Mar 12

Mar 12 SCOOKIES: When Scone Meets Cookie

Is this my favorite recipe I’ve developed to date? Could I eat these every day, from dawn till dusk? More revealing: have I eaten these every day since I developed the recipe? The answer is yes.

Although like a parent, a baker shouldn’t have favorites (and if you’re reading this Cate and Oliver, I love you both equally, I swear), I find these irresistible.

I recently asked my Twitter followers whether I should make cookies or scones. A few of the wisest answered ‘why not both?’ So I went one extra step and attempted to make a cookie-like scone, although perhaps it’s a scone-like cookie. Either way, Dr. Kavita Patel branded them “scookies,” and so they shall be forever more.

With a cookie-like crusty-crunch on the outside and the tender insides of a scone, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Below the recipe I’ve suggested some alternative combos if chocolate-orange isn’t your thing.

Note: The whole wheat flour adds nuttiness, nutrition and enhances the texture.

SCOOKIES!

What You Need:

1 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons to be used later.

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Zest of one orange (optional)

1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) butter, cold and cut into 10 pieces

2 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate chips (I used 1 cup)

Demerara or granulated sugar for sprinkling

What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed, blend together the flours, sugars, baking powder, salt and zest.
Add the butter pieces and mix first on low, then raise the speed to medium and mix until the mixture starts to look like slightly damp sand. There will be a variety of sizes of butter chunks—some pea-sized, some smaller; some dime-sized chips of butter, some butter will be invisible. Scrape around the bowl and mix for another 20 seconds or so to make sure the butter is evenly distributed, and there isn’t a smashed reserve of butter at the bottom of the bowl.
In a small bowl (I use a Pyrex measuring cup), whisk together the cream, vanilla and eggs.
In another small bowl, toss the chocolate chips in the reserved 2 tablespoons of flour
On low speed, while the motor is running, drizzle the cream mixture over the dry mixture. When the mixture first comes together (it will still look very wet), stop the motor, scrape down the sides and add the chocolate chips. Turn the mixer back on low and blend for 10-15 seconds until the chocolate chips are incorporated. Even though there may still be patches of flour, detach the bowl from the mixer and gently gather the dough together with your hand.
Turn the dough out onto a very well-floured pastry board. The dough is wet and you will be sad if you don’t sprinkle enough flour down. Gently (there’s that word again!), pat the dough down evenly, until it’s 1/2-inch thick. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter (mine was fluted, cuz I’m fancy) dipped in flour to cut out the scookies. Brush any excess dough off the bottom and place on the baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat until all the dough is used. Gather the scraps gently, reshape and pat down into a 1/2-inch thick shape. Continue to cut out scones until all the dough is used. Sprinkle with granulated or demerara sugar if desire.
I usually find I have some oddball scraps at the end, which I bunch together into a mutant shape. It’s the one I pop into my mouth first, as soon as it’s cooled. It’s our little secret.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the scookies are a delectable and appealing light brown color.
Cool on a baking rack. Involuntarily eat more than you think a grown-up who supposedly has self-control should.

NOTE: These lovelinesses are very adaptable.

You can easily switch out chocolate chips and orange zest for whatever strikes your fancy. Consider: