Tuesday 9 April 2013

We Should Cocoa: Thyme, Honey & Cocoa Bean Scones

This month's We Should Cocoa challenge is hosted by Choclette who has picked honey. Last month's all singing, all dancing fame round up can be found here. Don't forget to check out Choclette and Chele's blogs.

Kneading bread is a type of therapy. You also get a killer arm work out that you can get no place else than the shouty personal trainer at the gym. But what happens when you just need something carb filled and warm as soon as you possibly can? Fresh from the oven? Instant house perfume?

Or what if you put the pole back up in your spare room and your arms are aching like a bitch and you can't face kneading bread?

These scones. You can get the whole lot turned around and out in less than 40minutes.

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients
250gr self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
Small pinch of salt and ground black pepper
2tsps crushed roasted cocoa beans
2tsps fresh chopped thyme
1/2 tsp mustard powder
50gr cold butter
150ml milk
2tsp clear honey

Method
1, Preheat your oven to 180o/c and line a deep pie dish with scrunched up grease proof paper.
2, In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and mustard powder.
3, Rub in the butter with your fingertips until its no longer lumpy.
4, Stir through the crushed cocoa beans (see N.B) and thyme.

5, Stir in the milk and honey slowly until it forms a smooth ball. Shape into a round flat disc about six inches in diameter, place in the pie dish and mark into eight segments.
6, Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, risen and fluffy in the middle. Serve warm.

N.B
The cocoa beans have a rough skin on them which needs to be removed before crushing. Just rub them gently between your palms and pick out the bean.

They have a crunchy kind of texture which means you don't need to worry about your teeth. They have a rich, nutty flavour - the packet recommends using them in granola or crushed as a meat rub.

I bought them from the Covent Garden Hotel Chocolat branch.

9 comments:

  1. O love kneading too and have been getting plenty of practice with my bread making classes this week. Having said that it is also nice to gently throw together some scones and yours must be amazing. I need to get me some cocoa beans......brilliant idea using them here!

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    1. Thank you Laura, Hope your bread classes are going well!

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  2. Like Laura I need them beans! There is a branch in Kingston so I'll investigate next week! Your recipe sounds scrumptious and I love the photos, definately featuring at teatime soon :-)

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    1. Thank you Jude, hope you track down some of those beans!

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  3. I do like a scone cooked as a round, takes me back to my mother's scone baking when I was young. The flavours you've used sound fantastic and strangely similar to those I was planning for my We Should Cocoa - not in scone form though. Great photos and write up as always. And thank you for your always interesting recipes for We Should Cocoa.

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    1. Thank you Choclette. I much prefer the wedge shape - mainly because I'm lazy and will avoid rerolling anything pastry/scone based!

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  4. Another amazing, creative recipe with great flavours! Love it! I've always wanted to try real cocoa beans and now I have the perfect excuse...

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    1. Thank you Katharine, the cocoa beans are really delicious!

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  5. What an interesting way to use cocoa beans! I don't think I've ever seen them sold whole like that here in my part of the USA. We can get cocoa nibs though, so I'll have to try this. Nice to get a little chocolate into breakfast without too much sweet!

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