Triple Chocolate Scones

Thanksgiving is SO not about chocolate.

Chocolate cream pie? Maybe.

But chocolate cake? Chocolate chip cookies? Chocolate ice cream?

Try pecan pie, pumpkin bread, and ginger cookies. Cranberry cake. Apple crisp.

Chocolate, for one day in the year, takes a back seat to all its usually subsidiary flavors.

Notice I say, for ONE day of the year: Thanksgiving. And really, what's to prevent you from slipping a bit of fudgy goodness onto the menu really early in the day Thursday? Triple Chocolate Scones go wonderfully well with your morning cup of coffee.

Plus, they augment the coffee's caffeine as you're prepping the turkey at 5:30 a.m...

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

Blend the following in a mixing bowl:

2 cups (241g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2/3 cup (74g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup (28g) Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional for flavor and color
1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

You'll never notice the whole wheat flour in these scones; it disappears in the chocolate. However, feel free to substitute an equal amount of all-purpose flour for the whole wheat, if you like.

Cut 8 tablespoons (113g) cold butter into pats. With a pastry blender, pastry fork, a mixer or, most easily, your fingertips, work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.

Whisk together the following:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (198g) milk

Add to the flour/butter mixture, along with 1 1/2 cups (170g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips.

Want to add fruit to the mixture? Substitute 3/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries for 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

Stir until the mixture is evenly moist. If you're using milk rather than whey, you may need to add an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons, to make the dough come together.

Mix 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, and sprinkle it on your parchment-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet. You're using this sugar mixture in place of the usual flour, to keep the scones from sticking to the pan as you shape them.

Divide the dough in half, and place the two pieces onto the baking sheet. Pat them gently into two 6" circles, each about 3/4" thick.

Cut each circle into 6 wedge-shaped pieces with a bench knife or bowl scraper (or sharp knife or pizza wheel), pressing down firmly without sawing. You'll find it easier if you dip your cutter in flour after each cut.

Make sure you press it into the dough quickly, without twisting or sawing. This shears the dough cleanly rather than pressing it together, which allows the scones to rise higher.

Bake the scones for 18 to 23 minutes, until they lose their moist look, and a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean; or with just a smear of chocolate from a melting chip.

Remove the scones from the oven, and when they're cool enough to handle, transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze: Place the following in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan –

2/3 cup (113g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (57g) half & half or liquid coffee creamer

Heat in the microwave (or over low heat) until the cream is very hot. Remove from the heat, and stir until the chips melt, and the mixture is smooth.

Drizzle/spread the glaze over the cooled scones.

Do you prefer warm scones? Since these are iced, they're not a good candidate for reheating in the oven. However, you can reheat individual scones very briefly in the microwave; watch closely so their icing  doesn't melt and run.

Here comes the sun! Thanksgiving week is dawning – is your menu in place?

Hint: These scones are a good candidate for pre-prep. Make the dough, shape the scones, place on a baking sheet, and freeze. Store in the freezer until EARLY Thursday morning, when you can quickly pop the scones into the oven and bake, adding 2 or 3 minutes to the baking time. Once they're cool, quickly stir up the glaze, ice, and enjoy a mid-morning snack with the Macy's parade!

Read, bake, and review (please) our recipe for Triple Chocolate Scones.