A few years ago, I thought I was fearless in the kitchen. I said I was.
. . . That was a lie.
I had my fears both in and out of the kitchen. Fears of:
- Yeast Doughs
- Spiders
- Chaos
- Undercooked Meat
Monsters Under The Bed- Using Too Much Butter
- Eating Too Much Butter
- Failure.
Lots and lots of fear.
In retrospect, some of those fears were pretty irrational. (Though I do maintain that my fear of spiders is completely justified.)
But something as trivial as too much butter? For a baker?
That’s just shameful.
I now realize that I have more “real” fears to conquer.
With a few months left before leaving for college, I am beyond excited to venture into the world and explore the new place that I’ll call home.
But I am also beyond terrified.
Tell me that’s normal?
I’m sure I don’t need to explain my fear, the “what ifs.” I feel like it’s an innate emotion.
And this fear shouldn’t be different from any of my others. As with my kitchen fears, I can I will conquer it.
The proof is in these loaded-with-butter chocolate chunk scones.
These scones are a wonderful breakfast treat plain, smeared with butter (yes, more butter!), or loaded up with Nutella. They’re slightly nutty from the whole wheat, which also adds a nice heartiness. The oozing dark chocolate gives these scones the perfect amount of sweetness. And, of course, the layers of butter in the dough make the pastry tender and flaky. A sprinkling of raw sugar on top, a crunchy and faintly sweet addition, is the ideal finishing touch.
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Scones
Adapted from M.S. Milliken and S. Feniger, via Food Network
- ¾ C. All Purpose Flour
- ¾ C. Whole Wheat Flour
- ¼ C. Granulated Sugar
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1 ¼ tsp. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Baking Soda
- 6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, cubed and chilled
- ½ C. Buttermilk
- 2 ox. Semi-Sweet Chocolate (such as Hershey’s Special Dark), chopped to desired size
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Raw Sugar, for garnish
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine both flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix just until combined. Mix in chocolate pieces. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
Transfer dough to a floured board (you may need to first knead the dough a few times to get it to come together) and roll to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut round into 8 wedges and place slightly separated on baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with raw sugar and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm.
Yields 8 Scones
