Sunday, January 17, 2010

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones - made January 17, 2010 from the May 2002 issue of Chocolatier Magazine

Scones are pretty easy to make. I whipped up this batch this morning before church, chilled them and then baked them while I was working out. Most scone recipes call for patting the scone dough into a disk and cutting into wedges. I usually cheat that step and use my mini scone pan. No messing around with the dough and I can make uniform sizes. It also means I bake it for a slightly shorter amount of time since the scone pan makes smaller scones. It was hard to tell when these were done. I tried the toothpick test but I still wasn't sure so I took them out after almost 20 minutes and that seemed to be about right.

These scones turned out cakey which I hadn't quite expected but it makes sense given the amount of baking powder the recipe calls for. It's also not very sweet at all (note there's no sugar in the actual scone dough itself). I didn't have coarse sugar to sprinkle on top but I should have as that's probably where the sweetness would come from to offset the chocolate flavor of the scone. The chocolate chips helped to give it some sweetness though. These are probably best eaten fresh out of the oven as the top was crisp and the scone was cakey rather than flaky. I tried one and it was good but packaged up the rest for the freezer to portion out at a later date. Those I will likely want to heat up before consuming as they'll probably taste better than being chilled or at room temperature.

Scones
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces Lindt bittersweet chocolate, cut into ¼” pieces

Topping
Coarse sugar

1. In bowl of food processor, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Pulse until well blended. Add butter chunks and process for a few seconds, just until butter is size of peas. Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in sugar.
2. In small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour cream mixture over dry ingredients, add chopped chocolate, and stir to form dough. Knead dough lightly in bowl about 10 times.
3. Scrape dough onto lightly floured work surface and shape into 7 ½” round disc. Transfer round to plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375˚F. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut round into 8 wedges. Transfer scones to ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle tops with coarse sugar. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until set. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

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