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    Home / Breakfast & Brunch / Biscuits, Scones & Pastries

    Chocolate Bergamot Scones

    Published Feb 7, 2013

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    stack of chocolate scones

    I've long enjoyed the aroma of a pot of flowery Earl Grey tea, but it wasn't until pastry school that I learned that the flavoring, bergamot, actually comes from the zest of a citrus fruit.

    lemon zest in a bowl

    Much like grapefruit, bergamot zest has bitter, sweet, and floral notes, as well as deep, musky undertones akin to champagne or roses. The flesh and juice are sour, like a cross between lemon and grapefruit, but it is the aromatic zest that gets distilled into an oil to flavor tea and scent perfume.

    butter in a bowl

    I was thrilled to find some fresh bergamots at Berkeley Bowl the other day, and have been enjoying experiencing the flavor of the fruit in its own right.

    scone dough being mixed

    After sipping some bergamojitos, I grated some zest into these cream scones flecked with chunks of bittersweet chocolate.

    scones but out from dough

    I made these dessert-like morsels tiny as they are more suited to an afternoon sweet than a hearty breakfast; though their sweetness is subdued, as scones ought to be. They are sublime when fresh from the oven, with crusty tops, crisp bottoms, and tender middles studded with pockets of melted chocolate. The combination of bergamot and chocolate is at once familiar and new, hinting at chocolate-coated orangettes and earl grey tea, but tasting exotic and different at the same time.

    scones pre baking

    The key to delicate scones lies in keeping the butter cold and handling the dough as little as possible to prevent the development of bready glutens in the flour. Heavy cream makes the most meltingly tender scones, but you can use lighter dairy if the thought of pouring in a cup of cream makes you blench. Freezing the scones prior to baking helps them hold their shape while keeping them light and tender, but you can bake them straight away if you need to get your scone on, stat.

    rows of scones on baking tray

    Look for bergamots at farmers markets in the winter, or order them here. I've seen them popping up on menus around San Francisco (including a bergamot pasta at Rich Table that is out of this world) so I'm hoping that they become increasingly available. Bergamot olive oil, available at some fancy grocery stores, is another way to get your bergamot fix (and is good on chocolate ice cream with sea salt, alla Bi Rite Creamery). You could also stir in a tablespoon of earl grey tea, finely ground, in place of the fresh bergamot.

    scones on a baker tray

    Here are some more bergamot-centric recipes from around the web:

    Vanilla Bergamot Ice Cream, a variation on my favorite base recipe
    Bergamot, Thyme and Semolina Olive Oil Cake, from Eat the Love
    Creamy Meyer Lemon, Bergamot and Fresh Ricotta Tart, from Fresh New England
    Bergamot Vanilla Bean Marmalade, from Chez Us
    DIY Earl Grey, from The Kitchn
    Bergamot Curd, from Yum in Tum
    Bergamot Marmalade, from David Lebovitz
    Chocolate Macarons with Bergamot Buttercream, from Chez Us
    Bergamot Bitters (with green cardamom), from Purple House Dirt

    top down shot of chocolate scones

    For More Scone Recipes:
    • Maple-Glazed Bacon Apple Scones
    • Cherry Marzipan Scones
    • Poppy Seed and Lemon Curd Mega Scone
    • Irish Soda Scones
    • Bacon Beer Scones with Smoked Cheddar and Caramelized Onions
    • Satsuma, Ginger and Oat Scones

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this chocolate bergamot scone recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    chocolate bergamot scones on a tray
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    Chocolate Bergamot Scones

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    These delicious scones are delicately flavored with beramot
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Chilling time: 30 minutes
    Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 18 mini (2" round) scones.

    Ingredients

    • 2 teaspoons lightly packed, finely grated zest from 1 medium (orange-sized) bergamot
    • 1/4 cup sugar (preferably organic cane sugar)
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, in 1/4" dice (2 1/2 ounces)
    • 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into roughly 1/4" chunks (I use Scharffen Berger's 70% bittersweet) (about 3/4 cup)
    • 3/4-1 cup cold heavy cream, as needed (or other dairy - see headnote), plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the scones
    • 1 tablespoon coarse (turbinado)sugar, for sprinkling

    Instructions

    • Combine the bergamot zest and sugar in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachmenand rub with your fingertips (or with the mixer on lountil the sugar is moistened. This helps to draw out the oils and flavor of the bergamot.
    • Add the flour, baking powder (sifted, if lumpy), salt and butter to the sugar mixture, and work with a pastry blender or your fingertips (or with the mixer on lountil the butter is mostly blended in with some pea-sized bits remaining. Stir in the chocolate, then slowly add the cream, tossing with a rubber spatula (or mixing on low), adding enough to just make the dough begin to clump together and no floury bits remain. Gently knead and press the dough into a ball (you can do this right in the bowthen turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a round that is 3/4" thick and about 8" in diameter.
    • Use a lightly floured 1 1/2" biscuit cutter to cut out rounds of dough as close together as possible, placing the cut scones on a small baking sheet in preparation for freezing. Gently press together the remaining dough scraps, and cut out more scones. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Freeze the scones until firm, 30-60 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425º.
    • Place the frozen scones two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and stack it atop a second sheet pan to prevent the bottoms from scorching. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
    • Bake the scones until the tops and bottoms are golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature. They are best the day they are baked, but will keep for a few days at room temperature in an air-tight container. Re-warm in a toaster oven for best results.

    Notes

    Heavy cream makes the most meltingly tender scones. But if you're trying to save on calories, or simply don't have any, you can substitute yogurt, buttermilk, half and half, whole milk, crème fraîche, or any combination thereof. The amount you need to bring the dough together will vary.
    The scones hold their shapes best when frozen prior to baking. Frozen scones can be double-bagged and stored until ready to bake, up to a couple of months. If you want scones in a jiffy, though, you can bake them as soon as they have been cut. I like to bake scones on a double layer of baking sheets as it prevents their bottoms from over-browning.
    These are best the day they have been baked, particularly when fresh from the oven, but they'll keep for a few days at room temperature. Re-warm for best results.
    Nutritional values are based on one of eighteen scones.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 38mgPotassium: 114mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1.1mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Chocolate Bergamot Scones

    Heavy cream makes the most meltingly tender scones. But if you're trying to save on calories, or simply don't have any, you can substitute yogurt, buttermilk, half and half, whole milk, crème fraîche, or any combination thereof. The amount you need to bring the dough together will vary.

    The scones hold their shapes best when frozen prior to baking. Frozen scones can be double-bagged and stored until ready to bake, up to a couple of months. If you want scones in a jiffy, though, you can bake them as soon as they have been cut. I like to bake scones on a double layer of baking sheets as it prevents their bottoms from over-browning.

    These are best the day they have been baked, particularly when fresh from the oven, but they'll keep for a few days at room temperature. Re-warm for best results.

    Makes about 18 mini (2" round) scones

    2 teaspoons lightly packed, finely grated zest from 1 medium (orange-sized) bergamot
    1/4 cup sugar (preferably organic cane sugar)
    2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
    2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, in 1/4" dice
    4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into roughly 1/4" chunks (I use Scharffen Berger's 70% bittersweet)
    3/4-1 cup cold heavy cream, as needed (or other dairy - see headnote), plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the scones
    1 tablespoon coarse (turbinado) sugar, for sprinkling

    Combine the bergamot zest and sugar in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) and rub with your fingertips (or with the mixer on low) until the sugar is moistened. This helps to draw out the oils and flavor of the bergamot.

    Add the flour, baking powder (sifted, if lumpy), salt and butter to the sugar mixture, and work with a pastry blender or your fingertips (or with the mixer on low) until the butter is mostly blended in with some pea-sized bits remaining. Stir in the chocolate, then slowly add the cream, tossing with a rubber spatula (or mixing on low), adding enough to just make the dough begin to clump together and no floury bits remain. Gently knead and press the dough into a ball (you can do this right in the bowl) then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and press it into a round that is 3/4" thick and about 8" in diameter.

    Use a lightly floured 1 1/2" biscuit cutter to cut out rounds of dough as close together as possible, placing the cut scones on a small baking sheet in preparation for freezing. Gently press together the remaining dough scraps, and cut out more scones. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Freeze the scones until firm, 30-60 minutes.

    Meanwhile, position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425º.

    Place the frozen scones two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and stack it atop a second sheet pan to prevent the bottoms from scorching. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

    Bake the scones until the tops and bottoms are golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve the scones warm or at room temperature. They are best the day they are baked, but will keep for a few days at room temperature in an air-tight container. Re-warm in a toaster oven for best results.

    chocolate scones

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. deweil says

      February 11, 2013 at 3:23 am

      These are soooooooo tasty! Thanks Alanna!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 11, 2013 at 4:39 am

        You're welcome, Michael!

        Reply
    2. [email protected] says

      February 13, 2013 at 5:08 pm

      Beautiful Alanna! I just love that you incorporated bergamots into this. The flavor combination must be out of this world. Your scones look delicious :)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 13, 2013 at 7:35 pm

        Thanks, Emilie. :)

        Reply
    3. Whitney says

      February 19, 2013 at 3:33 am

      Eeek, this might be my favorite topic ever. I've been attempting to perfect my earl grey oatmeal recipe to various degrees of success. If only I lived near the Berkeley Bowl! Bergamot olive oil also sounds life changing. I've been on the prowl for edible bergamot essence or oil. Thoughts? (I was led here from Carey at Reclaiming Provincial)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 19, 2013 at 5:53 pm

        Hi Whitney! Earl grey oatmeal sounds AMAZING! If you want to order 10 pounds(!) of fresh bergamots, I posted the link above. :)

        Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with the bergamot hunt! Please keep me posted on the oatmeal - I'm dying of curiosity.

        Reply
    4. Jennifer Ng says

      February 25, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      Inspiration for ice cream! I have had versions of earl grey...and bergamot ice cream. But like you, I didn't realize it was a citrus fruit. Duh! Obviously from the taste. ;) Perhaps a scone and ice cream for a wonderful morning delight!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        February 25, 2013 at 5:59 pm

        Totally! I did make a bergamot ice cream, and it came out fantastic - like a grown-up creamsicle. I'm with you - ice cream is perfectly acceptable breakfast fare. Thanks so much for stopping by. So nice to meet you the other day, and I love your site!

        Reply
    5. Adrienne says

      May 08, 2015 at 7:32 pm

      These are so delicious and buttery and flakey and perfect! thank you.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 08, 2015 at 10:31 pm

        Yay! Thanks for giving them a go and taking the time to comment - I super appreciate it!

        Reply

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