Easter Scones - Chocolate, Orange and Spice
Chocolate and orange scone have long been a favourite of mine, so why not spice them up a little for the occasion?
This recipe is an easter inspired flavour combination. It’s also a good way to use up any leftover easter chocolate you may have after easter - but who am I kidding, you don’t have any of that right? So, you may as well make them now!
Ingredients:
400g flour
100g butter, pliable texture (you should be able to squash and bend the butter with a bit of resistance without it completely sticking to your fingers)
4 tsp baking powder
50g sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
Zest of 2 oranges
1 3/4 cups cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped chocolate
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Add the orange zest and mix well to combine.
Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the dry ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add in the chopped chocolate.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cream and milk until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the cream and milk mixture. Using a butter knife, gently scrape dry mixture through teh wet. Every few turns ‘jiggle’ the bowl a little to encourage the milk to disperse through the flour with as little actual mixing as possible. Repeat between scraping through with the knife, and jiggling the bowl. You are done when a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix as this will result in a firmer scone.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a square about 2-3 cm (1 inch) thick.
Cut the dough into desired shapes - I made 16 rectangles with this recipe but you could also cut traingles or circles if you prefer. Just bear in mind my cooking time was for 16 smaller sized scones, if you make them larger than this you will need to cook longer. Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between each one.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk or cream for a golden finish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones are risen and golden brown. Every oven is different, so be sure to check the doneness by the colour of the scone as well as when you give it a little prod there should be only a small amount of bounce, and the scone will hold it’s shape.
Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Enjoy your freshly baked scones with butter, jam, or your favorite toppings!