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Melody's Almond Chocolate-Chip Scones

This recipe straddles the line between sweet American coffee-shop style scones and their biscuit-like British counterparts. Feel free to omit the chocolate chips or substitute your favorite mix-ins and extracts. This recipe works equally well with lemon extract and blueberries.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup half-and-half plus extra for brushing
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°. Combine 2 cups of the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers. Alternatively, you can place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the flour mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Add 1 cup of half-and-half and the almond extract; stir mixture until it forms a soft dough. Add in remaining flour a bit at a time until the dough holds together. It will be slightly sticky. Depending on ambient humidity and that of the ingredients, you may not use all the flour.
  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Bring together and pat into a disc about one inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges with a lightly oiled knife. If you prefer mini-scones, divide dough in half and form two separate discs; cut each disc into 8 wedges for a total of 16.
  • Arrange wedges on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops with the remaining half-and-half and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes for full-sized scones and 15 minutes for mini scones. Remove to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before eating.