Go Back

Cacao Nib, Date and Blood Orange Scones Recipe

Shanna
Buttery, flaky brown sugar scones studded with cacao nibs, Deglet dates and blood orange - slices, zest and a tangy blood orange icing. Perfect with coffee or tea any time of day!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 26 minutes
freezing time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 26 minutes
Servings 12 Scones

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 blood oranges, 2 for zest and juice, the rest for slicing into small pieces
  • 200 g butter, grated and frozen
  • 455 g all purpose flour
  • 100 g brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon blood orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 75 g pitted Deglet dates, chopped into small pieces
  • 100 g Cacao nibs
  • 200 g creme fraiche, cold
  • 1 egg, cold
  • 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of scones before baking
  • Extra cream, only if none is left over from mixing into the scones
  • Icing drizzle:
  • Juice from 2 blood oranges
  • 120-160 g powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Times for prep and freezing are approximate. If you cut up the oranges a day ahead of time that saves time when making the dough the day of baking the scones. Also if you choose to freeze the cut scones over night this will add on more time. So keep all this in mind when making these.
  • Start with the blood oranges since the pieces will be frozen before being added into the scone dough.
  • Zest the oranges then slice off the rind leaving just the orange. Cut out wedges (This is known as supreming the oranges or orange supremes) then cut the wedges into small pieces. When you have 100 g of orange piece, place them on a wax paper lined tray and set in freezer until frozen solid. You can do this a day before making the scones. You can also keep the zest in a bowl in the refrigerator to keep from drying out. This step is optional, to freeze the oranges, but I find that the frozen pieces mix into the dough better and don’t leak out any juice.
    4-5 blood oranges
  • Next grate your butter until you get 200g and place in a bowl and set in freezer until frozen. I freeze the butter for an hour. Prepare the rest of the scone ingredients towards the end of the hour of the butter freezing.
    200 g butter
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add in the frozen butter and mix with you fingers, quickly as to not melt the butter, until the mixture resembles wet sand.
    455 g all purpose flour, 100 g brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 2 tablespoon blood orange zest
  • Add in the frozen oranges, dates and cacao nibs and mix.
    75 g pitted Deglet dates, 100 g Cacao nibs
  • Mix together the creme fraiche, the egg and 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Add to the flour mixture and mix with a spoon or even butter knife to cut in the liquid mixture. Start to work with your hands to press and fold the dough, there will be some flour left at the bottom of the bowl but keep pressing and folding the dough quickly, until the flour is all worked in. If it is very dry use all of the heavy cream. The pressing and folding will laminate the dough in a way to create those flaky layers.
    200 g creme fraiche, 1 egg, 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
  • Divide the dough into two thick discs then chill for 20-30 minutes to hydrate the flour more and keep the butter cold. Cut both discs into 6 wedges each, place on a parchment lined tray and freeze for an hour up to overnight before baking.
  • Heat oven to 400 Degrees F. Place the scones on a parchment paper lined baking sheet a few inches apart ( you may need two sheets, or bake 6 at a time on one sheet, keep the other 6 in the freezer until ready to bake)
  • Brush the scones with the remaining cream, or get more cream if needed and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar
    Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of scones before baking, Extra cream
  • Bake for 23-26 minutes until golden brown and still have a little give when pressed but not wobbly.
  • Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Bake the remaining scones, repeating the brushing the tops with cream and sprinkling with turbinado sugar.
  • You can serve as is or drizzle with the blood orange icing before serving.
  • To make the icing whisk together the powdered sugar with a little blood orange juice at a time until you get a consistency you like. Drizzle with a spoon over the cooled scones.
    Juice from 2 blood oranges, 120-160 g powdered sugar
  • Store the scones in an airtight container up to a week at cool room temperature.

Notes

I highly suggest chilling the dough before cutting and freezing before baking. This will ensure the scones bake up nice and flaky and wont ooze all the butter and spread all over when baking.  You can freeze for an hour or two before baking - until the scones are firm and frozen through or freeze overnight before baking. Either way works great.