread them on the morning toast, or today, bake them into scones.

My favourite way is to put them into birds nest cookies, you know, the coconut ones with the raspberry jelly in the middle. But today I didn’t feel like cookies, I felt like breakfast, and while there is definitely overlap there, birds nest cookies lie firmly on the side of unhealthy inappropriate breakfast choices. So instead, I made coconut scones and put a big blob of jam in there. It’s like having someone put jam on your scone for you, and it’s also like eating a cookie for breakfast. By which I mean, it’s the best thing ever. And you should probably make these. Stat.

1 cup AP Flour

1/2 cup Spelt flour/whole wheat flour/AP flour, whatever you prefer

2 tbsp Baking Powder

1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Butter, very cold, chopped into cubes

2/3 cup Coconut Milk

1/2 cup Jam (any flavour you like)

Preheat oven to 400F

In a medium sized bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

Add in the butter and mix with your hands until the pieces of butter are the sizes of large peas.

Add in the coconut milk and mix until just combined.

Carefully mix in any bits of flour that are on the bottom of the bowl by folding the dough a few times, in half pressing it down, then folding it in half again. You’ll want to do this at least 5 or 6 times. If the dough gets wet add a speck more coconut milk.

Chill dough for at least 20 minutes.

Remove from freezer and divide into 6 pieces.

Without squishing or removing the layers you’ve just folded in shape them into circles and then press deep imprints in the middle. I don’t think I added enough, so if your judging by the pictures above, I’d use a bit more.

Divide the jam in the middle of the scones and chill for another 10 minutes.

Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the tops are getting golden brown and the jam has set a bit in the middle.

Allow to cool slightly before serving!