Cinnamon Choc-Chip Scones

Scones are delicious but these Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones are just tooooooo delicious to describe. They're like a mix between a scone and a cookie — light, crunchy with a chewy centre, sweet and buttery, these scones are NOT to be eaten with butter, jam or clotted cream. 

No, these beauties have to be enjoyed on their own with a steaming cup of tea (spiced tea would be the perfect companion) or coffee. 

The recipe for these Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones are adapted from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  A big thank you to her for my wonderful Sunday tea time treat. The Pioneer Woman's recipe has no chocolate chips. She uses cinnamon chips which, hard as I looked, are not available in any of the three grocers I visited. Since I had a half-used bag of chocolate chips at home, I went with them. Chocolate and cinnamon do go together well, after all.

They may be hybrid scones but all the rules of a traditional scone apply here: sift the flour to incorporate more air (hence a lighter texture) and don't overwork the dough. Keep your rolling pins away; just shape the wettish dough with your bare (slightly floured) hands. 

That's it. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Scones

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted

5 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

226g butter, cold and cubed

33/4 cups heavy cream

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2-3/4 cup Chocolate Chips

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

11/2 tsp heavy cream

Sift the flour (yes, the already sifted flour), baking powder, cinnamon and salt together and mix in the sugar. Add the cubed butter and using a knife or a pastry cutter (or your mixer/food processor) and mix them together till you get what appears to be coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg, vanilla, choc chips and the cream and mix until a dough forms. Don't worry, it is supposed to be a little wet.

Transfer the dough onto your lightly floured work surface and gently pat it into a rectangle, about 1cm thick.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

It's time to make the topping: just combine the cinnamon and the sugar and the cream together.

Rub the topping all over the surface of the dough.

Using a lightly floured knife, cut the dough into squares, rectangles or triangles — the shape is up to you.

Transfer the shapes onto a lines baking sheet and bake for 18-20 mins.