Vacation Breakfast Day 5, Chocolate Chip and Orange Scones

Morning number five dawns. Actually dawn was hours ago. I slept in this morning. A lot. What was breakfast plans became brunch plans, but that's okay. This is vacation, right?

So this morning was yummy, decadent, indulgent Chocolate Chip Orange Scones. The recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker, another one of my favorite food blogs. Her recipe is called Orange and Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Scones found at http://joythebaker.com/2011/01/orange-and-dark-chocolate-buttermilk-scones/ .



Chocolate Chip and Orange Scones

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T sugar
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
Orange zest(I used the zest of one whole orange. This was too much. Next time maybe only half of an orange.)
6 T cold butter
1/4 cup milk
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I prefer them over dark chocolate.)


1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar and set them aside. This is a nifty trick for when a recipe calls for buttermilk and you don't have any. It makes sour milk, which will work the same.
2) Mix the first six ingredients together in a bowl. 

3) Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces. Then cut it into the dry ingredients until about the size of peas. I used a pastry cutter, but two forks or two knives will also work.


4) Beat the egg yolk into the milk mixture, then fold into the dry ingredients just enough so the liquid is incorporated. Don't over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips until equally distributed. Again, try to mix as little as possible.


5) Flour a flat surface, and turn out the dough onto the flour. It will be crumbly. It'll firm together as you knead. Knead the dough ten times, making sure all of the loose dough works in together.
6) Gently pat into a 1 inch thick circle.

7) Cut into four pieces and place in a greased baking pan. (For a nice finish, blush egg whites of extra milk on top and sprinkle with sugar. I have run out of milk and sugar, so this wasn't an option for me.)


8) Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until the scones are golden brown on top.

Serve with preserves. Add fruit and a soft boiled egg for a complete breakfast. So good!