Coconut Cranberry Scones

Yesterday I got the disappointing news that not only does my law student husband have class on Valentine's evening but he has a review session as well. I wasn't expecting a date night, but I was hoping for our traditional special dinner at home as a family. That won't be happening this year. So, I guess I have to make the best of it and find other ways to celebrate throughout the day.

One way to celebrate is to make something special for breakfast. Normally, we don't do anything fancy around here for breakfast. A bowl of cereal, and we call it good. However, for birthdays and other occasions, I try to make a special treat. Sticky Buns and Apple Scones are favorites of ours. However, after reading the label on the sour cream (an ingredient in Apple Scones), I decided to try my hand at making my scone recipe a little bit healthier. In this recipe, I've substituted whole plain yogurt for sour cream (to drop the calories and fat content) and some almond meal for the regular flour (to bump up the protein content). I also took an idea from Amy Green's Mixed Berry Scones and replaced the butter with coconut oil. The result? A very yummy scone that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.

Coconut Cranberry Scones

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal (I get this at Trader Joe's)
1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for topping
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, in solid form
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, almond meal, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. Add solid coconut oil and use your fingers to work it into the flour mixture. It should resemble coarse meal. Stir in dried cranberries.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
5. Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball until the dough comes together.
6. Place on a lightly floured surface and shape your dough. You've got a few options here. You can pat dough into an 8-inch circle about 3/4 inch thick, sprinkle with some sugar and cut into 8 triangles for large scones. For more child-size scones, divide dough into two smaller circles, sprinkle with sugar and cut each circle into 8 triangles to make 16 smaller scones. Or, you can try to cut dough into heart shapes for a festive Valentine's treat. (It doesn't hold the heart shape perfectly though as you can see above.)
7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

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For other Valentine's Day recipes, be sure to check out Ultimate Recipe Swap at LifeasMOM.
For healthier recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at SimplySugarandGlutenFree.