Here’s a fantastic excuse to eat a brownie for breakfast! Just put it in a breakfast-y package, like these rich and tender scones. Note that the scones are very dark and brown, so if you have a dark-surfaced sheet pan (which tends to cook the bottom of baked goods more), you may need to stack 2 pans together to create a layer of insulation—this will prevent the scones from burning on the bottom before they cook through.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces
- ¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups sour cream
- ¼ cup coarse sugar, such as turbinado or demerara
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Jam, for serving (optional)
How to Make It
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor and pulse to incorporate.
- Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter starts to become incorporated but isn’t too fine, about four (1-second) pulses. Add the chocolate chips and continue to pulse until you don’t see any butter pieces larger than a small pea, about four more (1-second) pulses. Add the sour cream and pulse until a tacky dough forms, four or five (1-second) pulses.
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the coarse sugar on your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Turn the dough over so both sides are sugared, then gently press the dough into a flat rectangle, roughly 5 inches wide, 10 inches long, and ¾ inch thick. With a knife, cut the dough in half horizontally and then vertically 4 times to yield 8 equal-size pieces. Arrange the scones on the prepared pan about 1 inch apart and place them in the freezer for 45 minutes.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the scones with the meled butter and bake until they are firm to the touch, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature (I like them with a dollop of jam on top). The scones will keep in an airtight container for 1 day.
