My strategy for coming up with State Fair baking ideas was to pour over the list of options and pick categories that I think won’t be too overrun, and that I know how to bake for. Then I made a list of flavor combinations that I like. And now… it’s just about pairing those ideas together 0 for instance, Orange Chocolate Scones. But that’s easier said than done, and will now be leading to a lot of testing. Hopefully my family doesn’t get too bored with the testing – there’s going to be a lot of similar flavors and similar bakes.
I started out by buying a few oranges when I made these orange brownies, and I figured I’d try out a few orange chocolate recipes. The first were these orange chocolate scones. A very solid option for a scone! But… is it competition worthy? I’ll be trying out a few more versions of the scones.
I also made some orange chocolate shortbread (coming soon). But I think after this, I’ll have to do some scones and shortbread in different flavors, to compare. I’m realizing this will be a very zig-zagging process through my list of ideas, unless I land on immediate winners throughout the process.
It may take up my whole summer, but that’s okay! I’m going to, as the kids say, “lock in,” and try to come up with the best version of these recipes that I can! Which is tough when the flavor options are so wide open, and I don’t know who is eating them. But I’ll have to decide which one is the most universally appealing!
Since these were my first scone, I can’t really compare them to any other recipes yet. They were solid, but also didn’t feel like The Greatest Scone I’ve Ever Made. It’s hard to narrow that down though, so more work will be done!
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PinIngredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- zest of one orange
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, brown sugar, orange zest, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the chocolate chips and cornflake crunch, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream.
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
- Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.