Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Scones

Just about every Mother’s Day I make my mom blueberry scones. And if I don’t she is up my butt about it so yeah I just do it. She is my mom after all. Anyways, I forgot blueberries the last time I went to the grocery store. Sooooo yeah. These are different scones. Earl grey chocolate chip scones.

I figured earl grey is a delicious tea so it would make for a delicious scone and chocolate chips because everyone liked them their chocolate. Is my mom going to like these? Probably not because I don’t think she likes tea but that is actually a moot point because this batch was already gobbled up by the mr and Barb. They loved them. But hey, I made scones so that counts t towards Mother’s Day right? (I know I know. I have to go back to the grocery store for the blueberries)

If you or the people you bake for like a good cup of earl grey, well these here sones are for you.

To the scones!

The stuff. Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, earl grey tea, plant butter, plant milk, vanilla extract, and orange, a little raw sugar, and chocolate chips.

To start dough first mix the flour together with the salt, baking powder, sugar, tea, and orange zest. Next grate the butter into the flour mixture and gently toss around until evenly incorporated. Then add in the milk and the juice if half the orange and gently mix until dough starts to come together and then finally, add in the chocolate chips and finish mixing. Don’t overly mix, the dough should look kind of shaggy.

Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball.

Squash dough into a round flat disk about an inch thick then cut into 8 equal pieces.

Place scones on a lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and then sprinkle with raw sugar.

Pop into the oven bake.

Baked and ready.. You should be too. Ready that is and baked if that is how you roll. Ha.

Place hot scones on a wire rack to cool a bit.

Now grab a plate, a hot cup of something, and enjoy.

-C

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Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Scones

makes 8 scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 earl grey tea bags (or 2 tablespoons loose leaf) finely ground in a spice mill of food processor

• 6 tablespoons vegan butter (very cold or frozen)

• 2/3 cup plant based milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• an orange

• 1/4 cup small chocolate chips

• 2 tablespoons raw sugar (can use graduated if you don’t have it)

Preheat oven to 375.

Grab a large bowl and add in the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, earl grey tea, and the zest of the orange. Mix together. Next grate the cold or frozen butter directly into bowl. Gently mix into the flour mixture with a fork until the pieces are covered in flour. Add in the milk, along with juice of half the orange. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add in chocolate chips and lightly mix again until they are evenly dispersed in dough.

Dump dough (it will be slightly shaggy) on a lightly floured surface. Gather into a ball and squash into a round flat disk about an inch thick. With knife or dough knife cut in 8 even slices (like a pie). Place each piece on a lined baking sheet and brush tops with a little milk and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Place into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or unit bottoms are browned and tops are alight golden brown. One baked, remove from oven and transfer to a wire rake to cool.

Eat warm or room temperature. Store left overs completely cooled in an air tight container for a few days.

Weekend Baking

What do you usually do the week before New Years? It’s a strange feeling week for sure, with the highs of the holidays over, feeling all the feelings, looking forward while also looking back. Hopefully though, you are getting some time to take some time and do you. And what better way to spend some time then in the kitchen!

Think about it, you can throw on your new footed pjs (I don’t have footed pj’s but I would wear them if I didi!), turn on some tunes, and dance around while making cookies. Or maybe you fancy up your hair, get dressed all nice, throw on an apron, and bake up some scones? (Again, I don’t fancy anything up, but you do you) Do whatever the heck you want. We have had a year and this weekend, just do what makes you happy. Just don’t get hair in the food!

Here’s a handful of some of the favorites from the site. Make it nice!

-A cake for breakfast is always gonna win. Cranberry Coffee Cake

-Apple Spice Donuts are baked so no crazy fryer needed!

-Pomegranate Orange Poppyseed Muffins Make them little and snack on them throughout the day!

-Sones are a favorite around here. These are prefect for the holiday season. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Gingerbread Scones

- Heart Shaped Soft Pretzels Or any shaped pretzels. Fun to make.

-The citrus is in full swing and it is good. Clementine Cake

-Cinnamon Star Bread Another favorite and is so so pretty!

-Bread. Never can go wrong with bread. Cinnamon Cardamom Swirl- Orange And Sweet Potato Bread

-Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies And these cookies are one of the most popular recipes from the blog. Cookie cookies. You people know what you like.

Have a great, happy, restful, and safe holiday!

-C

Blackberry Black Pepper Scones

10 years ago, or maybe even longer, the mr and I planted 2 little blackberry canes in the way way back yard of our first house. Nothing big and we were not expecting much, which was good because for the years we lived there after that, nothing really happened with them beside becoming bigger and more thorny.

And then we moved and I kind of forgot about them.

But the other day while the mr was over there (we still own the building and have a barn that the mr works out of) he told me to go check out the bushes. Holy shit, those suckers are humongous, viscous as all hell, and were dripping (literally) with big, fat, juicy blackberries. So many in fact that I could barely pick them off before they all started to just fall off. I filled up two big containers, after eating like 2 pounds at least, and could have gotten more but I had no where else to stick them. Plus I was covered in gashed from the thorns. So I left the rest for another day.

I asked what the mr wanted me to make with the berries (in between eating big handfuls of the berries) and he asked for scones. So scones it was. Easy enough but I felt that I needed to add a little something something to spice it up a bit and that is why I added the black pepper. And because I like pepper and berried together and figured everyone will too. And let me tell you, so far they do, like really really do.

I mean who wouldn’t like a sweet and spicy scone made with hand picked berries from berry bushes long ago planted with love that grew into monsters with thorns the size of knives that nearly killed me?

No one wouldn’t. Everyone wants a scone.

And don’t worry if you don’t have killer blackberry bushes in which to harvest berries from. You can buy them too. Just won’t be as special is all. HA.

To the scones.

The stuff. Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt are in the big bowl. Then there is coconut oil, almond milk, sugar, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. And course ground black pepper and blackberries that I froze. You need to use frozen berries or else you will have yourself a hot mess.

Easy peasy. Dump pepper and sugar into the bowl with the rest of the dy and mix well. Dump in the solid coconut oil and cut it in like you would butter, until it is crumbly. Add in the milk, vinegar, and vanilla and gently mix until most the dough starts to come together, then add in in frozen berries.

Dump the dough onto a lightly flour surface. Yes, the dough is barely sticking together but that is alright, just smash and pat it until it sticks and comes together. Once together, pat it down into a round disk about an inch thick. Just know, as you are working it, the berries are gonna start to break apart which is totally fine, but your hands will turn purple.

Flatten and cut. Just about scones now, but not quite.

Place scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops with a little milk then lighty sprinkle more sugar and black pepper on the tops and then pop them into a hot oven.

Bakes and lovely and cooling ever so slightly..

Grab a plate, something hot to drink, and more berries because you can never have to many berries.

And eat. Still warm and all sorts of good.

Blackberry black pepper scone. Now you have them and everyone will want them. But know, there is no shame in hiding what you don’t not want to share.

-C

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blackberry black Pepper Scones

makes 8-12 scones (depending how big you cut them)

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup white sugar plus a tablespoon more for dusting tops

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons course ground black pepper plus a little more for dusting tops

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup solid coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 hefty cup frozen blackberries

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 3/4 cup cold plant milk plus about a tablespoon more for brushing on top

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar, and pepper until well combined. Dump in the solid coconut oil and using a fork or pastry cutter, cut it into the dry until the mixture becomes crumbly. You do not want to fully incorporate the oil. Now dump in the cold milk, the vanilla, and the vinegar and gently mix until a dough starts to form. Dump in the blackberries and continue to gently mix until the dough just start to stick together.

Dump dough onto a lightly flour surface and gently squish, mush, and part the dough until it forms a ball. The berries will start to break apart and that is ok. Then flatten the dough into a disk that is about an inch thick. Take a knife of dough cutter and cut in half, then those halves into half, and then those halves in half. (8 pieces) You can even cut a few smaller if you want.

Place cut scones on a baking sheet and brush the tops with remaining milk then sprinkle tops with sugar and a little more pepper

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Eat, warm of room temperature. Just don’t wait too long.

Store left overs in airtight container at room temperature for 2 day, 3-5 in fridge, or freeze individual scones for months. Just pop them back into a hot oven for 10 or so minutes to reheat.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Gingerbread Scones

What is any good holiday season without some sort of gingerbread? Am I right, or am I right? I am right. The smell alone smacks a smile on my face. Spicy and sweet and all sorts of comforting. If smells could be objects, the smell of gingerbread would be a warm soft blanket that you can curl up next to a fire, with hot beverages and a good book. Yup, that is exactly what gingerbread smells like.

Gingerbread cookies were an option for all the gingerbread goodness but right now there is a heavy influx of people making cookies of the gingerbread variety so I figured I should do something a little different and honestly, a heck of a lot easier and faster. Plus scones are a way more expectable breakfast food then cookies (who am I kidding, cookies are a completely expectable for breakfast) and I was looking for a good breakfast treat to feed the mr this week because its his birthday week and I wanted a little something special for him for breakfast. I know, I am just so great.

Anyway, these scones fit the holiday gingerbread bill. I mixed them up, added the chocolate chips for a little extra something, then tossed them into the oven and bathed in the smell as they were baking. Pulled them from the oven, poured some coffee, and set out a delightful afternoon snack for the mr, right after he was finished laying on the freezing ground trying to fix the tire on the truck. I think he really appreciated the smell of a warm blanket. And he really enjoyed the scones too. All birthday week long.

So what are you doing this weekend? I think probably making scones. Yeah, do that.

Here we go.

The stuff. In the bowl there is flour, old fashion oats, baking soda and baking powder, and salt. Also need the spices of ginger, cinnamon, clove, and black pepper. Molasses, brown sugar, vegan butter, soy milk, and chocolate chips finish of the list.

In the bowl add in all the spices and the brownl sugar. Mix until completely combined and there are no brown sugar lumps. Drop in the cold butter and cut it in with a fork. You don’t want it blended, you want the butter in little bits.

You want it to look like this. Crumbly.

Toss in the chocolate chip.

Dump the molasses into the milk and mix until combined. Doing this helps minimize the amount of mixing you do which will help make sure your scones are not tuff. So don’t not do this.

Pour the molasses milk into the mixture

With a fork, lightly fold and mix batter until it just starts to come together.

Dump dough out onto a lightly flour surface and gather together with your hands.

Flatten into a big disk and cut into 8 equal wedges. Or as equal as you want to make them… you could even make a few more wedges if you want more. You do you.

Place the scones onto a baking sheet. Brush a little milk on each then sprinkle the tops with a little brown sugar and some oats.

Pop them into preheated oven and let bake.

Gold brown and ready for the world.

After letting them cool for a bit on a wire rack, stack onto a plate and feed them to your people. And yourself of course.

Chocolate chip oatmeal gingerbread scone and a cup of coffee. A perfection in all the ways.

Enjoy the weekend. It will be great, especially if you make some of these scones.

-C

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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Gingerbread Scones

Makes 8 scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup old fashion oats plus 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons more to sprinkle on top

• 2 tablespoons molasses

• 1/2 cup cold vegan butter

• 2/3 cup soy or your favorite plant milk

• 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder and soda, salt, all the spices, and the brown sugar. Make sure there are no big lumps of brown sugar in the mixture. Once dry mixture is all mixed up, cut in (do not blend in) the cold vegan butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Toss in the chocolate chips.

Grab your measure out milk and mix in the molasses until completely mixed together. Dump the mixture into the bowl of dry and lightly mix with a fork until a dough forms. Dump out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it all together with your hands .Flatten dough out into a circle about and inch thick them with a knife or dough scraper, cut into 8 even sized wedges. Place scones onto a baking sheet and lightly brush a little milk onto the tops.. Mix together the extra oats and brown sugar and sprinkle on the tops. Place into preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Once baked, remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Eat. Store left over scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Individual scones freeze well.