My pandemic baking continues, and I decided to try Mexican (also sometimes called Mayan) mocha scones. This basically means cayenne chocolate coffee.
I started from the base of this recipe:
I've ended up with:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cocoa
3/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp instant espresso
Mix those dry ingredients together, then cut in:
6 tbsp unsalted cold butter
Then add:
1/2 cup mini unsweetened chocolate chips
Then add wet ingredients. First whisk together:
1 egg
3/4 cup cream (overdo this a bit)
Mix the wet into the dry with a fork or spatula. The result will be a little dry but should mostly hold itself together.
On a floured cutting board, press the dough into a circle around an inch thick, then cut into six wedges. I do this by first cutting in half and then cutting each half into thirds. I get more consistent sizes this way. For smaller scones you can do eighths.
Bake at 400 degrees on a baking sheet with parchment paper. 16 minutes.
They're best fresh but ok after a couple days. I microwave leftovers for 15 seconds to warm them up.
Review: today was my third attempt, upping the heat each time. I started with 1/4 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Today was the first time I could really taste the cayenne, but it was far from overpowering. I'll probably up it again next time. My first attempt at chocolate scones used 4 tbsp of cocoa, and it was too much chocolate to the point of not being very good.
I should experiment with the baking powder. I've seen other recipes use less.