Whole Wheat Strawberry Coconut Almond Scones

I'm back and apologize for the roughly month-long hiatus in posts - between work, a vacation to Northern Italy, and other things I have quite a long backlog of recipes that I haven't gotten around to putting on the site! I figured I'd start out with something that I made this morning. Here in Northern California, strawberries are at their peak right now, which means they are not only delicious but also much more affordable than other times of the year. I decided to incorporate them in one of my mother's favorite things - scones. Believe it or not, this is actually my first attempt at baking scones from scratch, and I found them to be quite easy. I made my version a little healthier by using a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and regular whole wheat flour (the pastry flour is lighter and generally better for baking) as well as some yogurt to keep them moist. I thought that shredded coconut and almonds would complement the strawberries nicely, but feel free to use other ingredients that you might have on hand instead - dried fruit, other nuts, dried ginger, etc. I also went with more of a free form disc-shaped scone instead of the kind you cut, as this scone recipe creates a more moist dough (and a wonderfully moist scone!).

Whole Wheat Strawberry Coconut Almond Scones
Makes about 6 large scones

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30-35 minutes

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. regular whole wheat flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 T. baking powder
3 T. cane sugar
1/2 t. fine grain sea salt
5 T. cold butter, diced into small pieces (about 1/4'')
6 oz. plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 c. lowfat milk
1 c. strawberries, thinly sliced
1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c. slivered almonds, plus more for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the two flours, oats, baking powder, cane sugar, and salt with a wooden spoon. Add the butter to the bowl, and using your hands, stir it into the flour mixture, breaking the butter up with your fingertips (takes a minute or two). It's ok if you still have some clumps - this is actually good for creating a nice flaky scone. Add the strawberries, coconut, and almonds and stir to combine. Add the milk and yogurt and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to comes together, then use your hands to bring it all together. Gathering roughly 1/6 of the dough in your hand at a time (it will be a little sticky), form it into a disc shape and then place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, then top each scone with a few more slivered almonds. Transfer to the oven and bake for approximately 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, then if you'd like, slice lengthwise with a serrated knife and top with a little more butter. Enjoy!