My baking pantry is always stocked and ready for whatever sweet craving or baking emergency arises. From baking chips, nuts, dried fruit, oats, spices, sugars and flours to refrigerated staples like butter, buttermilk, cream, yeast, frozen fruit and—yes—more butter, I try to keep everything on hand. Limited storage makes this a challenge, but a birthday gift of a new deep freezer solved a lot of that. Now I can stash extra butter, nuts, chocolate chips and frozen fruit for months—if you don’t already, freezing those items is a great way to extend their life.
That readiness meant that when the scone craving struck one afternoon and I needed something “like right now,” I had everything I needed. The result: coconut and dark chocolate ricotta scones.
I’d been thinking about scones ever since my sister-in-law sent a photo of banana chocolate chip scones she made. That little nudge led me to create these: soft, tender scones flavored with shredded coconut, a touch of coconut extract, and dark chocolate.
These scones deliver on everything a good scone should be. First, they’re soft and tender rather than hard and crumbly—the ricotta contributes a moist, tender crumb while the butter adds richness and flakiness. Second, they’re quick and straightforward: about 15 minutes of prep and 15–20 minutes to bake, so you can go from craving to finished scone in roughly 35–40 minutes. And finally, the flavor combination is excellent—tropical coconut balanced by rich dark chocolate.
Because I’m a food blogger with a pregnant lady’s appetite, I made these at two in the afternoon as an afternoon snack, but they’re also a delicious breakfast option. They keep well for a day or two and are easy to remake when the stash runs out—another advantage of a well-stocked pantry.
coconut and dark chocolate ricotta scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled, cut into ½” pieces
- ¾ cup part-skim or whole milk ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
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Cut the chilled butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and coconut extracts until smooth.
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Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir gently until just combined—do not overmix.
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Fold in the dark chocolate and shredded coconut.
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Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and shape it into a 1-inch thick disc.
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Cut the disc into 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet, keeping about ½ inch between each scone.
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Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden on top.
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Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then serve and enjoy.