It's almost Valentine's Day, so what better way to celebrate than with these Valentine's Day Scones. They capture the essence of Valentine's Day since they're full of strawberries and chocolate, and not to mention shaped like hearts.
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes (plus chilling time)
SERVINGS: 8 scones
INGREDIENTS:
Scones:
2 + 1/4 cups (270 grams) all purpose /whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into half inch cubes)
1/2 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Raw sugar (optional for sprinkling on top)
Butter or milk/cream for brushing on top
METHOD:
Slice your butter cubes and place them into the fridge or freezer while you measure out the rest of your ingredients.
Combine 2 cups of flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Mix well. Then add in the cold butter cubes with the flour mixture and use your fingertips to break it down until chickpea-sized clumps start to form. The some chunks will be bigger than others and that is alright. It will add flakiness to the scone. You want to work quickly to make sure the butter does not melt too much.
Slowly add in the milk/cream and vanilla and mix with your hands until a sticky, scraggly dough starts to form. At this point, the dough is going to be very sticky. Flour your work surface and kneed in up to an additional 1/4 cup of flour. You do not want the dough to be completely dry to the touch. If the dough is still too sticky to handle, chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Using your hands, pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick square. Place the strawberries and chocolate chips onto the square and gently press the berries and chips into the dough. Fold one half of the dough over the other and pat it back into a square. Repeat until the berries and chocolate are evenly dispersed throughout the dough. Cut the dough thirds/fourths and stack the pieces. Pat the dough back down, but this time, in a circle with a diameter of about 8-9 inches.
Cut out 8 triangular slices (see notes on how to shape them as hearts) and preheat your oven to 425° F. Place the slices onto a parchment lined baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until your oven finishes preheating.
Remove from the freezer and brush milk/cream/butter all over the scones. Sprinkle some raw sugar on top. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown. Serve slightly warm with a drizzle of melted chocolate.
NOTES:
How to make heart shaped scones:
After you cut the dough into triangles, keep them flat and gently push the tip of the triangle upwards to the base (short flat side) to widen the triangle using your palms. Then using your fingers, create a divide at the base to mimic the divide at the top of a heart. You want to exaggerate the divide a little because when it bakes, the scone will slightly expand. Repeat for the rest of the scones and then follow the rest of the instructions.
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