Thank you for all the kind comments on my post for Su’s Virtual Tea Party.
I have been asked by many to provide my recipe for the Chocolate Chip Scones, so without further ado…
Scones
2 1/2 cu all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 T cold unsalted butter, cut up
1/4 – 1/3 cu granulated sugar
2/3 cu milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cu semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Baker’s or granulated sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Position oven rack in the middle.
In mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine.
Using a pastry blender, add butter, cutting in until the mixture looks like small peas.
Add sugar and toss.
In small bowl, combine milk, egg and vanilla.
Add liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Quickly fold in chocolate chips.
Place dough in the refrigerator for about 15 mins.
Baking the scones:
Using a 1/4 cu measure, place scones on parchment line cookie sheet. Sprinkle additional sugar on top of each scone and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Slide parchment to a cooling rack to cool.
That’s all there is to it. However…I am going to share some of my little tips that may help you get stellar results. This is a very flexible formula for scones. Once you get the technique, you can make them your own.
When it comes to flour, I use King Arthur AP. I think it is the best. Use your favorite but try to avoid bleached and bromated flours. When measuring the flour, fluff it in the canister or bag, then spoon into the measuring cup and level off. Scooping directly into the flour can compact it, adding too much to the recipe and making dry scones. ew.
I never use salted butter. Ever. In anything. What I do, however, is let my butter and egg sit out on the counter for at least an hour. I know what you are thinking. “But Regina, your recipe calls for cold butter. Now you tell us you leave yours out? Has my whole life been a lie?”. The answer is yes, yes, and no. Sorta. When the butter is rock hard and just out of the fridge, it is so difficult to cut up that I found myself working at this step too long, creating a tough dough. If I allow the butter to stand a bit, the cutting in takes no time at all. Bada bing bada boom.
Vanilla extract. You can add it, or not. No big deal. If you don’t have any, substitute a liqueur.
On to the chocolate chips. I have made these with Ghirardelli semi-sweet, 60% bittersweet and 72% dark chocolate. They all work.
I use a trigger handled ice cream scoop to shape my scones. But don’t think you have to make individual scones. This dough can be gently patted into a 6″ circle which is cut into 8 wedges. Wiggle the knife as you cut the wedges to allow a bit of space for nice crisp sides. You can also roll out the dough and cut with a 2.5″ cutter. This is my least favorite option because the more you handle the dough, the less tender the crumb.
When you cool the scones, keep them on the parchment, on the rack and cover them with a very thin baking cloth to preserve the delicious crust that the sugar creates on top.
This recipe doubles and triples beautifully. When I make a large batch, I drop a dozen on the cookie sheet and put the sheet in the freezer. Once they are firm, I place them in an air-tight container or zipper bag in the freezer until I am ready to bake them. Just let them sit on the counter for about 15 minutes while the over preheats. You can freeze baked scones just as easily. Allow them to cool completely before freezing. When you are ready to eat them, let them sit out on the counter before placing them in the oven for about 5 minutes. Please do not microwave.
What if you don’t like chocolate? Fear not, I have modifications to suit every taste. Stay tuned.
Buon Appetito!
Cosmicknitter 
Fantastic Regina! 😋
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look great. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks absolutely fantastic!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I hope you give them a try. 💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Regina! These sound absolutely perfect! I’ll bet I can sub my organic Maine blueberries in place of the chips … I may be doing this tomorrow! Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! This recipe is perfect for substituting. I am going to share some of my favorite combinations in the next post. I should also have some knitting to share!
LikeLike
Yum! Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very cool! Thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Recipe sounds great! I learned something new about butter – thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This looks incredible, thank you for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This looks like a terrific recipe and thanks for the excellent tips. My scone recipes (which date back to the earliest part of the 1970s) don’t have the egg in, which gives a slightly different texture to recipes that do include egg. I have one question – do you spread these chocolate chip scones with butter or eat them as they are?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can leave out the egg with equally good results. With the egg, I find they stay tender longer. I never butter my scones, they really are better without.
LikeLike
Actually, I forgot to say – it bemuses us here in Europe that you don’t weigh your ingredients, which helps avoid issues like how compacted the flour is. I’ve often wondered if there is some compelling reason for measuring your baking ingredients by volume rather than weight, or if it’s just a case of ‘this is what we do’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was trained to weigh all my ingredients but as a young mom, I never had a scale so I just got out of the habit. Given the option, though, weighing is a far better method
LikeLike
Great tips, thank you, and well done on the best of show, they look the part, definitely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yum, I am going to try those!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those sound fabulous and easy:) I too love King Arthur flour. Your tip about the butter makes complete sense. When I’ve done scones with butter they have been tough. I shall use your method and recipe next time:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do let me know how they turn out. It all comes down to not over-handling the dough. Sometimes it looks a bit shaggy when I put it in the fridge, but they always turn out yummy.
I hope you are well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have long wanted to make scones and been scared to try but this might inspire me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So easy! Just don’t over-handle the dough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
As I’m sitting here sewing on my English paper piecing this morning…. those scones are caking me into the kitchen as I do have chocolate chips snd dried cranberries. I can enjoy them with afternoon coffee! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That does sound like an awesome distraction!!
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing the recipe. When I took home ec, and first started cooking, I made scones. First thing I ever made! =)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Everybody loves a good scone. There is so much room to experiment.
LikeLike