Dark Chocolate Beetroot Scones

INGREDIENTS

• 250g Organic Beetroot
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk, stirred
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate
• 2 cups + 1 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Beetroot juice reserved from Organic Beetroot pack
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Carefully open Organic Beetroot package, pouring the excess juice into a bowl for later.
3. Using a food processor or high powered blender, puree the cooked beets until smooth and no chunks remain. Set aside.
4. Cut the cold butter into 1cm sized cubes and then place back into the fridge.
5. Add 2 cups of flour into a large bowl. Add coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking until well combined. Set aside.
6. In a smaller bowl, combine beet puree, coconut milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
7. Remove cubed butter from the fridge and add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Using your hands, toss the butter pieces with the flour, until coated. Then, using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour until it is fully incorporated, until no large chunks of butter remain, creating a sand like mixture. This may take a few minutes.
8. Using a spatula, gently fold in the beet mixture to the dry ingredients, until just barely incorporated. Then fold in the chopped dark chocolate. The dough will be slightly sticky, but not wet. If the dough is wet, add the remaining 1 tbsp of flour. Being sure to not over mix.
9. Using your hands and lightly pressing with your palms, shape the dough into a circle, about 20cm in diameter and 2.5cm thick, on the lined baking sheet. Using a long knife, slice the dough into 8 triangles, pushing the knife all the way through the dough.
10. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, then remove from the oven and carefully slice the dough again and pull the triangles away from each other.
11. Return the scones to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned.
12. Let scones cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
13. While the scones cool, make the glaze by whisking together the reserved beet juice, orange juice, and icing sugar. If the glaze is too loose, add an additional tbsp of powdered sugar, if too thick, add a tsp more of orange juice, until it reaches your desired thickness.
14. Once the scones are fully cooled, drizzle the glaze over the tops and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
15. *Once the glaze hardens the scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. After 3 days, store in the fridge.
    
    *AP flour can be subbed for whole wheat pastry flour but will create a heavier texture, just omit the additional tablespoon.