Coconut Tea Buns – another Newfoundland favourite.

Coconut Tea Buns. A Newfoundland favourite tea time snack for decades. This is how we’ve made them for many years in our family.

Old Fashioned Coconut Tea Buns

Number one son has been asking me to make these coconut tea buns for a couple of weeks now. He loves anything coconut.

He thinks I should try this recipe with raspberries but he’d eat anything with raspberries. Hmmm, coconut/raspberry? You never know, he might be on to something.

He has very discriminating tastes for an 8 year old. 😉  

Old Fashioned Coconut Tea Buns

2020 Update. 

This was one of the first recipes ever posted to Rock Recipes back in November of 2007, just 2 months after the website first started. We have since dded over 1700 more in the last 12 1/2 years.

Old Fashioned Coconut Tea Buns

I was reminded of the recipe recently, when a Twitter discussion I was mentioned in, came to my attention. I was surprised many people had not heard of these, which are really just a variation on Newfoundland Raisin Buns.

My mom and other bakers in our family have been making them for as long as I can remember. They have always been a family favourite.

Unsweetened, dried (desiccated), fine or medium cut coconut is the kind used in this recipe.

So, I decided to update the photos and publish the recipe again, especially for the coconut lovers out there. I think they may become a favourite teatime treat for many.

Coconut Tea Buns, 2008 photo.

For even more delicious ideas for brunch, we have put them together into one amazing collection of our 25 Best Scone Recipes.

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Originally published November 2007. Updated March 2020.

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Yield: 16 large tea buns

Coconut Tea Buns

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Coconut Tea Buns - a Newfoundland favourite tea time snack for decades. This is how we've made them for many years in our family.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup dried unsweetened fine coconut
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Coconut or almond extract, (optional)
• 1 cup undiluted evaporated milk

Instructions

1. I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or just rubbing it into the dry ingredients using your hands like Nan did.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with small pieces of butter still visible.
4. Add the coconut, toss well, and make a well in the center of the mixture.
5. Mix together the undiluted evaporated milk, lemon juice, almond extract and vanilla extract.
6. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and mix only enough to form a dough ball.
7. Roll on a floured surface to 1 inch thickness and cut out buns with biscuit cutter and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter.

Nutrition Information

Yield

16

Serving Size

16 large tea buns
Amount Per Serving Calories 246Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 27mgSodium 266mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 4g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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