Chocolate and Cranberry Scones

I realize I’ve tagged this as “American cuisine” even though scones are a reputed British Thing. But after a bit of research I think I can certify these are American scones. (In short, Brits make them plainer and then add toppings.) No matter the nationality, these chocolate and cranberry scones are moist, buttery, soft, lightly sweet, and basically decadent.

How to make scones? The key is to work fast, trying to handle the dough as little as possible to keep the ingredients cold. To speed up the process, you can use a food processor to blend butter into your flour mixture. I also recommend cutting your cranberry scones into triangular wedges (because let’s face it, circular cookie cutters are more trouble than they’re worth). How to eat scones? They’re best eaten hot and fresh out of the oven (no toppings necessary!), but will keep for a few days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Now you have the knowledge. There’s a good chance you also have the ingredients, because there isn’t anything too crazy in this recipe (unless you don’t have cranberries, in which case you can just omit them!). At this point all you have to do is make the scones. And they are pretty incredible.

(But if scones are still a little intimidating, check out my Whole Wheat Crepes or Vegan Spiced Apple Muffins for other breakfast ideas!)

Chocolate and Cranberry Scones

Recipe by andaazaCourse: Sides, BreakfastCuisine: American

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour* (see notes)

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

• 3 tbsp dried cranberries

• 3 tbsp chocolate chips

• 1/3 cup heavy cream, cold (plus extra for brushing)

• 1 egg yolk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a blender, two forks, or your hands. I like to use my hands to rub the butter into the flour until the butter is about pea-size.
• Add cranberries and chocolate chips to flour mixture and mix to combine.
• In a small mixing bowl, add egg yolk and heavy cream and stir or whisk well. Add to flour mixture and combine loosely.
• Tip out the dough to a lightly floured surface, combining it with your hands and kneading a few times. When there are no cracks and everything is combined, pat the dough to an approximate circle 1 inch thick.
• Use a knife to cut the dough into 8 triangles, or use a circular cookie cutter. Transfer scones to baking tray and brush with heavy cream, then bake for 13-15 minutes on the top rack of the oven. They should be golden brown and an inserted toothpick should come out clean. Serve warm.

Notes

• You can make these with fully all-purpose flour for a flakier scone, but I don’t recommend using all whole wheat.
• When scooping out flour, be sure it isn’t packed into the measuring cup. You can try spooning flour into the cup and leveling it, or you can just scoop flour loosely and give the cup a shake to make sure the flour isn’t packed.