ORANGE-CHOCOLATE SCONES

I was in my early twenties and had never eaten a proper scone. My initial encounters had all been tasteless affairs: coffee-chain-store scones that crumbled all over my lap when I bit into them and left me frantically guzzling down coffee as I tried to swallow the dry, sugary pieces. I took to eating muffins and banana bread and wrote off scones entirely.

All that changed one crisp fall day, when I was working the morning shift at the Blue Heron. We were in between rushes, and I was quickly trying to slurp down my iced vanilla latte before the next line of people marched in. Colleen pulled out a baking tray from the oven, and I’ll never forget that sight. Beautiful, creamy white triangles glittering with sugar and speckled with dark chocolate and orange zest made their way to the wire racks. The flaky, buttery layers called to me, and I decided I owed them another chance. One blessed bite later I was hooked for life. makes 8 scones

2¼ cups (320 g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup Crème Fraîche or sour cream

¼ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks; 170 g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch pieces

4 ounces (113 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Heavy cream for brushing

Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stack two baking sheets on top of each other and line the top sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, orange zest, and salt. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the crème fraîche, orange juice, vanilla, and egg.

Add the butter to the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the mixture until the flour-coated pieces are the size of peas. Add the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. Add the bittersweet chocolate, gently folding it into the dough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it comes together, 4 to 6 times, adding flour as necessary, as the dough will be sticky. Pat the dough gently into a square and roll it into a 12-inch square (again, using flour as necessary). Fold the dough in thirds, similar to a business letter. Fold the dough into thirds again, making a square. Transfer it to a floured sheet pan or plate and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Return the dough to the floured surface, roll it into a 12-inch square, and fold it business letter style. Place the dough seam side down and gently roll it into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut it crosswise into 4 equal rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 triangles (see here ). Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the tops with a little heavy cream, making sure it doesn’t drip down the sides and sprinkle the tops generously with sugar. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the tops and bottoms are light golden brown. Transfer the sheet pan to a wire rack and let the scones cool 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES: Putting another baking sheet nestled directly underneath the one the scones are on helps keep the bottoms of the scones from browning too quickly before they fully bake. If you like the bottoms extra crisp, you can just use one pan.