Intrepid Murmurings

Dairy Free Coconut Scones
When we visited Lonnie's parents in Maryland a few years ago, it was in the midst of a huge snowstorm. We snuck in right before it dumped at least three feet of snow; the city slowed to a halt, and we were stuck. It was lovely! I love snow, myself; I never had much of it growing up, and really enjoyed it when living in Minnesota. Ah, an actual change of seasons (other than rain, grey sky, rain, clouds, rain, glimpse of sun , rain)! This was also back when I was still teaching, and was exhausted and sick, as usual, and Lonnie was laid up with a broken arm and hard core pain meds. Being able to sleep in, lounge around the house, go for a walk around the neighborhood in the snow, then lounge some more and read by the fire was a joy. We played a lot of Mah Jongg in the evening, and in the morning, stretched out on a blanket in front of the fireplace with tea, coffee, and scones. Scones, a breakfast delight I had actually never attempted and we therefore had not enjoyed since Lonnie had diagnosed his dairy allergy! A scone without butter or cream! Could it be true? They are even delicious in the summer, on the patio with shorts and flip flops and the newspaper. Or (more likely) in front of the computer reading blogs, dropping crumbs and jam in the cracks of the keyboard.... Dairy-free Coconut Scones 1 3/4 cups flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup dairy-free margerine 1/2 cup (packed) sweetened or shredded coconut 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 eggs 1/2 cup coconut milk Preheat oven to 375. Sift dry ingredients together into large bowl. Cut margerine into dry ingredients. Add coconut and oats, stir until combined. Beat eggs, setting aside a tablespoon or so. Whisk remaining eggs with coconut milk, then add to flour mixture. Stir together until just combined, then turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead a few turns, then shape into a round flat disk, about 1 inch thick. Cut into eight wedges, and transfer to a baking stone, baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchement paper (or greased). Brush scones with reserved egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-22 minutes, transfer to rack to cool. Serve with jam, of course, and plenty of tea or coffee.