These are light, tender and full of the flavor of the pears and chocolate.
I am not a big scone fan. Of course, most of the time, when I have had a scone, it has been on a platter, at a too-early breakfast meeting, as an alternative to doughnuts. Or, scones in coffee or tea shops, that seem weighted down with too much flour. I decided to take a chance on a recipe I found on the Smitten Kitchen website. I adapted the recipe and fell in love. Use the best butter, cream, and eggs you can find!
Chocolate & Roasted Pear Scones
- 3-4 firmish pears (about 255g)
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3g) sea salt plus additional for egg wash
- 6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (85g) Dancing Lion Chocolate’s Dark Chocolate for Baking
- 2 large fresh eggs
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated or coarse sugar for sprinkling
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel and core the pears, cut them into 1 inch chunks, place them on parchment and roast them about 20 minutes, until they feel dry to the touch and look a little browned underneath. Slide the parchment paper with pear chunks onto a cooling rack and cool to lukewarm. Leave oven on and line the baking sheet with another piece of parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the cooled pear, butter, heavy cream and one egg until the batter comes together, then stir in the chocolate.
- On a well-floured counter, pat out dough into one 6 inch round (large scones) or two smaller rounds (small scones). Cut the rounds into 6 wedges each and transfer to the baking sheet at least two inches apart. Leave the tops rough and craggy. Whisk the remaining egg in a small dish with a teaspoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle with a tablespoon of coarse or even vanilla sugar.
- Bake the scones until firm and golden, about 30 minutes for big scones and 15-20 minutes for small ones. Keep an eye on them and don’t let them brown too much. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, then serve.
Notes
I used one bosc, one comice, and two little forelle pears. But I would have used at least one seckel pear if I’d found it!
You can make these ahead of time and freeze the shaped scones. To serve, remove the from the freezer, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar while still frozen, and bake. They’ll take a little longer because they’re frozen.
Am I now a scone convert? Maybe not all scones, but these, made with Dancing Lion Chocolate’s Dark Chocolate for Baking.
Regards,
Sherry