Deep Dark Chocolate (24 page)

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with butter or cooking spray. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the ½ cup butter. Stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour the syrup into the prepared pan and tilt the pan so the topping evenly coats the bottom. Sprinkle the pecans over the brown-sugar sauce.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon until blended. Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 12-by-8-inch rectangle, with a long side toward you. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle the filling over the buttered dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the far edge. Sprinkle the buttered filling with the chopped chocolate. Roll up the dough lengthwise, beginning with the long edge closest to you. Moisten the border with water and pinch the ends to form secure seams. Cut the roll into 12 slices and place each slice, cut side down, into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until the buns are golden, about 27 minutes. Turn out of the pan immediately onto a large serving platter. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. The buns are best eaten warm or at room temperature within hours of baking.

“You Made These?”
Chocolate Morning Biscuits

makes
12 biscuits

THIS RECIPE IS QUICK, EASY, AND PERFECT FOR MORNINGS
when you’re craving good chocolate as well as extra attention. (“You made these?” “They’re
fabulous
!”) The rich spiral swirl of dark, melting chocolate gives these warm-from-the-oven biscuits an elegant, pastrylike flavor .

Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

¾ cup whole milk

Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 bar (3½ to 4 ounces) premium dark chocolate, finely chopped, but leaving some ¼-inch chunks

Topping (Optional)

1 large egg yolk

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well blended.

Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly and some pea-sized pieces of butter remain. Add the milk and stir with a fork, until a rough dough forms.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using lightly floured hands, gently form a ball, then gently knead the dough 8 to 10 times. Using a floured rolling pin, roll into a 13-by-11-inch rectangle, arranging the long side near you.

TO ADD THE FILLING:
Spread the butter on the dough, then sprinkle with the sugar and the chocolate. Beginning with one long side, snugly roll up the dough in jelly-roll fashion. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll crosswise into 12 slices. Arrange the slices, cut side down, 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

TO ADD THE TOPPING (IF DESIRED):
In a cup, mix the egg yolk and milk until blended. Brush the biscuit tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the biscuits until golden and puffed, about 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. The biscuits are best eaten warm or within several hours of baking.

Chocolate Dream Scones with Mascarpone Spread

makes
16 scones and about 2 cups spread

IN EDINBURGH, AT THE LUXURIOUS BALMORAL HOTEL,
the chocolate lover’s quintessential teatime treat must certainly be the Chocolate Dream Tea Service in the Bollinger Bar. It features an all-chocolate menu, including chocolate scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves. Without traveling so far, you can enjoy a flaky, dark—yet delicate—chocolate buttermilk scone that will rival any others you’ve tasted. In case there’s no clotted cream to be found, the delicious mascarpone spread makes a perfect substitute.

Scones

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

¹
/
₃
cup granulated sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter

1 tub (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream

Scant ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

TO MAKE THE SCONES:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Using the large holes of a flat grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture and gently work with clean hands until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Using lightly floured hands, gather the dough into a soft ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. (Try and gather any loose bits, but don’t worry if some dry particles remain.) Gently knead the dough 6 to 8 times on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 4 parts and pat each one into a ¾-inch-thick circle. Cut each circle into 4 wedges.

Transfer the scones to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out as clean as it does toward the edge, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm with the mascarpone spread. The scones are best eaten within several hours of baking.

TO MAKE THE SPREAD:
In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone, cream, sugar, and vanilla until well combined and no lumps remain. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Remove 20 minutes before serving.

Variation

If you’re nutty for chocolate scones and love hazelnuts, be sure to try
Hazelnut-Chocolate Scones with Chocolate-Hazelnut and Mascarpone Spreads
. Follow the main recipe, stirring ½ cup lightly toasted and chopped hazelnuts after the dough resembles coarse crumbs but before adding buttermilk. Proceed as directed and serve with a small bowl of chocolate-hazelnut spread—or Nutella in a pinch—alongside the mascarpone spread.