Get your Valentine's Day started on a sweet note: a batch of fluffy, heart-shaped scones is the ultimate breakfast treat. Whether served as breakfast-in-bed with a teapot for two, or tucked into a bag for an out-the-door treat, homemade baked goods are a sure-fire way to your sweetie's heart.
The glaze for these almond scones is flavored with Grand Marnier — what's more romantic than dessert liqueur? — and then amped up with the zest of an entire orange. Oranges may not be a typical Valentine's Day ingredient, but at this time of year, citrus is where it's at. February is the peak of Navel orange season here in California. Not only are the fruits heavy with juice, their skins are loaded with aromatic oil.
While the glaze is outrageously flavorful, the almond-studded dough is notable for its fluffy, delicate, texture and moist crumb. Unorthodox additions of virgin coconut oil and Greek yogurt encourage a tender scone without weighing the dough down like traditional butter and heavy cream. Unlike those dense specimens you'll find in most coffee shops, these emerge from the oven uncommonly light, with a texture similar to a good biscuit.
Working with this sort of dough requires a bit of loving care. It's all in the name of developing as little gluten as possible, allowing your scones to reach their maximum height and tenderness. Take a look at my tips for light and fluffy scones, below, before launching into the recipe.
Oh, and one more thing. You can prepare the dough and glaze the night before, if you please, but do bake these in the morning, waking your partner up to their freshly-baked aroma. I can't think of a better start to a love-filled day.

Tips for Light and Fluffy Scones:
• Mix With a Delicate Hand: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry with a delicate yet firm hand, using a folding motion and stopping just when everything is fully incorporated.
• Roll Dough With Even Pressure: Roll out the dough with even, vertical pressure, resisting the urge to move the dough around too much or overwork the dough.
• Don't Mess With Scones After Cutting: Apply even and firm pressure to your cookie or biscuit cutter when you're cutting out the scones, then use an offset spatula or similar tool to transfer them from the cutting board to your parchment-lined pan, being careful not to touch their sides.
• Glaze While Scones Are Warm: Dip your scones in the glaze while they're still warm. This will allow the glaze to soak in just a bit, and spread out evenly into a thin shell as it dries.

Almond Scones with Grand Marnier Glaze
Makes 14 heart-shaped scones using a 3-inch cookie cutter2 1/3 cup (300g) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup (56g) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (120g) virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup (170g) nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/2 cup (60g) unsalted dry toasted sliced almonds
Grand Marnier Glaze (see recipe below)
Measure the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil to the dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter to incorporate the coconut oil into the flour. There should still be a few pea-sized pieces of coconut oil throughout. Make a well in the center of the bowl, and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the yogurt, egg, and sliced almonds, whisking until egg is fully incorporated into the yogurt. Pour the yogurt mixture into the well in the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or dough whisk to combine just until all of the flour is absorbed and the dough begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.
Roll the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350°F.
Remove dough from refrigerator, then use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the scones. Place them 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet, being careful not to touch the cut sides of the scones as you move them.
Bake scones for 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer directly to cooling racks and dip in Grand Marnier glaze while still warm.
Grand Marnier Glaze
2 tablespoon (30ml) Grand Marnier liqueur
Zest of 1 small navel orange, microplaned
1 cup (120g) confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon (5ml) orange juice
In a small mixing bowl, pour the Grand Marnier over the orange zest. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to draw the oils out of the orange zest. Add the confectioner's sugar and orange juice. Stir until fully combined, cover and set aside.
Thank you so much for sharing, Coco!

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Comments (14)
Can I substitute olive oil for the coconut oil?
@abcornwell technically you probably could, but I wouldn't recommend it. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, like shortening or butter. So if you must make a substitution for the coconut oil, use one of those (or lard. I'm thinking butter would be best and easily accessible) to preserve the flaky texture.
Oh I will most definitely try these out! They look and sound perfect!
abconwell, I'm with Daisy88 - you really do want to use coconut oil, especially because coconut oil has no flavor at all, while EVOO will give you some of that taste. Plus, coconut oil is a perfect sub for recipes that require butter =0)
Thanks for posting this recipe, Coco!
@abcornwell Daisy88 is right -- lard, butter, or shortening are better substitutes for the coconut oil. Thanks for weighing in!
@Sockmonkeys Kitchen You're welcome!
These sound stellar!
I saw directions from America's Test Kitchen for super flaky biscuit dough - you freeze the butter in stick form and then use a grater to get it into the dry ingredients - maybe you could do something similar with the coconut oil?? It really reduces the handling on the biscuits and makes them lighter than air every time!
is coconut oil readily available at my mass grocery retailer? whole foods? haven't bought it before. thanks!
I am new to baking scones- when you say to refrigerate the dough I am assuming it should stay flat after rolling out. How do you suggest this be done? Transfer dough to cookie sheet lined with parchment? Thanks for the help!!
I think the weight for the confectioner's sugar might be off. I was making them this morning when I noticed that 12 g of confectioner's sugar is a heaping tablespoon rather than a full cup.
@joeyjoey - Yes, coconut oil is very available these days! They definitely carry it at Whole Foods and at Trader Joe's
@akjennberry and @M. Lee - I'll check in with Coco on your questions. Thanks!
Other than that, completely delicious! (I also modified the recipe and made mine pecan blood orange scones with a Solerno glaze.)
@M. Lee -- your pecan/blood orange combo sounds awesome! You were correct, the 12g was a typo, and has been corrected to 120g.
@mary.beckett -- Coconut oil has a less pliable texture than butter when frozen, and a lower melting point. As such, I imagine that it would be a bit difficult to grate it properly -- it would be a bit brittle and crumbly, and possibly thaw quickly and melt in your hands. You could try scooping out the required amount from the jar, forming it into a log, refrigerating it, then using a knife to shave it into small pieces if you'd like! That would work well, and reduce handling of the dough.
@joeyjoey -- you can find coconut oil at health food stores including Whole Foods. Also if you happen to have a Trader Joe's near you, they carry it for a very reasonable price.
@akjenberry -- I refrigerated my dough wrapped in plastic wrap, on a baking sheet. If you've got a free shelf in your fridge (wishful thinking in my world), you can also just place the rolled-out dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, directly on the shelf. Another space-saving option -- pat the dough into two 6-inch disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate stacked on top of each other (at least 1 hour or overnight), then cut each into 8 wedges to make more traditional, wedge-shaped scones.
So glad to hear about the coconut oil. I have a gluten free scone mix I've been looking to make but didn't have any "shortening" on hand and didn't want to have to buy some. Can't wait to try out the coconut oil.
Its really nice post,
I like the recipe, can we add coffee flavor in this, will it taste good?
Because I like chocolate and coffee flavor.
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