Sunday Morning Scones

My Sunday mornings are usually relaxed and schedule-free. Sunday afternoons are spent catching up with family, running errands, and planning the week to come. But Sunday mornings are for lounging and just enjoying the indulgence of no obligations. This morning as the clouds dispersed and sunlight found its way through my kitchen window, I was savoring a mug of Keemun Hao Ya tea (with milk and sugar, thank you very much)  and a fresh batch of Blood Orange Scones with Milk Chocolate Chunks.Blood orange scones with milk chocolate chunks

Recently I’ve been thinking about the bonbons I’d be making for the Spring Collection, if Gateau et Ganache were still a going concern: La Margarita with lime and Tres Agaves Blanco tequila, Le Citron with white chocolate and organic Meyer lemon, and L’Orange Sanguine with a rich milk chocolate and blood orange. The latter was my inspiration for this morning’s scones. A bit decadent, perhaps, but just perfect for a peaceful, sunny Sunday morning.

Blood Orange Scones with Milk Chocolate Chunks
(Adapted from epicurious.com)
You’ll need a medium-sized baking sheet (about 12″ x 16″), parchment paper, a chef’s knife or bench knife, and pastry brush.Blood Orange Scone with Milk Chocolate Chunks

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons blood orange zest (from 2-3 large blood oranges)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 – 1/2″ pieces
1/2 cup (heaping) chunks or pieces of dark milk chocolate, 40-53% cacao (break or chop the chocolate into approximately 1/4″ pieces)

1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
1 large egg

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon raw (demerara) sugar

How To:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, juice, and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, zest, and baking powder. Rather than using a whisk or fork, I swirl my fingers through the dry ingredients to combine and to be sure that zest is evenly distributed and not hanging out in one big clump. Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients, and using your fingertips, rub the pieces into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the chocolate chunks.

Add the sour cream-juice-egg mixture to the dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula to combine. The dough will be wet and sticky as it comes together.

Flour your hands, turn the dough out onto a floured workspace, and shape the dough  into a ball, kneading lightly. Knead just enough to be sure that all dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together. Flatten the ball into an 8″ disk on the floured board or workspace. Using a chef’s knife or bench knife, cut the disk into 8 wedges.Scones on the baking sheet

Transfer the wedges of dough from your workspace to the prepared baking sheet. Brush each wedge with melted butter, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Scone dough wedges ready to bake

Bake about 12 minutes, until the scones are just golden brown on top.

Allow the scones to cool before serving. While these scones are best eaten fresh, you can store them in an airtight container for up to three days.

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