Chocolate Chunk Scones

I was talking to Nathan this morning and told him that I am starting to feel like a cat chasing a string. Every time it feels REALLY close to Nathan coming home, someone yanks that string a little farther away. Redeployment is one of the hardest parts of the entire deployment. I know it sounds funny, but believe me... it is TOUGH! We originally thought that Nathan would be home earlier in the month, then hoped for Mother's Day, and then hoped for at least the 15th. Well, it's now the 15th and we still have a few more days to wait. Don't get me wrong... I am beyond excited about his return. But the wait is killer! So... what do you do when you are on pins and needles waiting for the return of your husband? You make every excuse to eat sugar! HA HA HA!

Holly of Phe-MOM-enon posted these scones and I LOVED them. They are everything you want a scone to be. I especially loved the chocolate chunks in them. SO GOOD! It felt like I was eating a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast, but, hey, I think I deserve CCC's for breakfast! :)

I am posting the recipe as it was on Phe-MOM-enon, but I wanted to note that I didn't follow the directions exactly. I didn't have time to worry about rolling out the dough and folding it. After the dough was mixed I just patted it into a rectangle, sliced individual scones, and then baked. They turned out amazing!

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chunk Scones
Recipe from Phe-MOM-enon

2 cups sifted cake flour, spooned in and leveled
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled, plus 1/4 cup additional for kneading and rolling
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg1 large egg yolk (reserve white for egg wash)
1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water, for egg wash
1 tablespoon raw turbinado or sparkling sugar
1/2 cup good quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Have ready a large, ungreased baking sheet. For ease of cleanup, I lined mine with a piece of parchment.

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until the mixture forms pea-size bits. Gently add and mix the chocolate chunks into the flour/butter mixture, just to distribute them.

Whisk together the cream, egg, and yolk. Remove the paddle attachment and replace with the dough hook. With the machine off, add the cream/egg mixture to the flour mixture, then blend on low speed just until the dough starts to form a ball of big clumps - don't overmix.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with about 2 tablespoons of flour to start and turn the dough out onto the work surface, scraping out the bowl with a bowl scraper or rubber spatula. Lightly flour your hands and knead the dough five or six time til it comes together nicely then press it into a square about 8 inches big.

Move the dough aside and clean the work surface, then flour it again with about 2 tablespoons more flour. Using a well floured rolling pin, replace the dough in the center of your work surface and roll it into a 9x12-inch rectangle, with the 9 inch side parallel to the edge of the counter. Fold the dough like a business letter, folding one-third down from the top, then the bottom third up over the top, pressing the edges gently to align them the best you can. You should end up with three layers of dough. Press the top gently with your hands, then roll into a 17x4 inch strip.

Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, cut the rectangle into 12 pieces. When placing on the baking sheet, invert each scone and space them 2 inches apart. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake the scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Remove them from the oven and cool them on the sheet for about 5 minutes before serving them warm.