Breakfast Valentines


Year in Chocolate:
Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts
By Alice Medrich, 2001, Warner Books, Inc.

“For breakfast or tea, the quintessential chocolate scone to nibble with
barely sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche and jam.”

Makes 10 2 3/4-inch scones

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder if using Dutch process cocoa, or
a scant 1 teaspoon baking soda if using natural cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, hot (1 1/4 sticks)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder,
Dutch process or natural
1 egg, cold
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, cold
Barely sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Crème fraîche, for serving (optional)
Jam, for serving (optional)
Berries, for serving (optional)

Equipment
A 2 1/2-inch heart-shape biscuit or cookie cutter
1 baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment, otherwise ungreased
 

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
To make the valentines, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder or soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the hot butter and cocoa until smooth. Stir in the egg and milk. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula, scraping the ingredients from the sides of the bowl to the center, just until all of the flour mixture is moistened. Do not try to make a smooth dough.
Place the dough on a sheet of wax paper and pat it into a 10- by 5-inch rectangle (assuming your heart cutter is 2 1/2 inches). Chill the dough for about 15 minutes to firm it up slightly.
Cut out 8 hearts. Use dough scraps to form 2 more hearts. Transfer the hearts to the baking sheet. Bake until the tops are dry and cracked and the bottoms have begun to color, about 12 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with barely sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche with jam or fresh berries.