Coconut Pecan Scones

Let us not forget what got me to start thinking about food, experimenting with food and enjoying being in the kitchen a little bit more.  Just one year ago I was celebrating my first food contest win and with none other than the Food Network Magazine! This was no small achievement and the editor told me I won over thousands of other coconut recipes. I guess after a few months of not so yummy scone recipes and unsuccessful taste tests, my hard work paid off. Here's to the scones that inspired me to do more!

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Scones:

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 cups shredded coconut
3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups pecans, finely chopped

For the Glaze

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 cup confectioners' sugar
Make the scones: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar and shredded coconut in a bowl. Beat in the butter with a mixer on low speed, then raise the speed to high and beat until the mixture is in coarse crumbles.
Whisk the coconut milk, eggs and coconut extract in another bowl, then stir into theflour mixture until just combined. Stir in the pecans; do not overmix.
Scoop 2-to-3-inch mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets (a large ice cream scoop works well for this). Sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake until golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the coconut milk, coconut and vanilla extracts and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth, adding more sugar as needed to thicken. Drizzle over the scones while still slightly warm.

This cold weather is perfect for staying at home and baking these yummy, sweet & buttery scones.