Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones

Name: Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 Pieces
Ingredients: 1/2 C (1 stick or 113g) Unsalted Butter (refrigerated); 2 Blood Oranges; 1/2 C (105g) Heavy Cream; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1 3/4 C + 1 Tbs (260g) All Purpose Flour; 1/2 C (56g) Almond Flour; 2 Tbs Cornstarch; 1/3 C (50g) Light Brown Sugar; 1 tsp Baking Powder; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1/4 tsp Sea Salt; 1/3 C At least 70% Dark Chocolate (chopped into small chunks *see note); 1 Egg + 1 Tbs Water; 2 tsp Raw Sugar (such as Turbinado)

By Traci 40 Comments

Crunchy on the outside while tender on the inside. Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones are easy to make and a delight during citrus season. Make ahead and freeze for the ultimate convenience!

It’s been almost two years since a scone recipe has appeared on Vanilla And Bean! Unbelievable given how much I adore them. The first and only other scone recipe on the blog is Pumpkin Scones with Candied Ginger and Maple Glaze and they are dreamy. I make them as often as I can get away with.

Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones came to mind when I spied blood oranges for the first time this season. I initially started developing a blood orange almond tea cake, then got sidetracked to this recipe.

They are lightly sweetened with brown sugar but the addition of dark chocolate sweetens the scones a bit more, just enough to balance the bitter blood orange notes. I’ve included almond meal/flour for its nutty flavor and texture and to tenderize the scones.

You’ll notice corn starch (always organic) in the ingredient list. I add this ingredient quite a bit to my baked recipes simply because it does two things I love. It helps yield a crunchy crust and takes inside tenderness over the top!

Get ready for an overzealous (!!) number of photos in this post to share just how easy scones are to make with the simplest ingredients. I’m a little excited about these tasty treats… can you tell?!

Here we gooooooo…..

After gathering your ingredients, zest, peel and chop the citrus, retaining all the juices; we’ll mix that into the wet ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter to about pea to almond size. I like to use a pastry cutter for this job. Mix the wet ingredients together, then add them to the dry ingredients, including all the juices and zest from the citrus.

Take a deep inhale…… and melt over the scent of vanilla and citrus.

Next, gently mix with a spoon. The ingredients will feel dry.

Add the chopped chocolate and blood orange.

Take another deep breath.

Start folding and pressing the mixture together, just a few times. When you can take a fistful and squeeze and the dough holds together, it’s time to dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface.

Using a bench scraper really helps here. Take the dough and fold it over on to itself several times, patting and eventually shaping it into a 1″ (2.54cm) thick disk, using the bench scraper to gather bits and pieces. The dough will seem dry, but press on.

Use a large chef’s knife to cut the dough into 8 equal pieces using firm pressure in one downward motion (do not saw).

Gently transfer the scones to a parchment-lined sheet pan and chill while the oven is preheating. At this point, the scones can be frozen too! Imagine an easy weekend brunch or afternoon tea.

Before baking, egg-wash the scones and sprinkle the tops with raw sugar such as Turbinado. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve warm with clotted cream or orange marmalade. But they’ll stand on their own deliciously.

What’s your favorite scone flavor or recipe? Please drop a link below and share!

5 from 4 votes