Warm Chocolate Scones

With all this cold weather we've had in the UK recently I fancied a really nice wintery treat and found this great recipe in my Outsider Tart book. (If you haven't visited the Outsider Tart bakery in Chiswick yet, put it on your to do list! Everything in there is so yummy!)

Anyway back to the winter baking... I chose the chocolate scones as they're a bit different and were the only recipe that didn't remind me of summer. The last thing I wanted to think of was summertime when it was snowing outside! 

Ingredients

• 260g plain flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 70g granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 175g butter
• 100g chocolate chips
• 120ml double cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• egg wash (1 egg, splash of water, splash of milk)

First preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease and line your baking trays, you will probably need 2 but it will depend on what size scones you're making. Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into chunks and then add one at a time to the mixture, using an electric mixer to combine after each. Now stir in the chocolate chips and then make a space or well in the centre. 

In a jug, measure the cream, eggs and vanilla extract together and whisk with a fork until combined. Now pour this into the centre of the flour mixture and blend with a wooden spoon until it's all together in a dough.

Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on a clean work surface and put the dough in the middle. If you're dough is quite wet and sticky like mine was, roll it around in the flour so that it's easier to handle. Don't add too much flour to it though otherwise your scones will be very crumbly! Flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough until it's 2cm thick. You're now ready to cut out your scones... If you don't have a scone cutter, use a glass which is the size you'd like your scones to be. Cut your scones out and place on your prepared baking trays. Collect any left over dough, roll back out and cut more scones out. Keep doing this until you have no dough left.

Before baking, brush the egg wash over each of the scones. If you don't have a pastry brush, I found using a spoon to be just as effective! Bake for about 20 minutes. As they're chocolate scones, it is hard to see when they're done but check that they are hot all the way through. Don't expect the scones to be hard though, they harden as they cool! If you're not sure, put them back in for a few more minutes.

Let them cool for a few minutes but I'd recommend eating whilst they're still warm! I topped with warm berries and whipped cream, but I think chocolate or caramel sauce would be just as nice!

Enjoy...