Thursday, February 8, 2007

Chocolate chip scones

I first heard of scones when I started visiting foodblogs – we’re not familiar with them here in Brazil. That’s why I decided to bake some.

The recipe I used was taken from this site and, even though I haven’t had any other scones besides these, I was pretty happy with the result – they were tender and had a light texture, great with a glass of milk.

Trying to cut back some of the calories, I didn’t sprinkle the scones with the cinnamon sugar, but I’ll post it here in case you want to give it a try.
I used only half of the chocolate chips called for and I think it was enough – but if you are a chocoholic at heart, go for the whole amount.

Chocolate chip scones

Dough:
280g all purpose flour
50g granulated white sugar – I used caster sugar
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
115g unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
90g milk or semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
160ml buttermilk

Egg wash:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk

Cinnamon sugar:
50g granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF and place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper - this prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips. In a small measuring cup whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract and then add to the flour mixture. Stir just until the dough comes together - add more buttermilk if necessary. Do not overmix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 18 cm round and about 3,75cm thick. Cut this circle into 8 pie-shaped wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make the egg wash and brush the tops of the scones with it.
To make the cinnamon sugar, mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon and sprinkle the tops of the scones with it.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift icing sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler. Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.

This recipe was posted on the Portuguese version of my blog on Aug. 7, 2006.

18 comments:

  1. wow i wish i had one of those with my lonely cup of joe sitting here! those look great!

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  2. Gosh, they look like they've got lots of chocolate chips in them as you made them!
    Scones are wonderful! Now maybe you'll try some savory scones!

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  3. My all time favorite scone was a cheese scone I had at Stonehenge which had about an inch of butter in it! mmm...butter!

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  4. I've never made scones either. I've eaten plenty, but have never made them. Yours look great!

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  5. You've done it again, Patricia--I've just had lunch and you still manage to make me hungry! A quick question--I'm guessing you should remove the parchment paper before placing the scones under the broiler to prevent any kind of fire drama, yes?

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  6. Oh Patricia! These must have tasted so good when they were straight out of the oven! They look great for someone who is not familiar with scones!

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  7. For your very first scones, these look amazing! Now that you've got the method, you'll find all sorts of wonderful scones. Cheddar cheese and dill; oatmeal and maple syrup; peach and crystallized ginger....the variations are endless. Have fun exploring the scone universe!

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  8. I make scones almost every week. I find them so easy to make, and the variety never ends. Yours look great. Here are two of my latest scone posts.
    http://urbandrivel.blogspot.com/2007/02/oatmeal-sconescbs-new-favorite.html
    and
    http://urbandrivel.blogspot.com/2007/01/almond-sconesso-damn-good.html

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  9. Those look great.

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  10. I've been making scones a lot since I got a scone pan — most recipes hold up very well when you use low-fat or low-sugar ingredients.

    I've had good luck substituting fructose, Smart Balance and even low-sugar chocolate.

    These look good, but I'd have to adapt the recipe!

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  11. First time I ever had home made scones was when I had an English roommate in college. They were incredible! If these tasted as good as your photo makes them look, then I'd like to order a dozen! ;-)

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  12. Beautiful! I like the nice triangular wedge. And you can do so many variations with the base recipe - citrus scones, cranberry scones and other types of dried fruit. Chocolate is particularly decadent!

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  13. I like scones, or any buttery food :) Wish you were my neighbor Patricia! so that I could come over for tea (plus your wonderful scones)! Yes, I see the chocolate amount just right for me too :D

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  14. Sher, tks for the visit to my blog!
    I should be ashamed to say that, but I ate 2 right from the oven, can you believe it? ;)

    Linda, thank you!!! I wish I could ship you some!

    Tanna, I thought the amount requested on the recipe would be too much. I will certainly try new recipes, sweet and savory!

    Jeff, cheese and butter?? It sounds perfect to me. ;)

    Kristen, thank you! I can't find any here to buy, so I had to try making them myself!

    Terry, my friend, now you got me - I just copied the recipe from Joy of Baking and, since I didn't make the sugar crust, I really don't know what to say - but I think you're right! We should be careful with paper + fire. ;)

    Freya, they did! :) And thank you, I feel like trying load of other recipes, now!

    Lydia, thank you, dear! You're very kind. I'm looking forward to trying savory scones, too. Peach and ginger together must be wonderful!

    Hi, JB, tks for stopping by! I'll check your posts and also your blog!

    Tks, Peabody! I hope your foot is better.

    Mimi, I should try your substitutions, too, since I need to lose some weight.

    Hi, Toni! Tks for stopping by! What a lovely thing to "say", I appreciate it - I feel like making more scones!

    T.W., thank you! "Citrus" is my word - I love oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines... I love this idea!

    Gattina, I wish you were my neighbor, too - I'd be knocking on your door and having that amazing food you always prepare! But there would definitely be the end of my diet. lol

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  15. I love sconessssssssssss!! especially when chocolate is included!!!

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  16. I love anything with chocolate chips -- especially scones (and biscotti!). Thanks for the recipe. I'm definitely going to try it out!

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  17. How CUTE that you had never made scones before this. :)

    They look great!

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  18. Valentina,
    Chocolate make so many things better, doesn't it? ;)

    Lia,
    Biscotti is another thing I've never tried and I want to bake them soon. Chocolate chip biscotti sounds great!

    Kirsten,
    I was so curious about it I had to give it a try - thank you for your kind words! ;)

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