Is it too early in the month of resolutions to suggest a little breakfast splurge?
Let me introduce Dark Chocolate Fudge Scones — a worthwhile breakfast indulgence. I’ve wanted to post a chocolate scone for years. I originally planned to publish this around February, the season of chocolate, and now the recipe is finally here.
I first baked chocolate scones a few years ago for a teacher appreciation breakfast. I made three flavors, one being chocolate. At the time, good chocolate scone recipes were scarce, so I used a bed-and-breakfast version. It pleased everyone, but it wasn’t the exact texture and richness I look for, so I put developing my own recipe on the back burner.
The scones above were brushed with cream before baking. That’s why they’re a little shiny with some lightness to the tops. It’s not a necessary step since we’re going to drench them with ganache later.
I prefer my scones rich and my biscuits light and fluffy. My scone dough is intentionally short, with a higher fat-to-flour ratio. Over time I worked to create a chocolate scone with the texture and chocolate intensity I enjoy, which required a couple of test batches.
My first trial was enjoyable but slightly off in texture. The family loved it — especially my husband — but I felt the scones needed slightly more moisture and a shorter bake. For the second batch I added two tablespoons of cream and removed them from the oven a couple of minutes earlier.
That adjustment made a big improvement: the second batch was more tender, a bit moister and less crumbly, and it had a touch more lift. My daughter agreed; my son simply asked for “one of each” so he could have two scones. My husband still preferred the slightly crumblier texture of the first batch, which shows how personal preference shapes what we call perfect.
Sweetness was intentionally restrained. I wanted these to taste like a chocolate scone, not a brownie or a cake masquerading as a scone. The dough uses 1/2 cup sugar — slightly more than my typical scones — but the dark chocolate ganache on top keeps the overall profile balanced and not overly sugary.
The ganache is a simple, dark chocolate fudge made with cream and a touch of corn syrup for gloss and smoothness. I prefer dark chocolate to keep it less sweet, but you can swap some or all dark chocolate for milk chocolate if you want a sweeter topping. If you skip the ganache, these are also delicious spread with Nutella.
The first bowl shows the mixture after adding the egg/cream; it may look dry. The second bowl shows the mixture after gently squeezing and folding the dough a few times by hand until it comes together. Don’t overmix.
Shape the dough into a square, keeping visible pieces of butter. Chill wrapped so the butter firms up and you get clean cuts.
These scones work well for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a less-sweet dessert. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the ganache; reheating briefly in the microwave softens them, though they’re also good cold. If you leave off the ganache, wrapped in foil they’ll keep at room temperature for a couple of days.
So, is it too early to splurge on Dark Chocolate Fudge Scones? Maybe not. After all, every day can be a good day for chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Fudge Scones
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons (1/2 cup or 1 stick) cold, unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- about 6 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the fudgy ganache topping:
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3 ounces heavy cream
- 6 ounces chopped dark chocolate
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Cut in cold butter until the mixture is crumbly and pieces of butter are about the size of peas.
- Whisk the egg in a measuring cup, add cream to reach 1/2 cup, then add 2 more tablespoons of cream. Add vanilla and mix.
- Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg/cream. Toss gently with a fork until the mixture begins to hold together. It will seem dry—resist adding more liquid.
- Use your hands to gently squeeze and fold the dough until it comes together. Flip and squeeze to incorporate dry bits. Don’t overwork; you want visible pieces of butter.
- Lay two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and shape the dough into a square about 3/4″ thick and roughly 6½–7″ across.
- Wrap the dough and refrigerate on a tray for about 30 minutes or until firm.
- Unwrap and cut into 8 triangles. Place scones a few inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Optionally brush tops with cream.
- Bake 12–15 minutes or until they puff and the tops crack; mine took 12 minutes. Avoid overbaking to prevent dryness.
- Let cool on the baking sheet a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
- Make the ganache: combine corn syrup and heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
- Top each cooled scone generously with ganache and sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top.
Notes
*Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the ganache. A quick ten-second zap in the microwave softens a chilled scone; some prefer them cold. If not topped with ganache, wrap in foil and store at room temperature for up to two days.
*Brush tops with cream before baking if you like a bit of shine; it’s optional since the ganache will cover them. If you skip the ganache, brushing with cream and sprinkling coarse sugar adds a nice finish.
*You can use regular unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa; a dark cocoa delivers the deepest flavor.
*These are intentionally not super sweet. To increase sweetness, add 1–2 tablespoons more sugar to the dough or make a sweeter topping by using some or all milk chocolate in place of dark.
*If you don’t want to make ganache, Nutella is a delicious alternative spread.
Ganache recipe adapted from Alton Brown. The Merchant Baker © 2017