Orange and Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Scones

Recipe from http://www.joythebaker.com/

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 8

Joy the Baker is my new favorite cooking blog.  I had buttermilk, an orange and bittersweet chocolate chips on hand and I felt like having a treat.  So there!  These scrumptious scones were easy to make and in the time they took to bake, I had washed the dishes and had water boiling for some hot tea to go with!  These taste best while still warm.  They are perfectly tender and are so buttery that there’s no need for embellishment.  A big thumbs up from the man of the house too.  Every ingredient can be found at Lost River Market & Deli.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

zest of one orange

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold buttermilk (plus maybe a bit more)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used bittersweet chocolate chips.)

2 Tablespoons heavy cream (Optional)

1 Tablespoon sugar (I used sparkly sugar.) (Optional)

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Use your fingers to rub the butter and dry ingredients together. (I actually used my food processor for this part and pulsed until the butter was about the size of small peas.) 

In another bowl, combine egg yolk and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough (I used my fingers to stir.) to make a soft dough.  (Because there was still loose flour in my bowl, I added a couple more Tablespoons of buttermilk until the dough came together.)

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 10 to15 times. (Remember that the more you handle the scone dough, the tougher the scones will be.  So, take it easy on this part and your scones will be tender.)  Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness. Cut into 8 triangles.  (I used a bench scraper/dough scraper to cut my scones.  Cut straight down and do not twist when cutting because doing so will interfere with the rising.) Place on prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops of each scone with cream and sprinkle with sugar, if using.  Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. (It took at least 15 minutes in my oven.)