It’s been about six months since my last scone recipe (these beautiful strawberry cream babies) so I’m thrilled to offer you a brand new flavor combination with my chocolate hazelnut and orange scones,

Ever since I posted the recipe for my chocolate orange bundt cake, my love for this classic flavor pairing has grown exponentially. Coming from a kid who detested the idea of any dessert involving chocolate and fruit (I’m looking at you as well, raspberry), it’s a big deal that I’ve overcome this, and I find myself constantly buying anything that marries the two. Since scones are my favorite pastries to get when I go to coffee shops, I had to see for myself if chocolate orange scones would work out. Spoiler: they did.

I decided to use the base of my cranberry-orange scones from an earlier post, which yields slightly sweetened and tender scones with a crunchy exterior. Unlike my strawberry cream scones, this recipe calls for cutting butter into the flour mixture. Although is a fairly simple procedure, the only thing you have to worry about is not over mixing the dough. My two other tips that will guarantee a perfect batch of scones are: 1) keeping the ingredients/dough as cold as possible and 2) brushing the pre-baked scones with milk/cream/egg wash and sprinkling with sugar. I go into more detail on these tips in my cranberry-orange scone post, so feel free to review them there.

Although these scones get a great amount of crunchiness from the added sugar on top, especially if using turbinado sugar, I also wanted to add some sort of nut for extra texture as well as flavor. I at first was going to try pecans, but when I opened up my freezer to check out my supply, I found two unopened bags of raw hazelnuts that were intended for gelato; it seemed to be fate. And since we all know how well chocolate and hazelnuts work together (hello, Nutella!), the combination of the two mixed with hints of orange zest sprinkled through out the dough brought it to a whole different level of deliciousness, This scone is quite simply the best one I’ve had in a long time.

Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

Yields 8 large scones

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Zest of 1 large orange
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” pieces
1 cup buttermilk, chilled, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts
Turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar), for sprinkling on top

Directions

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. Whisk in the orange zest.
Add the butter pieces to the mixture by working with your hands or a pastry cutter, and rub the mixture together until it resembles course crumbs. Slowly add the buttermilk, mixing it in with a fork or wooden spoon. Very carefully, fold in the chopped chocolate and hazelnuts.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a couple of times. Using your hands, work the dough into a 1-inch thick circle. With a sharp knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges and transfer the scones to a large plate (or two) and pop them into the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each scone. Brush each scone with buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake the scones in the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the tops are a light golden brown. Enjoy!