Milk Chocolate Chunk Scones with Strawberry Whipped Cream

happy 4th blogiversary to dng! let’s talk a bit about my blogging journey.

i didn’t start posting pictures regularly until 2 years in. i was in denial that pictures mattered in creating blog gold, and thought i could scrape by on my charming wit. hah. everything i post now has pictures, though my photography is still a work in progress. i attribute this slow learning curve (in addition to my haphazard social media “strategy” and tendency to use this blog as an outlet rather than a true side hustle) to why i haven’t fulfilled my romanticized vision of dropping out of college to be a full time food blogger.

and in my apathetic, why am i in college i don’t like studying i don’t even study i watch youtube all day but really i should go out when am i eating kbbq next can i go home next weekend why am i not in disneyland mode at the beginning of college (understatement: i did not like my freshman year of college), this bugged me. what was the point of all this time and energy and commitment put into something that had no roi, which would then indirectly lead me to being yet another stereotypical asian coder in the bay area?

eventually, my purpose for having a blog evolved. i typically don’t spend that much time looking back at my old posts, but i do find it therapeutic to use this blog as a journal for what i’m experiencing and thinking. and if you’ve read other bloggers’ reasonings as to why they blog, this rationale is common. it’s probably still the main reason i blog (rather than just cook/bake, because let’s be honest, i’d still be baking/cooking sans blog, though probably not in quite a frenzy like i do now).

but i’m most grateful for this blog because of the professional opportunities it has given me. i’m not exactly sure why i landed that very first internship almost two years ago, though i suspect it has something to do with dng. it’s easy to feel like a dime a dozen when you continually hear about how saturated the food blog world is, but having a blog (food or otherwise) still rings special and hints at your commitment and desire to self-learn. so, to my blog: thank you for forcing me to learn how to communicate in a rambling/semi-entertaining way, thank you for forcing my brain to stretch and function in ways it previously hadn’t. i appreciate you.

okay, milk chocolate chunk scones with strawberry whipped cream time. i think you deserve them now. i was going to post my annual blogiversary cake (okay, cupcakes). they’re great, if i do say so myself, but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to see them. i found out about international scone week (which was made up on a whim, aka perfect for me), and knew i had to share these scones instead.

you might try to overthink this. i can imagine it: oooh, what if i did half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate? don’t. just don’t. mother (stella parks) knows best. stick to the milk chocolate. otherwise, they won’t be sweet enough. regardless, the scones have crispy edges no matter how anemic they may look (though ofc you can bake them longer until they look gbd), with tender innards. the fluffy strawberry whipped cream uses a really cool technique that allows the finished whipped cream to be dense and ridiculously spoonable, with a nice hit of strawberry.

perfect for a blogiversary celebration, or a nice brunch. (or if you’re not in the mood for scones, what about cherry jasmine waffles, or chocolate babka french toast?).

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Milk Chocolate Chunk Scones with Strawberry Whipped Cream

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

These milk chocolate chunk scones with strawberry whipped cream are tender and buttery, fruity and silky.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 scones

Calories: 524 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2” cubes
• 1 cup roughly chopped milk chocolate
• 1/4 cup milk cold
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream cold
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Strawberry Whipped Cream

• 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold

Instructions

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork, your fingers or a pastry blender until a coarse meal forms. Add the chocolate and toss to combine, then stir in the dairy to form a soft dough.
2. Turn onto a lined baking sheet and pat into a 7” round. Cut into 6 wedges, sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar and spread out on the baking sheet.
3. Bake at 400F until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. They might look crumbly and pale, but don't worry, things will work out. If you like, serve with clotted cream and strawberry jam, or a spoonful of strawberry whipped cream.

4. For the strawberry whipped cream: in a food processor, grind the fruit and sugar until powdery and fine. If you notice some clumps that refuse to pulverize, strain or pick out those pieces. Add the cream and stir with a fork to ensure that there are no dry pockets, then pulse until thick and creamy like Greek yogurt, less than 2 minutes. The time will vary depending on your machine, so watch carefully to stop it before you make butter (though there are worse things than strawberry butter).

Recipe Notes

From Stella Parks via Serious Eats. You can make smaller scones, just be sure to decrease the baking time!