Recipe(tried): Vanilla Scones with bits of Chocolate Orange Sticks

VANILLA SCONES WITH BITS OF CHOCOLATE ORANGE STICKS

These vanilla scones have a sweet orange, chocolate and slight vanilla flavor. For those that don't know, a scone is just a biscuit with sweet things added like sugar, vanilla, dried fruit, chocolate, etc.

During mixing, the chocolate coating separates from the orange gel center of the cut-up orange sticks. Small bits of chocolate coating are distributed throughout the scone along with the larger orange gel bits.

3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vanilla sugar*
4 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons cold solid shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten into milk
8 Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Orange Sticks (any orange stick brand ok)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using mixer, cut in the cold butter and cold shortening until mix is reduced to fine crumbs.

Divide the 8 Trader Joe's Chocolate Orange sticks into 4 pieces each and add to dry ingredients. Mix well.

In a cup, beat the egg into the milk and stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.
Mix with rubber spatula just until ingredients come together.

In the bottom of the bowl, knead the dough with your hands until it comes together and has no dry spots.
Add a little flour if its too sticky, but keep the dough moist and not crumbly. It should hold together.

Divide dough into 1/3 cup (for 9 large scones) or 1/4 cup (for 12 medium scones) portions. Shape each scone into triange or ball and place 2-inches apart on a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake 18- to 22-minutes until tops are golden brown and centers are done.

Serve warm with butter.

*If you don't have vanilla sugar, use regular white granulated sugar and add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract to the milk and egg mixture.

Makes 9 large or 12 medium scones.