Strawberries are by far my most adored fruit of the season.  I always have heaps of it in my refrigerator.  Beginning of the season, everyone in the family is as excited as I am about eating them, but as the months’ progress, their interest dwindles considerably.  My dear berries are given disdainful looks…I guess after pack no. 246, I can’t expect much else!  So about now, I start with “baking with strawberry” projects.  For the kick-off, I made whole-wheat Strawberry Orange Scones…and these beauties earned their respect right back!

I  have a soft spot for scones…tender, buttery with crispy edges.  And these ones are suffused with orange zest and mounds of strawberries.  I added poppy seeds for the crunch and some visual interest.  It’s completely optional though or you could add chia seeds or maybe even flax. What I really recommend is the light orange glaze…just enough to enhance the citrusy flavor.

While wholewheat flour does have a bad rep for making the baked goodies dense and coarse, I find that in most recipes, it does work very well.  It certainly didn’t interfere with the texture here. In fact, it made the scones really wholesome and sort of rustic.  Almonds add that boost of nutrition, a fabulous nutty flavor and also make them moist and soft.

The son has been told to stay away from dairy for a few weeks and I didn’t want him to miss this treat.  So I went the dairy- free way with coconut cream and coconut oil. But, by all means, do use instead of butter and regular cream.

I made a light and lovely barely sweetened whipped strawberry coconut cream to serve on the side…completely dairy-free and so delicious, you can eat it straight up!

NOTES:

• The trick to making soft and tender scones is not to overwork the dough. Minimal handling gives great results.  Add the liquid ingredients as soon as the butter has been incorporated in the dry ingredients.  They should be mixed in very gently. Please don’t overmix.
• Coconut oil ( or butter) should be well chilled.
• If using coconut cream, make sure it’s well chilled and don’t shake the can.  Use only the solidified cream, leaving out the liquid accumulated at the bottom of the can.

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