Raspberry and White Chocolate Scones Recipe

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is potentially one of the most famous stories in the world and also incredibly well liked. It provides readers with a reason to escape the boring pressures of the real world. If you aren't aware of the story, a girl called Alice (with an imagination far too extreme for her family to understand) falls down a rabbit whole and stumbles upon Wonderland. While in Wonderland she meets a host of crazy characters, such as the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat. Each character leads her on a journey deeper into the unusual world of Wonderland. The original version of Alice in Wonderland was released in 1865 and most copies have kept the original text, which means it can feel a little confusing and have outdated language. However, I think it is the perfect book if you fancy a challenge with the type of language that you will come across. The book is also supported by poetry, like the famous Jabberwocky poem in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Inspired by the Mad Hatters Tea Party, I have decided to bake a tea party classic with a little 'mad' twist. Raspberry and White Chocolate Scones!

The recipe is from the Dr Oetker website, where you can find lots more amazing recipes, if you click the link here.

Ingredients

250g Plain Flour

10g Baking Powder

25g Caster Sugar

Pinch of Salt

50g Unsalted Butter

125ml Whole Milk

50g Raspberries (dried or fresh)

75g White Chocolate Chunks

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix together. Add the butter and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Make sure you only use your finger tips, you don't want to melt the butter too much. Also, lift your mixture into the air while rubbing to encourage air into the mixture.

3. Mix in the raspberries and white chocolate chunks gently. Please keep in mind that if you use fresh raspberries, the liquid from the fruit will make the mixture even more sticky and wet. You will not need many raspberries if you are using fresh ones.

4. Gradually add the milk mixing after each addition. The dough will feel quite sticky.

5. Lightly flour the surface you are working on. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and knead until the dough comes together. Avoid over handling! If you use fresh raspberries and your dough is still very wet, you may need to use more flour on your kitchen side and hands to bring it together.

6. Press the dough to flatten it, until it is around 2cm thick.

7. Cut the scones out using a 5cm diameter fluted, round cutter. Gather any trimmings together, and flatten to cut out some more rounds. It is helpful if you flour your cutter, then the dough will not stick to it.

8. Arrange the scones on the baking tray. Brush the surface of the scones with a tiny bit of milk.

9. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until risen and golden brown.

10. Cool the scones on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

You can serve the scones however you like. Often, scones are best served warm with some cream and jam. However, there are some yummy fillings in the scone, you might just like them on their own. You could also melt some of the remaining chocolate chunks and drizzle it over the top.