Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • Heavy cream for brushing
  • Orange-scented creme fraiche for serving (this could also be used in place of the sour cream listed above)

Directions

  1. Make the creme fraiche ahead of time, adding ~1 teaspoon orange zest to the mixture before setting it aside at room temp.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, and salt.
  3. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter to make a crumbly mixture. Alternatively you could pulse together in a food processor.
  4. Mix together the orange juice, sour cream (or creme fraiche), egg, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until everything is evenly moistened.
  5. Liberally flour the counter and your hands. Pat the dough into a 10″ x 2″ rectangle. For larger, flatter scones, pat into a 15″ x 3″ rectangle.
  6. Cut the rectangle into 5 squares; then cut each square in half diagonally, to make a total of 10 triangular scones.
  7. Preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1″ between them, and brush the scones with heavy cream.
  9. Put the scones in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
  10. Bake the scones for 20 to 23 minutes, until they’re nicely browned. Remove them from the oven, and serve warm or at room temperature with creme fraiche (or orange curd) on the side.
Tags: