Cold Brew + Dark Chocolate Scones

(note: This is a guest post by Sarah Hauser who posts lots of yummy recipes and insights about faith and family over at sarahjhauser.com. ). 

Some days are just those days. The ones when you get a parking ticket even though a tree covered up the “No Parking” sign. The ones when your kid decides it’s a good day to skip his nap, or in the middle of Target your daughter has a blowout and you realize you have nothing even remotely useful on hand. They’re the days filled with faulty computers, cranky bosses, spilled milk, and potty training gone awry. They’re the days that, I think, require an extra dose of coffee and dark chocolate.

These scones are for those days. Bake a batch in between school pick-ups and running errands. Eat them fresh if you can steal away for long enough, or store in the freezer until you need them most. And when that day comes, warm up a scone (or two), slather it in butter, and enjoy alongside yet another cup of coffee.

The Recipe

Cold Brew + Dark Chocolate Scones
Yields 8 large scones
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus a little extra for sprinkling on the baking sheet)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold butter
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup cold brew coffee, plus 2-3 teaspoons for topping
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar (or other coarse sugar), optional

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and then sprinkle the parchment with a little bit of flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. “Cut” the cold butter into the flour. To do this, you can first cut the butter into small cubes, and then mix it into the flour with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Another option I like is to use a cheese grater. Grate the stick of butter into the flour, then mix with a fork until crumbly. (Here’s a helpful video showing two other methods.)

Gently stir the chopped dark chocolate in the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 cup of coffee, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated.

Scrape the dough out onto your prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into one large circle, about 9 inches in diameter and3/4 inches thick.

For the topping, brush the top of the dough with 2-3 teaspoons of cold brew coffee, and then sprinkle on the turbinado sugar. With a large knife, cut the dough into 8 slices. (It helps to run your knife under cold water after each cut). Gently pull each slice away from each other and spread them out on the baking sheet.

For best results, place the baking sheet of unbaked scones in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill. While they’re in the freezer, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly browned. Allow them to cool slightly before serving. I think scones taste best when they’re freshly baked. However, once they are cooled, you can also wrap them tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for 2-3 months.