Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones

I've been dreaming about dark chocolate raspberry muffins all week. Sadly, when I went to the grocery store to pick up my supplies, the raspberries were in a very poor condition, so I ended up with these.

You can't really tell from that picture, but these strawberries were HUGE! See... 

And I was happy to discover that they were super sweet & juicy ~ much better than I expected!

Oh, I also picked up some of this....

Strawberries and dark chocolate. There really aren't many other combinations that can compete.

Once I got home, I started searching for muffin recipes, but surprisingly there weren't very many that looked very good. So I turned to my new cookbook, "eat, drink & be vegan" by Dreena Burton. I found a raspberry chocolate chip scone recipe that inspired me. So I set to work making some dark chocolate strawberry scones. Derek was working last night, so I had nothing better to do. The challenge is to not eat all of them before he gets home! Being home alone can get me into trouble because no one knows whether or not I've stuck to my diet (with the exception of Dora & Hank of course...& they'll never tell ;-)

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones

Inspired by eat, drink & be vegan

These scones would make a really nice side to a brunch with family and friends. The chunky strawberry and dark chocolate is an awesome combination. The scones aren't very sweet, which is the way I like it, but if you like your scones sweeter, you might want to adjust your sweeteners. 

PS - they're vegan too! 

2 c spelt flour (I'm not sure, but whole wheat flour might also work)

1/4 c agave nectar (white sugar or honey would be ok)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 coconut oil, melted (canola oil would work)

1/4 c dark chocolate chunks

1/4 c + 3 tbsp almond milk (any milk would do)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2/3 c chopped strawberries

1 - 2 tsp spelt flour - for dusting counter

1 tsp almond milk

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add in your oil and mix well - flour will be crumbly. Stir in chocolate.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla. Add your wet ingredients to the dry and add the strawberries. The dough is going to be wet, heavy & sticky. You might have to use your hands. Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a circle that is about 7" in diameter and 3/4" thick.

 Cut the circle into 6 equal wedges.

I admit that I am not the most accurate or neat cutter. I blame it on the chocolate chunks - they got in the way of a neat line!! Luckily cutting accuracy did not affect the taste.

Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The recipe suggested that the tops be brushed with soy milk. I brushed mine with almond milk although I'm not really sure that made any difference in the way that the scones look once baked.

These look really ugly! I swear they weren't so bad looking in real life :-)

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove them from the oven and  cool on a cooling rack.

Serve warm with your favourite cup of tea.

I enjoyed mine with Earth Balance, but they would be really delicious with fresh cream and strawberry jam!

Scrumptiuos!

These are fantastic, but I am still set on making some raspberry muffins. I promise that you will have a recipe from me as soon as our raspberry supply is replenished with some healthier looking berries.

Wishing you another fab weekend!

Andrea