Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Cream Scones with Chocolate Chunks

Cream and Chocolate Scones

Cream and Chocolate Scones
Getting ready to bake

Cream and Chocolate Scones
Cooling down

If I spent a lot of time thinking about scones, i'd probably write a very long post that explained their many varieties and textures, and the technique needed to make them moist and flaky instead of dry and dense. The truth is, scones aren't my favorite pastries, and in most cases I prefer buying them to making them (I'm particularly fond of the scones from Enrico Biscotti and Jin Patisserie).

Generally, I will bake anything if I have the ingredients, regardless of whether or not I want to eat it. I chose this Alice Medrich recipe because I needed to use up some chocolate and cream. When I sampled one of the finished scones, I was surprised to find that I loved it. I loved the sweet, subtle taste of the cream and the dark contrast of the bittersweet chocolate. It had crispy edges and a moist interior.

Maybe I should give scone recipes some more thought.

Cream Scones with Chocolate Chunks
adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp milk or cream for brushing the tops

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Make a well in the center and pour the cream into it. Use a rubber spatula to push the dry ingredients from the sides of the bowl into the well, cutting and turning the mixture just until the dry ingredients are almost entirely moistened and the dough looks rough and shaggy. Gather the dough into a lump and knead it gently against the sides of the bowl five or more times, pressing in the loose pieces, until the dough just holds together (it should not be smooth) and the sides of the bowl are fairly clean.

On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into an 8.5 inch round about 3/4 inches thick. Cut into 12 wedges. Place them at least 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with cream or milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on a rack, and serve warm or at room temperature.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you should write a long and in-depth post about scones. I'd read it.

Lori said...

I'd read it too. I am in search of a soft , mile high, wonderful scone recipe that I had here at a restaurant called La Tea Da.
They are five bucks each. AHHHH yeah, I d rather bake them and eat them versus buying them and eating them.

Leonor de Sousa Bastos said...

I love your scone "slices"!!
Your pictures are beautiful...

Heather said...

mmm these sound lovely! cream and chocolate sounds my ideal combination!

Helene said...

Wonderful picutres..they bring poetry to scones!

Anonymous said...

i've never really found a store-bought scone i like as much as homemade scone. if you have, i am jealous.

also, i would totally read a long post about scones.

it's fun to say! scone, scone, scone.

Anonymous said...

beautiful pictures! cream scones with chocolate seems like the perfect combination!

We would love to feature these lovely scones on our blog! If interested email me at haleyglasco@gmail.com

Bonnie Leigh said...

Oh my, these look delicious!