cinnamon-chocolate scones

For all you dessert foodies out there - do you remember the show on Food TV called Sweet Dreams with Gale Gand? I loved that show because of her easygoing, calm personality and her perfect culinary creations.
She was beyond talented when it came to making perfect desserts, pastries, etc... A true master in creating creative sweet treats; nothing was the norm with this chef, she was so very inventive when it came to desserts as well as making them look absolutely perfect.
Talk about kicking it up a notch, oh yes she did that and then some! Even the tinest of candies or pastries she made them perfectly and with such ease. I made a point of trying my best to copy down her recipes after each episode, since her cookbooks are fairly expensive. Is Santa reading this? If so, Gale Gand cookbooks are at the top of my list as well as a new Simmons Beautyrest Black Edition mattress.

I've adapted this recipe a bit.  If you are a scone lover as I am then you simply must try this.

cinnamon-chocolate scones
adapted from Butter Sugar Flour Eggs by Gale Gand
print recipe

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 ts baking powder
1/4 ts salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick of unsalted butter, cold
1 ¼ cups of milk (whole is best)1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chunks
Heavy cream for brushing (optional)
Coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), mix the dry ingredients.
Cut the stick of butter into pieces, and with the mixer running, and add the butter and mix until coarse and sandy. You should still be able to see small lumps of butter. Mix in the milk until almost combined.
Next, add the chocolate chunks and mix just to distribute them evenly through the dough. Do not over mix; there may still be some flour not mixed in.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 10 times to bring it together and smooth it out.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough 1-inch thick.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut out circles.
Using a spatula, transfer to an ungreased sheet pan.
Knead the scraps together just until combined, then roll out again and continue cutting out circles until all the dough is used.
I brushed the tops of the scones with some heavy cream and a few extra sprinkles of raw/course sugar
Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes +/- depending on your oven.

Cook notes: I cut my scones into rectangles and made them thicker by forming them to be thicker before baking; I like thick scones, so do what you want.
I also brushed the tops with heavy cream before baking and sprinkled them with coarse sugar before baking as well.
I drizzled melted caramel on the scones once they were cooled. You could try doing this with melted chocolate too.