Some say Scones, Some say Biscuits - January's Daring Bakers Challenge

The Daring Baker's challenge for January was biscuits....or scones. It all depends on where you are the world!

Scones in North American are nearly always triangular in shape have a slightly crisp crust usually covered in sugar and have a soft interior crumb and sometimes are laced with dried fruit (these baked goods in Australia and England are called “rock cakes” since they are usually made to look like “rocky” cakes not wedges), meanwhile biscuits in North American are a round shaped buttery slightly flaky baked good usually eaten with meals (these items in Australia and England are called “scones” and are eaten with butter and jam usually with cups of tea or coffee as a sweet snack).


So this challenge (using the North American name) is to make biscuits. Or using the Australian or English name this challenge is to make scones.Scones (biscuits) contain only a small number of ingredients they are fast to make, quick to bake, only cost cents per batch and most importantly are super FUN to eat. In England and Australia scones are eaten with jam and butter usually with cups of tea or coffee mostly as a sweet snack, while in North America they are usually eaten with meals as a savoury side.


Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!


Once again it took me several tries to get a light, fluffy biscuit. The first batch tasted good especially with some Nutella on it! I didn't get the rise I had hoped nor the soft crumb. There were hints of acceptable rising and texture.

A bit more rise and a better texture.

Some Nutella yumminess!

My second attempt was a bit better. A bit more rise and a bit more tender crumb. Taste was not issue. Pure yum.

You can see a bit more rise in this batch.

The texture is a bit better but not what I wanted.

Third times' a charm! I finally achieved the results I wanted; light, fluffy biscuits. I doubled the recipe to get what I wanted.

Nice rise, soft sides

Light, fluffy texture

Need I say more.......

Next time not only will I double the recipe I will switch up the ingredients and make buttermilk biscuits. What would you pair buttermilk biscuits with?  

Black Cocoa

One day when I was browsing recipes on www.tastespotting.com I came across black cocoa in a recipe write up. I knew immediately I had to find black cocoa! Surprsingly it wasn't difficult. I typed black cocoa into Google and viola, black cocoa for sale at King Arthur Flour. Now I just needed to find a recipe or two that had black cocoa as an ingredient. Googled black cocoa recipes and several recipes came up. I chose to make Black Cocoa Brownies.

I wanted to see how black cocoa, in color, compared to your regular, high quality cocoa. I put the two cocoa's side by side. Yep black cocoa is black!

Ghiradelli Chocolate All Natural Unsweetened Cocoa on the left, King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa on the right

It has been a long time since I made brownies from scratch. Thinking about it, I don't recall ever making brownies from scratch. I was excited!

This recipe calls for lightly browned butter. Brown butter adds nutty flavor to the baked good.

Early stage melted butter

Melted butter, lightly browned

Melt the chocolate and combine with the brown butter. Cool to almost room temperature. You do not want to cook the egg mixture when combining the eggs and chocolate mixture.



Melted chocolate and brown butter

Whip the eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow in color. Gently combine the cooled chocolate mixture with the whipped eggs; Gently mix the dry ingredients with the wet. Leave some of the dry ingredients showing if you want chewy brownies. Bake until a few crumbs stick to a toothpick. Cool and refrigerate. The texture is best straight from the fridge. But you may want to bring the brownie to room temperature to experience the full flavor of the brownie. Did I mention there is espresso powder in this?

Black Cocoa Brownies

Black Cocoa Brownies
Adapted from Brownie Points, by Lisa Slater

3 sticks unsalted butter
Scant 1/2 cup best quality cocoa powder
3 tablespoons black cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
or
1 tablespoon very strong coffee
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or fleur de sel

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter a 9"x9" square pan

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it bubbles and browns. It will froth and then settle down, with the milk solids settling to the bottom. Be sure not to burn the butter.

Remove from the heat, cool slightly (about 5 minutes) and add the cocoa powders. Whisk until smooth.

Add the sugar, whisk until smooth, then cool for about 10 minutes.

Add the eggs, whisking until smooth and shiny until just combined. (Avoid overmixing this will lead to cakey brownies.)

Stir in the vanilla and coffee or espresso powder, then stir in the flour and salt, mixing until just combined and no further. Resist the urge to keep mixing! Flecks of flour showing are okay.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs stuck to it (check it after 30 minutes, then go from there).

Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate. Remove from the pan and place onto a cutting board, cut into 1"x1" squares. Brownies will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.

Their fudgy texture is best straight from the refrigerator, but the full flavor and the salty edge of the brownie is best at room temperature.