~ Ginger Scones

Dear Fans of Hounds Who Cook,

We dogs were very busy for the last year catching rabbit and running amok in Wisconsin so we hardly cooked at all. Now we are jungle dogs, relocated to Belize, Central America, where our Girl is writing a book and we hounds are tracking scents like we have never smelt before. We are full-on jungle dogs who run free all of the time now. It's the happiest we've ever been.

Tonight we have found a use for our real buttermilk (the water the comes off of real cream when you shake it into butter) in the exquisite crumb of these Ginger Scones. We started with a recipe from Bon Appetit 2011 from www.epicurious.com and we went Jungle on them from there. Ginger and coconut oil make these healthy as can be when sugar is present. And not too much sugar either.

Guthrie's Jungle Ginger Scones
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup raw sugar (+ some for sprinkling)
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup coconut oil (or substitute butter)
1/2 cup plus chopped crystalized ginger (about 4 ounces)
1 cup buttermilk (+ some for brushing)
1 Tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (peeled)
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.) if desired

Coconut oil becomes solid at a cool room temperature. If your oil is liquid, measure it out and pour it into a shallow bowl. Refrigerate til it turns white and is partly solid. 

Whisk flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in large bowl.

Add solid coconut oil quickly. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to barely work it into the flour. Your hands will melt the oil, so stop before it is fully worked in and refrigerate the flour mixture. (This refrigeration is optional if you use butter instead of coconut oil.)

Mince the crystallized ginger.  Grate the fresh ginger and whisk into the buttermilk in a small bowl.

When flour mixture is chilled so that the oil is solid, work quickly with your fingers to break up lumps until mixture is a coarse meal. Toss in crystallized ginger and nuts (if desired). Form well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in buttermilk with a fork until moist clumps form. Add a few tablespoons of flour if dough is too moist.

Drop about 1/3 cup dough per scone onto lined baking sheet. Brush or sprinkled with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees until scones are golden and toothpick inserted horizontally into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool scones on the baking sheet on a rack.

Notes from Elias: We made these when our Girl was on a juicing fast so she couldn't even try them at all. So we froze them and they were wonderful.