Chocolate Raspberry Scones

The first time I made chocolate raspberry scones, I was living in Tbilisi, Georgia.  It was summertime, so raspberries were in season, and old women would walk through my neighborhood in the morning calling “Malina, malina-a!” (“Raspberries, raspberries!”)

One morning, I heard a woman calling from a fenced-in basketball court, and on a whim, decided to buy some.  I opened the gate and walked across the cracked pavement to meet her.  I only wanted to buy a few handfuls of the berries, but it soon became clear that she would sell me her entire sandbox-style bucket or none at all.  Perhaps she was just tired of walking around; my Georgian was too limited to ask.  We haggled a bit, and she pulled out her pocket scale and hung the bucket on the scale to demonstrate that the berries (and the bucket) weighed-in at just over one kilogram.

In the end I caved and bought all of the berries, bucket included.  I gave her my Lari notes, she gave me the brimming bucket, and we went our separate ways, me wondering how I would ever possibly eat so many berries before they spoiled.  That evening, I made chocolate raspberry scones to bring to work, and in the morning, I ran into the same woman, and I gave her one.  I hope she liked it; I didn’t see her again.

Anyway, enough about raspberries in Tbilisi and more about these scones.  Scott needed a treat with berries for work.  I had scones on my mind after a conversation I had with a friend over the weekend, so I decided to make chocolate raspberry scones (and honey butter), since they always seem to hit the spot.  If you like scones that aren’t overly sweet, but are bursting with flavor, give this recipe a try.  I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Notes:
The cookbook I adapted these scones from recommended using a lower-protein brand of flour, so I switched from my normal King Arthur All-Purpose flour to Gold Medal All-Purpose flour for this recipe.  I used a bar of dark chocolate that I had chopped into irregular pieces, and when I mixed the dough, the raspberries became a bit crushed and released their juices.  It is possible, depending on the juiciness of the raspberries, that the dough could become too wet.  If you feel the dough is too wet/sloppy after the raspberries, egg, and heavy cream have been added, just stir in a bit more flour (2 tablespoons or so at a time) until it is of a more agreeable consistency.  Trust your baking instincts.  Using a cake pan is an easy way to shape the dough into a perfect circle.  I use coarse sugar to top these scones because I like how the sugar stays crunchy after baking.  If you don’t have coarse sugar, granulated sugar can be used instead.

Adapted from The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition

Ingredients:2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and cold
½ cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
Additional 1 tablespoon heavy cream and coarse sugar for topping

Yields 8 scones

Mix, Shape, Brush, Bake:
Gently rinse the raspberries, and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel to dry.  Place a rack at the middle level of the oven, and preheat to 425ºF.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, and set aside.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a food processor, and pulse several times to mix.  Add the cold, cubed butter, and pulse about 12 times until the butter is incorporated and the flour seems “sandy.”  Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl, add the chocolate and the raspberries, and toss lightly.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the egg and the heavy cream.  Use a fork to gently mix the dough until it begins to come together, using your hands to incorporate the last bits of flour, as necessary.  The raspberries will become crushed during this process.  Sprinkle some flour in the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan and on a flat surface (a counter top or cutting board).  Gently pat the dough into the cake pan, then flip the cake pan over so the dough circle is on the floured flat surface.  Brush the top of the dough circle generously with one tablespoon of heavy cream, and sprinkle generously with sugar (either coarse or granulated.)  Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the circle into 8 equal wedges.  Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 425ºF, until the scones are lightly browned.  Cool the scones on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to finish cooling.  Store in an airtight container. Pin It