Dark Chocolate Espresso Scones

Today we had a brunch at work for all the administrative staff.  So. Much. Food.  I haven't baked anything in awhile so I decided to contribute some homemade scones for the occasion.  They seemed to go over quite well.  Hopefully there won't be any leftovers to take home.

Dark Chocolate Espresso Scones

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp coffee grounds
• 6 tbsp very cold unsalted butter
• 5 oz. dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

 1) Preheat the oven to 400.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and coffee grounds. I used pumpkin spice coffee so feel free to play around with flavors.

2) Cut the cold butter into slices and add to the dry ingredients.  Using a whisk or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour.  The chunks of butter shouldn't but much larger than pea size when you are done. 

3) Stir in the chocolate chips.  

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, half and half, and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry mixture.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry one. Stir until loosely combined.

5) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press together gently until it forms a ball.  Pat dough into a circle that is about 1 inch thick.  Using a biscuit cutter cut the dough out in circles.  Combine the scraps and press together again. Cut out more circles.  Keep doing this until you have used all the dough.   I got about 12 circles out of mine. 

6) Brush the tops of scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

7) Bake 17-20 min or until golden brown.  Let cool on a cooling wrack.