These dark chocolate blood orange scones are packed with blood orange zest and dark chocolate chunks and are finished with a bright pink blood orange glaze.
I am late to jump aboard the blood orange train this year but I just had to get this recipe out there before the season ends and the wonderful ruby citrus disappears for another year! I don’t what it is which makes the blood orange so captivating – it’s incredible colour or it’s unique, raspberry-esque taste. Either way, I love it and I know I’m not alone in that!
There’s no shortage of blood orange recipes here on the blog. Some of my favourites include this blood orange sumac tabbouleh and these heavenly blood orange rhubarb muffins. You should definitely make those. But this year, it’s dark chocolate blood orange scones that have my heart. Let me say that again more slowly. Dark chocolate. Blood orange. Scones. Come on, you just know that’s a winning combination! It’s been ages since I’ve made scones and as I don’t yet have a scone recipe up here, it was just meant to be that these had to happen!
I have a really important question for you. Do you consider scones to be a breakfast food? I never quite know how to categorise them because here in the UK, traditionally, they’re eaten as part of ‘afternoon tea’, a kind of made up meal stuck sometime after lunch but before dinner. Not that anyone really ever does that anymore, except for a special occasion or something. But from what I see on the internets, in other parts of the world such as the US they seem to be considered breakfast fare. So, are they a snack? Are they breakfast? Why does this even matter to me so much? Regardless, they’re awesome. So you should make them and eat them. Whenever you like!
Anyway. Let me tell you more about these dark chocolate blood orange scones. I used a mixture of regular flour and wholemeal spelt flour, which adds nuttiness without making the scones too dense. They’re flavoured with blood orange zest, a touch of cinnamon and the all-important dark chocolate chunks (because I’ll admit, I’m always just searching for new vehicles with which to deliver chocolate to my face). And then, the pièce de résistance, the still-warm scones are drizzled with a blood orange glaze – not a traditional feature of scones here in the UK but one which I’ve enthusiastically implemented here to very delicious effect. I mean, the colour alone! And the flavour of the blood orange shines beautifully too, which is an obvious plus. So, these are easy – make them! Before the blood oranges are all gone! And if they already prove to be elusive where you are, make sure you pin the recipe for next year!
Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Scones
Ingredients
- 180 g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
- 120 g (1 cup) spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 25 g (2 tablespoons) soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 75 g (5 tablespoons) cold butter cubed
- 2 blood oranges zest finely grated
- 60 g (2 ounces) dark chocolate chopped into chunks
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 100 ml (6-7 tablespoons) milk
Glaze
- 125 g (1 cup) icing sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons blood orange juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180C. In a large bowl, mix together the plain flour, spelt flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
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Add the cold butter cubes and gently rub together until you are left with pea-sized pieces of butter.
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Stir in the blood orange zest and the chocolate chunks.
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Add the lightly beaten egg (reserve a drop for brushing the tops) and the milk and bring together gently using your hands to form a dough, adding more milk if needed. You don't want the dough to be dry but you don't want it to be super sticky either. Pat the dough into a round, 1" thick.
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Cut into 8 wedges. Brush with the reserved beaten egg.
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Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden brown. Leave to cool a little before drizzling with glaze and serving.
Glaze
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Mix together the icing sugar and blood orange juice to form a thick but drizzleable glaze.
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