Roasted Pear and Dark Chocolate Scones

I like my freezer to feel like back-up artillery. As a host, I like knowing that I have a reserve of weaponry to assist in the case of last-minute morning guests and unexpected company that shows up as I’m walking in the house from work. It’s also necessary to have a stock of secret treats that I hide from my husband. A well-stocked freezer has your back in all those aspects. Scones are a must-have, perfect combination of treat and breakfast. Most recipes are not overly time consuming, are easily frozen and make you look like some sort of hostess rock-star. The perfect recipe to make on a lazy Sunday and keep in the freezer, ready to be baked.

I have been making this recipe for several years now. My usual scone is rather plain, and used as a vessel for clotted cream or jam. But these scones come together quicker and satisfy my greatest dessert carving. They are the perfect scone to have in the freezer.

Make sure to roast the pears until they are quite dry, to avoid having too much moisture in the end result. Also be careful not to overwork the dough.

I have substituted apples for the pears with great results.

Roasted Pear and Dark Chocolate Scones

Tweaked from Smitten Kitchen

3 firm pears (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
1/2 tsp (3 g) table salt
6 Tbsp (85 g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (3 oz or 85 g) dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs (1 for dough, 1 for glaze)
Turbinado or finishing sugar for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375F. Peal and core pears. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pear chunks on parchment and roast until they feel dry to the touch and look a little browned underneath, about 20 minutes. Slide the parchment paper with pear chunks onto a cooling rack and cool to lukewarm. [Alternatively, place in the freezer to speed this up.]

Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar and salt together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Toss in the cooled pear chunks, bits of butter heavy cream and 1 egg. With the paddle attachment, mix the dough on low speed until it just comes together. Don’t overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix for 5 seconds more.

On a well floured counter, pat the dough into a 6-inch round and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Whisk the remaining egg in a small dish with 1 tsp of water. Brush each scone with the egg wash and sprinkle with the finishing sugar.

Bake scones until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Note: these are best the day they are made. To make ahead, you can make the scones up until the point where you add the egg wash. Freeze them uncooked and bake from frozen, adding the egg wash to the frozen scone. It will take slightly more time to cook.