egg free

Mocha Chocolate Chip Scones

/ Rachel Alexandra / 12 Comments

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I’m not sure what took me so long, but just a few months ago I discovered that coffee is actually really good! Back in first and second grade, my school had Friday cooking classes. Well one fateful week, the recipe was coffee milkshakes. All it took was one sip and I didn’t touch coffee for ten years! Yeah, it was that bitter.

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As it turns out though, I wasn’t actually scarred for life. One day, during my second semester of college, I thought I’d give it a try again just to see what I thought. Yes, I was in need of a caffeine source, but that honestly wasn’t the only reason. Besides, there’s only so much sleep coffee can replace anyway.

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I decided to only try it black because I didn’t want to get hooked on any sugary drinks. To my surprise, though it was bitter, I kind of liked it! And ever since then I’ve been drinking coffee…and baking with it. Because let’s be honest, what goes better with a warm cup of coffee than a mocha chocolate chip scone?

Makes 16 scones

Scone

Ingredients

Scones

1 Tbs. ground flax seed

3 Tbs. hot water

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cold butter

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup coffee reduction sauce

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Glaze

Powdered sugar

Cocoa

Half and half

Coffee syrup

Directions:

  1. Make the coffee syrup according to the linked recipe and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flax and hot water to make an egg substitute. Set aside.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat.
  4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Cut in the butter and begin combining the ingredients using a pastry blender. Then, use your hands to make sure all the butter is evenly distributed and there are no large pieces left.
  6. Add the half and half, coffee syrup, and vanilla to the flax mixture and give it a whisk.
  7. Pour the liquid ingredients into the large bowl and stir until the ingredients come together. Again, you may have to use your hands to knead the dough since scones are by nature a little dry.
  8. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  9. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface and divide it into two pieces. Form each piece into a circle about two inches thick.
  10. Cut each circle into eight triangular scones.
  11. Place all 16 scones on the baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when they are done (with the exception of some melted chocolate chip).
  12. While they are cooling, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. I don’t have an exact recipe for it, so it can be adjusted based on your taste preferences. I recommend using roughly 1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 2 Tbs. cocoa (more or less depending on how much chocolate flavor you want). Then add half and half and coffee syrup until the glaze comes together. The consistency shouldn’t be liquid, but it should be thin enough to drizzle over the scones. If you want a mild coffee flavor, use more half and half and if you prefer a stronger flavor, use more coffee syrup.
  13. Drizzle the scones with glaze using a fork , whisk, or piping bag. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Rachel Alexandra / 14 Comments

Hi everyone! It’s finally spring, but remember way back around Christmastime when I shared a recipe for  Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake? Instead of a standard graham cracker crust, I always like to use cookie crumbles, so I wanted to share my favorite recipe. If you’re looking for the perfect cheesecake crust material or just want a batch of warm, hearty cookies, this is just the recipe! (Also check back next weekend for new Easter cheesecake! 🐣)

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This original recipe that I adapted always caused the cookies to spread very thin and as a result, they were pretty brittle. I changed two things so they hold they’re shape and are more chewy than crisp. The first is that instead of using granulated white sugar, I substituted powdered sugar. I also chill the dough for 30 minutes prior to baking. Feel free to keep the dough in the refrigerator longer for convenience’ sake, but it won’t make anymore of a difference after the initial half hour.

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

  1. In a deep bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla.
  2. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.
  3. Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water and add to the mixture.
  4. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips
  5. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to reduce spread. It can stay in the refrigerator for longer, but doing so won’t have any extra effect.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  7. Role the dough in to balls about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on the baking sheets.
  8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

Notes

  • Substitute raisins for all or half of the chocolate chips to make a delicious batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.
  • Whatever cookies you can’t eat within a few days can be stored in the freezer for a few months.