A couple months ago I posted a recipe for savoury bacon and cheddar scones. I love those things, as does Rob, because they’re my new excuse to make bacon, which we normally have only for special occasions. That recipe had several suggestions for alternate flavours — some of which I tried out — but there was also another recipe for chocolate chip scones. It’s not a lot different from the original, but it packs a lot more flavour in there. This scone is definitely not for breakfast unless you’ve spent many years honing your chocolate intake capacity.
It does really well as an evening snack… with Bailey’s.
Double Chocolate Scones (from Better Homes and Gardens “Anyone Can Bake”)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
whipping cream (optional – recommended!)
coarse sugar (option – recommended!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (I never do this, and it turns out fine), set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or just a knife), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.
In a small bowl stir together the egg, the 1/2 cup whipping cream, and the vanilla. Add egg mixture to flour mixture all at once. Add chocolate pieces and, if desired, the pecans (I haven’t yet used pecans, but I’m not a big fan of nuts getting in the way of chocolate-flavoured things). Using a fork, stir until just combined.
Turn dough out into a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. (Disclaimer: this didn’t work too well for me. Maybe I haven’t been adding enough butter as I just chop it off a larger block. My dough was way too crumbly to stick well, so I added a tiny bit of whipping cream until it was starting to come together. Your hands will warm up the butter and it will start to stick all by itself, so don’t add too much if you need to do this – start with a tablespoon).
Divide dough in half. Pat or lightly roll half the dough into a 4 1/2 inch circle about 1 inch thick. Cut into six wedges. Repeat with remaining dough. Place wedges 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, brush wedges with additional whipping cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. (I recommend doing this. I just use my finger rather than a brush).
Bake in the preheated over for 12 to 14 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove scones from baking sheet. Serve warm (they also keep well). Makes 12 scones.
