When my five year old asked if I could teach her how to make a scone, I put together this recipe that isn't too sweet and easy enough, well....for a 5 year old. If you have ever tasted a chocolate chip scone in a bakery and wondered what recipe could swing them at home, this is it. Grating the butter with a cheese grater saves the labor of a pastry cutter. The buttermilk and the small amount of sugar make them perfect for a Sunday morning with coffee or tea.
grating the butter is effortless and does the trick
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
- 3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips--I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao
- Milk for glaze
Butter and flour baking sheet. Sift 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into large bowl. Add grated butter; rub in with fingertips until butter is reduced to size of rice grains. Mix in chocolate chips. Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; mix until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Press dough out on lightly floured surface to 8-inch round; cut round into 6 wedges. Transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat oven to 400°. Brush scones lightly with milk; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until scones are crusty on top. Serve warm.
