Orange Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe

At the office where I work, there's a little coffee cart that sells the most amazing baked goods. From chocolate croissants and espresso muffins to cheddar biscuits and sun-dried tomato pastries, every morning there is a different treat waiting to be eaten. However, if they have scones available one morning, I immediately make a beeline for them. I love their scones so much that I decided to learn to bake my own version.

I've tried a few flavor combos over the past couple months, but this is one of my favorites. The tang of the orange complements the chocolate perfectly. This recipe is very forgiving, though, so if you want to try other flavor combinations then go for it!

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

This recipe will make about 12 scones

Ingredients

• 3 cups (360 grams) flour (all-purpose or whole wheat, or a mixture)

• ½ cup (100 grams) sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• 5 tsp (20 grams) baking powder

• ¾ cup butter (170 grams) (1 ½ sticks), cold

• 2 tsp orange zest

• ¾ cup chocolate chips

• 1 egg

• ½ cup milk

• ½ cup orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400* F.

2. Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder to a large bowl.

3. Slice the butter into 1 tablespoon chunks and add it to the bowl.

4. Using a fork, a potato masher, or your hands, break apart the butter and mix it into the flour mixture. Keep pressing the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and very few large pieces remain.

5. Mix in the orange zest and the chocolate chips.

6. In a small bowl, beat the egg and mix in the milk and orange juice.

7. Add ¾ of the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir. Try to incorporate all the flour mixture as much as possible.

8. Use your hands to bring all the mixture together into a ball. If necessary, add a little more of the milk mixture to get all the flour incorporated. Use only just enough liquid – it’s okay if you have extra at the end.

9. Knead the ball of dough a little on a floured surface until everything is well mixed and the dough holds together.

10. Split the dough in half (or quarters). Working one section at a time on a floured countertop, roll into a ball and then flatten into a disc, about an inch thick. Flip the dough over once or twice onto a freshly floured surface for even flattening.

11. Cut the disc apart into 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet, ½ - 1 inch apart. (No need to grease the baking sheet – there’s enough flour on the outside of the dough that it shouldn’t stick.) Repeat steps 10 and 11 with the remaining sections of dough.

12. Bake for 15 minutes in a 400* F oven. If you have two baking sheets, rotate halfway through baking. Cool for a few minutes before eating.

*Note: the unbaked scone wedges can be frozen! Put them on a baking sheet and pop them in a freezer for a few hours, then transfer them to a freezer bag or another container. You’ll bake them from frozen; just add 5 minutes to the bake time.