Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

Tart and not too sweet, these scones paired seasonal meyer lemons with some cranberries stashed away in the freezer a few months ago to create a light treat for brunch.  In an effort to keep them cow-free, I tried out some coconut spread, and i've included some notes on how I think it affected the dough below. Whether you use butter, earth balance or coconut spread, these scones are definitely worth making!

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Only the zest of meyer lemons is used for this recipe, might I suggest freezing the juice for some meyer lemonade this summer??  You can thank me later.  Also, I changed this recipe to avoid the use of cow milk, but I've left the original ingredients as options for you if you choose.

1 1/2T meyer lemon zest
1c AP flour
1 1/2c white whole wheat flour
1/2c + 3T evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar), divided
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
3oz coconut spread (or butter)
1 1/4c frozen cranberries
1 lg egg
1 egg yolk
1c goat milk (or cream)

Preheat the oven to 400deg.

Add flours, lemon zest, 1/2c sugar, baking powder, salt and coconut spread to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until the mixture becomes a coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the frozen cranberries and 3T sugar to the food processor and pulse until the cranberries are coarsely chopped.  Add to the flour mix.

In a small bowl, beat together the egg and egg yolk, then stir in milk.  Add to the flour mixture and then stir until just combined.

Now, the recipe calls for patting the dough into a 1" thick round circle on a well-floured surface, then cutting scones out with a 2" cutter.  I was able to do this with a few of them, but my dough was still pretty wet (probably from my substitutions).  They worked just as well as 'drop' scones, where I simply spooned a bit of the mixture onto a cookie sheet.

Place scones 1" apart on a baking sheet and bake 15-20min, until pale golden.  Serve warm.

Deb's also got instructions for freezing the scone dough, so you can have warm scones at a moment's notice!

This recipe was featured in my "EB Mine" menu, a brunch I hosted along with Eggland’s Best to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy diet to reduce the risk of heart disease. I have a sweet giveaway going on, where the winner will receive a swag bag full of my EB Goodies. Check out my EB Mine Brunch post to enter through February 29th!