Drop Scones with Mini Dark Chocolate Chips 

As you may already know, I love a good scone. And this simple drop scone recipe is by far the easiest I have ever made from scratch. Worth trying. 

2 cups of flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut up

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup dark mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 tablespoon suger

1. Heat over *425

2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

3. Mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder and salt

4. Cut in butter until fine crumbs, place in large bowl

 5. Add in mini chocolate chips

6. Beat buttermilk, almond extract and egg with a fork

7. Add milk, almond extract, and egg mixture to the remainder and mix until all moistened

8. Drop by 12 heaping spoonfuls, 2 inches apart onto line baking sheet

9. Sprinkle with remaining sugar

10. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until golden brown

11. Cool on wire rack 

Enjoy! 

Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

Some days call for something simple and sweet. So here you go, Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Scones. Love the flavor combination of the rich dark chocolate and the freshness of the orange zest. Now all you need is a hot cup of coffee. 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon orange bakery emulsion (extract)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest, you can add extra if you like

2/3 cup heavy cream or buttermilk

 sugar, for the tops of scones

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour and sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. Add butter, using a pastry cutter to cut in butter or you may want to use your fingers to be sure butter is evenly mixed into the flour mixture.
4. Stir in dark chocolate chips, zest and extract, then add heavy cream/buttermilk. Use spatula, gently stir dough until it holds together.

5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate all ingredients.  Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky. 

6. Gently pat the dough into a circle that is 3/4 inch thick. Cut circle into 6 wedges, transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. 

7. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 15-20 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and spring back when you push them. Do not over bake.

Enjoy!

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones


I'm a huge fan of scones and let's just say this one will not disappoint. Plus it's a Pioneer Woman recipe, hello! 

3 cups flour

⅔ cups sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoons salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

1 large Egg

¾ cups heavy cream (more if needed)

2 whole vanilla beans

Glaze:

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ cups whole milk

1 whole vanilla bean

dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

3. Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.

4. Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

5. Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

6. Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

7. Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

8. Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Glaze:

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

Strawberry Scones

I must say, there are few things I love more than lazy weekends at home with nothing to do but swim in the pool and relax on the couch with my family. On these rare occasions I love to indulge in home cooking, with fresh out of the oven baked goods. Scones are the perfect treat when one can't be bothered to cook a meal but still wants something more than a slice of toast.

There’s just something about a scone that can make my breakfast that much better. These light and slightly sweetened scones with fresh strawberries are sure to impress anyone. A dab of your favorite jam or Devonshire cream and you have the perfect scone! These lovely scones freeze well and can be prepared in advance and go straight from freezer to the oven. Could your weekend get any better?

Strawberry Scones

1 cup strawberries, or any fruit, cut into bite size pieces

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

2/3 cup heavy cream or buttermilk

sugar, for the tops of scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1 tablespoon sugar, set aside. Be sure to make the pieces small, or they tend to fall out of the dough if cut into larger pieces.

Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter to cut in butter or you may want to use your fingers to be sure butter is evenly mixed into flour mixture. Stir in fruit; then add heavy cream/buttermilk. Use spatula, gently stir dough until it holds together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to incorporate dry ingredients. Be gentle so you don't break up fruit and don't overwork the dough. Sprinkle dough with flour if it gets sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a circle that is 3/4 inch thick. If any of the fruit pokes out, push back into dough. Cut circle into 6 wedges, transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 15-20 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown and spring back when you push them. Do not over bake.

Enjoy!