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One thing I love about Christmas in the UK is how much chocolate is involved. They don’t seem to do a ton of Christmas baking here. There are no giant cookie platters, no homemade fudge, peanut butter buckeyes or other candy. But a very common gift, particularly for co-workers or distant relations, is a giant tub of chocolates. By the time all the gifts are opened on Christmas day, there might be multiple boxes of chocolates to get through. There’s nothing bad about that.
Possibly one of the most coveted types of chocolate I always wished would show up in my stocking as a child was a chocolate orange. There was just something about cracking apart those chocolate segments that felt so magical and tasted even better. Now that I’m grown, I can just buy my own chocolate oranges any time of year, and it’s become a great way to pass the time on a long train journey.
In case you didn’t get a chocolate orange this Christmas, I’ve made you Chocolate Orange Scones. Maybe you still have house guests hanging around or children who are still off school, and this is a beautifully simple and delicious quick breakfast or afternoon nibble with a cup of tea. It’s got classic Christmas flavors with orange zest and plenty of chocolate chips.
I have the worst time making biscuits and scones. I struggle with how wet the dough should be and always end up with a sticky mess. This dough came together beautifully, and I cannot encourage you enough to not skip putting the butter and dry ingredients in the freezer. This can probably be explained by science, but t me, it’s just magic. Whatever. It works.
The days after Christmas might be a bit of a let down, but these Chocolate Orange Scones will make everyone happy in the morning.
Chocolate & Orange Scones
8 Scones
20 minutes
16 Minutes
Easy
PrintIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2-1/2 ounces cold unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 cups single cream
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 100 grams dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F (200C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk gently to combine.
- Use the large hole side of your grater to grate the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to to gently stir the butter and flour together to disperse evenly.
- Put the whole bowl of dry ingredients and butter into the freezer for 10 minutes.
- While your butter and flour is chilling, measure out your single cream, and then zest your orange over the cream.
- Once your mixing bowl is out of the freezer, add your cream and orange zest mixture and the chocolate chips to the bowl, and use your rubber spatula to stir it all together. Try not to overmix. It should be very thick.
- Turn your dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead it a few times to bring everything together. Pat it out into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Use a bench scraper or a knife to divide rectangle into four smaller rectangles, then cut each rectangle in half diagonally to form 8 triangles.
- Transfer your scones to your waiting baking sheet and bake for about 16 minutes or until they just start to turn golden. They will be crusty on the outside but still tender in the middle.
- Allow them to cool for about five minutes before serving warm. If you’re feeling fancy, you can melt some chocolate, add it to a piping bag, and add some chocolate drizzles on the top first.
Adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking
