Yesterday, I set out baking again - because…quarantine-ish. We have been baking biscuits lately, so I wondered if I could turn them into more of a standalone treat. Being it was my birthday, I chatted with my parents over video chat as I got started with the ingredients. My mom asked me what step I was on (because I may have been expressing the amount of hard work it was using only a fork), and as my dad passed by, he declared proudly, “she is cutting the butter into the flour!” You will understand his pride if you read my nostalgic post from earlier this week about baking biscuits with my dad. You can find that post here, along with the basic recipe that I followed to create these lovely scones today. For the scone recipe, I scaled it down a bit and then added the measurements for cinnamon and chocolate chips. The sugar on top is a matter of preference. We went a little heavy this time, but it wasn’t overwhelming since the basic recipe itself doesn’t contain any sugar.

As I was hosting my, ahem, pretend Cooking Show for my parents via video chat yesterday, we were discussing flavor options. I pulled out a bag of prized Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips from the top shelf of the cabinet. I tuck them way in the back for a reason. My mom commented about them and I told her that I never thought we would be rationing chocolate chips. 

You see, we were expecting at least two rounds of visitors this Spring - my parents and our wonderful friends, the Culhane family. We had all sorts of fun things planned - visiting Stockholm, Amsterdam, overnight train rides, among others. We are all the saddest about not seeing each other for so much longer. Where the chocolate chips come into play is that the fringe benefits of hosting our friends and family from the States are that they usually, very generously, stash a few hard-to-find (or impossible to find) favorites in their suitcases for us - like Ghirardelli chocolate chips of all varieties. So, we use our stash we have on hand according to when we plan to have a re-supply mission. Ha! That makes chocolate chips sound so valuable and serious. Which they really aren’t. Unless you are 7 years old and your name is Millie. ;-)

But, then, Corona happened.

And all of the trips were canceled.

Canceled.

It sounds so final. 

There are great hopes that we will plan these visits again - using the vouchers that we all have from reservations that couldn’t be refunded, but could be used for travel at a later date. Of course, we don’t know when that will actually happen at this point, but there is hope. And hope is always, always a good thing to hold onto.

Now, back to the chocolate chips. Obviously, because we don’t have any restocking on the immediate horizon, we save the chocolate chips for slightly more special baking endeavors - like today’s Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Scones.

Creating this tasty treat was a family effort. As we continued to chat away on video chat, my dad suggested the cinnamon, I brought the chocolate chips, and my mom (thinking of her granddaughter’s sweet tooth, I am sure), suggested a sprinkling of sugar on the top. The flavors came together beautifully and, warm out of the oven, they were a crowd-pleaser.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Scones

• 2 cups of flour

• 2 teaspoons of baking powder

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

• 1 tsp of cinnamon

• 2/3 cup of butter

• 2/3 cup of milk

• 1/3 cup of chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, including cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until you have what looks like coarse crumbs. Using your fork, make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once and use a fork to mix until the mixture is just moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by folding and gently pressing it. Turn and repeat. Shape the dough by hand into one large or two smaller round circles about 1/2 thick. 

Place the dough rounds on an ungreased baking sheet (I prefer using baking parchment paper on the baking sheet). Using a sharp knife, or pizza cutter, score the dough circles into individual segments (similar to cutting a pizza). Bake at 450 F or 230 C for 16-20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden brown.