There’s this great little cafe in Ottawa called the Tea Party (named after the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland). My mom used to take me there when I was really little and I’d always get the same thing: a giant scone that came with a little pots of jam and whipped cream. I recently returned to the cafe as an adult and it’s such a different experience than when I was a child (the scones are not as giant as I remember them…), but still delicious.
I always think of the Tea Party when I bake scones. I made these ones, orange with dark chocolate, a couple weeks ago to take on a visit to a friend in Toronto. They’re filling and tangy and just the right amount of sweet for breakfast or a snack with your tea.
Orange-Chocolate Scones
Source: Joy the Baker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk (I just mixed a couple tablespoons of lemon juice with regular milk)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I chopped up a bar of dark baking chocolate)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter (I used my fingers) until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Combine the egg and buttermilk in another bowl. Add to flour/butter mixture and combine until dough is soft. Fold in the chocolate.
- Put the dough on a floured surface and knead about 15 times. Roll or pat it down into whatever shape you want (I made a rectangle), about 1 inch thick. Cut it into 4 big pieces or 8 little pieces (I recommend the latter). Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown.
- Serve and enjoy! We ate them plain but I think they’d be delicious with the right jam. Marmalade even, if you’re into that sort of thing.
