Here is what I daresay was a very agreeable breakfast I had last week on a gray morning. It was an English breakfast, in fact! Channeling my inner Austen–or, more appropriately, Elinor Dashwood.
Coconut-Cherry-Carob Chip Scones with a steaming cuppa–you guessed it–English Breakfast tea.
The scones are based on the recipe for Chocolate Chip Scones in Simple Treats, so they’re wheat-free (ST uses only barley/oat flour in its recipes!). I just substituted a mixture of unsweetened dried coconut, dried Montmorency cherries (my favorite dried fruit from Trader Joe’s), and carob chips for the chocolate chips called for. Um, don’t tell anyone, but I may be pretty close to liking carob more than chocolate. I know this comment may very likely incite a mass freak out, but please just accept it.
These are NOT decadent scones. The barley flour makes them quite dense, and a little dry (though I think I over-baked them a tad?), and there is very little sweetener (I halved the batch, making 4 scones, and only used two tablespoons of turbinado sugar, and one tablespoon of maple syrup).*
However, the lack of inherent richness in these scones was quite easily remedied by warming them up and slathering them with PB & Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, raspberry jam, and a dot of Earth Balance.
In conclusion, toppings to the rescue, but I probably wouldn’t make these scones again when there are so many fluffy, good-on-their-own ones out there!
*Also, it wasn’t a hugeee problem, but I felt like they had a slight baking powdery/salty taste. I may have just messed up–it wasn’t a deal breaker.
That last picture is beautiful
Even though the base recipe didn't work out, I love that idea for a flavor combination in a scone!
well they certainly LOOK gorgeous!Reading your blog has made me want to use carob…I picked up a bag the other day, we'll see what I do with it.
Looks awesome!
those look great! i like my scones to be "hearty" rather than "decadent" and carob takes a little getting used to, but after awhile you come to appreciate its inherent sweetness i believe! top of the morning to ya!
I LOVE scones!
that is a gorgeous picture. i love jane austen! sense and sensibility- did you watch taht new remake a while ago on kcet? loves.
Great flavor combination!
The dried Mortency cherries from TJs are the best! I heart them in a big way. Your scones looks SO good.
Love me some English Breakfast tea!
I'm not a carob fan myself, at least not as a chocolate replacer. When its not in comparison with choc, I think I appreciate it more. Regardless, your scones look great. I hardly ever make scones anymore, because Andy has negative ideas of them–scones here are basically the equivalent of American biscuits, so they're a bit bland. I need to make some to show him that they don't have to be boring!
These look gorgeous! I love the idea of spreading them with peanut butter and jelly…now I'm so hungry!
Yum, they look great. Except for the CAROB! I daresay you are not my daughter!
The last pic is making me hungry, lol. Even though they didn't turn out great, they still look good!You know, I have actually never tried carob yet. A few bloggers have mentioned that they prefer carob over chocolate too, so you aren't alone.
I also loooove dried cherries. I could just eat an entire bag of them, they're so awesome. I'm not a big carob fan. I really wanted to be, but it doesn't do much for me. Of course, I've never been a huge chocolate person either, so maybe that has something to do with it. The scones look lovely! I like my scones dry, so it sounds awesome to me :)
That cone looks delicious! I love your blog header, too! :)
Gosh, they look amazing. I've only made/ate scones once. They were pretty good. A little too dry and crumbly for my tastes, though.Beautiful photos, as always!
Nora, you need to bake some of your trademark "scuffins"!