Oh, Those Scones!

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…

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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

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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.

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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!