Happy Tuesday friends!
I am gonna let you in on a little secret about myself…this whole endless sunshine and extreme warmth is wearing out its welcome. I need rain. Much like my grass. I need a few days of overcast skies and big fat raindrops. Not a thunderstorm. Just rain. No blue sky. No yellow sunshine. Just gray clouds and cool rain. Oh and that smell after the rain…Seriously, I need that! Gloomy, right? I can’t explain my love/need for this particular weather pattern…but as much as sunshine and heat make you happy, rain and clouds make me happy.
Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I ‘need’ to live in the cloudy and rainy and mild pacific northwest. Call me crazy. Call me nuts. Call me a whack-a-do. Or if you are my mother, you will actually be calling to tell me ‘no’. But a girl can dream, right?
And by pacific northwest, I am channeling Seattle. And by channeling, I am talking about a mild obsession.
I am more obsessed with Seattle’s weather than the actual city itself…seeing how the closest I have ever gotten to the city is by watching Real World: Seattle and Grey’s Anatomy. Not joking. Maybe I should visit first. And by maybe, I mean I am currently planning a trip…I am thinking fall and I am totally going solo. Randomly walking around a city by myself seems luxurious and simple and exciting. So, does anyone have any must do’s or see’s or eat’s for the city of Seattle? And yes, I know I will need a raincoat…polka-dotted.
And rain boots. I have always wanted rain boots.
When I am dying for some rain and I am rain danced out…I bake. Normally something I would prefer to pick at while sipping a hot cup of coffee. A hot cup of coffee that is warming my hands and soothing my soul while I read a good book or read the morning paper (if I got the paper, that is – cnn.com counts, right?). A sweet treat to balance the slight bitterness of the coffee. A sweet treat to sooth my ever hungry sweet tooth.
Chocolate chocolate chip scones did just the trick last week…when the 3rd straight day over 95 had worn me thin. Had me hoping and wishing and praying for a mere sprinkle to be released from the cloudless blue sky. I popped these scones in the oven, brewed a large pot of coffee, turned the a/c on high, and curled up in my favorite chair with a good book and pretended that the sun was not shining. Because in my world. It was raining.
| Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones |
- 1 + 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Dark Cocoa (Hershey’s Special Dark)
- 2+3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 6 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter
- 1/3 Cup White Granulate Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Espresso Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Water
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Cut cold butter into small cubes and add to dry ingredients. With a pastry blender or with your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of peas. ( hint: I never seem to be able to do this quite quick enough – butter always starts to melt! I have found that grating the butter on a cheese grater and then placing butter in the freezer until needed works best!) Whisk in sugar.
- In a seperate mixing bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon of hot water and espresso powder. Once the powder is dissolved, add the cream, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the flour/butter mixture and add the chocolate chips. With a fork, begin to mix until the dough begins to come together. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently and quickly knead dough until it forms into a ball. Roll dough out into a circle that is about 1 inch thick (or about 7 inches in diameter) and cut into 8 wedges.
- Place wedges onto prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool before enjoying.
- Store in an airtight container, will keep for several days.
Fork Vs Spoon 