These Clementine Coconut Scones are sunshine in baked form: delicately sweet, infused with clementine zest, and laced with sweetened shredded coconut. And to top it off? A tangy-sweet clementine glaze drizzled over the top for a burst of citrusy shine in every bite.
I grew up eating more tangerines than oranges, so I’ve always loved the delicate, citrusy aroma of clementines. But I have to admit, I don’t bake with them nearly enough! The only other recipe I have on the blog with clementines is these tangerine olive oil bundt cakes.
The blend of clementine and coconut makes such a lovely flavor pairing in these clementine coconut scones. Next time you’ve got a few extra clementines sitting on the counter, think of these scones – they’re simple, cozy, and bursting with bright flavor.
✨ Trang’s Recipe Highlights
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- FLAVOR: The clementine zest gives these scones a vibrant, floral aroma that’s bright but delicate – just enough to complement the light coconut flavor without overpowering it. The glaze adds a sweet, zesty punch that really enhances the overall citrusy goodness. I’ve made these scones both with and without the glaze, and let me tell you – I am team glaze all the way!
- TEXTURE: Soft and tender with crispy bits around the edges right out of the oven.
- EASE: These are very easy to make, just like my basic buttermilk scones, but you’ll swap out the buttermilk for coconut milk.
Key ingredients
You can skip to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with quantities. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe for coconut scones along with some notes and substitution tips for the key ingredients.
- Clementines – You’ll need 4 clementines for this recipe – zest of 3 for the coconut milk scone dough, zest of 1 and juice of 1 plus some for the glaze. Make sure to zest the clementines before juicing them. Tangerines, satsuma oranges, or regular oranges will work as substitutions.
- Coconut milk – You’ll need canned coconut milk, it is thicker and richer than the stuff in the carton in the refrigerated section. Though the flavor it imparts on the dough is very mild so in a pinch you can use buttermilk or cream as a substitution.
- Coconut flakes – You’ll need sweetened coconut flakes to mix into the dough and for the final garnishing for more coconut flavor. I think unsweetened coconut flakes will work too.
Tips for soft and flaky scones
- Butter is your friend – The principle is the same as making pie dough or biscuits. There should still be visible chunks of butter in the dough after you’re done mixing. When the scones hit the hot oven, the burst of heat causes the water in those butter pockets to quickly evaporate, creating steam that helps form flaky, tender layers.
- The wetter the dough, the softer the scones – Avoid adding too much extra flour when you’re shaping the scones. The dough should feel a little wet and sticky – that’s the secret to keeping the baked scones moist and soft.
- Create layers – Patting the dough out and folding it over itself a few times while shaping it into a rectangle – like the collage below – helps create more distinct, beautiful layers once the scones are baked. I did not use a rolling pin, I just patted it out with my hands, but you can if you want.
📖 Recipe card
Coconut Scones Recipe with Clementine Glaze
These Clementine Coconut Scones are infused with refreshing clementine flavor in the scone batter, and in the tangy sweet glaze with lots of clementine zest.
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Yield: 12 scones
Equipment
Ingredients
For the coconut scones:
- Zest of 3 clementines
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (270 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 4 oz unsalted butter (113 g, cold)
- 1 large egg (cold, see note on coconut milk)
- ¾ cup canned coconut milk (more or less to get 1 cup or 237 ml of liquid including the egg)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes (90 g, more for topping and garnishing)
For the clementine glaze:
- Juice of 1 clementine (more as needed)
- Zest of 1 clementine
- 1 cup powdered sugar (113 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Prepare the sugar – In a medium or large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and clementine zest until the sugar turns orange and fragrant.Zest of 3 clementines, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Prepare dry ingredients – Sift flour and baking powder into the sugar mixture. Add kosher salt, the coconut flakes and whisk to distribute evenly.2 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- Work in butter – Add cold cubed butter to the flour mixture, work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until all the butter pieces are flat.4 oz unsalted butter
- Prepare wet ingredients – In a measuring cup, add the egg and enough coconut milk to fill 1 cup. Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.1 large egg, ¾ cup canned coconut milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Form the dough – Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons to use as egg wash. Fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Shape the dough – Turn the dough out onto a floured board or countertop. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough, and pat it out into somewhat a shape of a rectangle about ½” thick. Fold the dough over itself and pat it out again, do this about 4 times (this will help create flaky layers). Finally, shape it into a rectangle about 1" thick and with dimensions roughly 5”x8” or 6”x9”.
- Cut the scones – Cut the rectangle in half length wise, then cut in three cross wise to make 6 squares. Cut each square diagonally to make 12 triangles.
- Prepare scones for the oven – Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides with the reserved liquid, and sprinkle some coconut flakes on top (don't load it up too much because the coconut flakes can burn in the oven if they're sticking up too much).
- Bake and cool – Bake for 20 minutes until the scones turn lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a wire rack to allow the scones to cool completely.
- Make the glaze – whisk together clementine juice, zest and powdered sugar until a creamy orange glaze forms. Add more juice to thin it out or more sugar to thicken it if necessary. Drizzle glaze over the cool scones, as much or as little to your taste.Juice of 1 clementine, Zest of 1 clementine, 1 cup powdered sugar
Notes
- 1 cup of liquid: add the egg to the measuring cup and add coconut milk until you get 1 cup of liquid ingredients. This may be more or less than the ¾ cup of coconut milk specified in the ingredient list.
- Use the bench scraper: use it to scrape the dough off the counter while shaping it, this will allow you to use less extra flour which will help keep the dough softer and moister.
- Larger scones: these are fairly small scones, but I like the size of them for a light snack. You can make them larger by cutting the dough into 6 or 8. Make sure to increase baking time accordingly.
- Storage: these clementine coconut scones will last at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Or you can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Reheating tips: you can serve leftovers at room temp but I love them warm and toasty. I use my counter top toaster oven, set at lower temperature around 300°F, convection mode, bake for 5-7 minutes. The sugar glaze will melt into delicious crunchy caramelized bits.
Nutrition
Serving: 74g | Calories: 262kcal
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More Amazing Scone Recipes
- For more citrusy scones, try my Orange Scones – they’re rich, soft and tender, and loaded with dried fruits for burst of extra flavor.
- These Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones are bursting with blueberries and served with lemon curd instead of a glaze for an amazing refreshing taste.
- And if you’re looking to try something with more unique flavor, these Cardamom Persimmon Pecan Scones might fit the bill.
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Hi. What can I replace Clementine with if we don’t have them ? Thank you
You can use tangerine for a similar flavor or orange.
I could drink that glaze, wow!!
These scones would be perfect for Christmas morning!
I can’t wait for clemenines to come into season … so I can try this recipe Thank you!
Linda, thank you so much for visiting and checking out my recipes! 🙂
I’m adding these to my list of things to bake! I made clementine jam this summer and it was amazing!
Erin, clementine jam sounds wonderful! I will be sure to check out your recipe as well 🙂
You scones with the dripping clementine glaze look unbelievably delicious! I love the flavor of clementines. It’s right up there with cara cara. Now I’m dying for citrus season to get here.
Thank you MJ! I love cara cara too 🙂
I adore clementines, but I never bake with them, but this has really made me want to. They look delicious.
You must try them then, then flavor is so refreshing!
These look amazing, the clementine cream adds such zing!
Thank you Bintu!
I love the idea of clementine zest and those scones look so fluffy
Definitely drool worthy! Yum!
These look amazing and I love the idea of the clementine cream! I have to try these ASAP!
These look divine. An easy and zingy way to start the day 🙂
Thanks Marie!