Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

It's possible that my soon-to-be husband falling in love with me had more than a little something to do with these scones. Without really realizing what I was doing, I won a piece of his heart over with baked goods when we first became friends. Going to hang out with him mid chocolate chip cookie recipe testing and baking the dough at his house. Bringing over scones because I had just made a batch and knew my eating the whole batch myself was a horrible idea. Ever since that first batch, he's been a huge believer that my scones are the best there are. And I think they're pretty great too!

So this recipe comes to you after a few weeks of my babes asking me to make a batch of scones (and my finally remembering to pick up some cream at the store for said scones!). The base of this scone recipe has served me well over the years - specked with freshly harvested wild blackberries and served with lemon curd, made with roasted poblano peppers, bacon, and aged cheddar cheese for a birthday morning treat, made simply with no additions to be served alongside Thanksgiving dinner. 

I've been on a chocolate hazelnut kick with the bounty of hazelnuts we're lucky to have in Oregon, so I thought this time around I'd try the recipe in a chocolate hazelnut version, with a bit of whole wheat flour to add a nuttier flavor to the dough - it did not disappoint! 

Dairy is of chief importance when you're making scones! It's the cream and butter that make scones the flaky, tender, delicate treat they are - so don't skimp on these things. I like to buy local grass-fed cream from wherever it is I'm living, and I always suggest using european style butter if you can find/afford it. That said, these beauties will come out great no matter what cream and butter you use! 

One of the great beauties of scones is their flexibility when it comes to the timeline for making them. While scones are absolutely best right out of the oven, that doesn't mean you have to go through the whole process to have them ready first thing in the morning. This scone dough both refrigerates and freezes beautifully. That means you can make the dough and put the cut scones in the fridge to bake the next morning, of freeze them and bake one or two whenever you're in the mood for a treat! 

As I so often do, I encourage you to use this recipe as a guide - adding in whatever scone flavor combinations you can dream up! Just keep the add-ins to about one and a half cups or less. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Scones

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you can also use all purpose flour) 

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

6oz cold unsalted butter 

3/4 cup cream (half and half works as well) 

1 cup hazelnuts, dry roasted and chopped 

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips 

1 egg, beaten 

• Combine the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a wide bowl. Whisk or stir to evenly distribute the ingredients. 
• Add the cubes of butter to the dry ingredients, and cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. Alternatively, this can be done with two knives (or a food processor, but I prefer my hands). You want the butter to break down to the point that the largest pieces are about the size of pebbles, as can be seen in the photo above. 
• Pour the cold cream into the bowl, and begin to gently stir using a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. 
• When the dough is just starting to come together, add the hazelnuts and chocolate. 
• Continue stirring until no flour remains at the bottom of the bowl. Add a little extra cream if needed. 
• Dump the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form it into a round disc,  about two inches thick. 
• Cut the dough into 8 pieces, then transfer the scones onto a parchment or baking mat lined baking sheet. 
• Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. 
• Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned. It will take longer if baking from the fridge or freezer. 

Ginger Molasses Granola

Granola has played a pretty big role in my life for a long time. It's one of those things that I always have in the house, and when I'm out of it... things never seem to go quite as smoothly as I plan. Mornings I'm in need of a snack while running out the door leave me stranded with a handful of nuts. And, well, that just isn't nearly as satisfying as these big granola clusters! 

You may have previously seen my classic spiced maple granola, or my granola clusters (also sweetened with maple syrup) on the blog. Those recipes are still great standbys, but a few things have changed in our house to lead me to this new molasses-packed version.

First of all, our joyful annual spring staycation housesitting for some friends and their maple syrup operation wasn't possible with our move to Oregon... so we're sorely lacking in the endless bounty of maple syrup that trip afforded us.  (And sorely lacking in the joy of sitting in front of this raging fire while the sap boils, slowly sweetening into golden syrup perfection). 

Second, I've been trying to be a little more aware of the amount of sugar that enters my body, especially early in the morning and late at night. Molasses lowers the sugar content of this granola a bit from a maple syrup based version. Plus, it adds that rich and addictive molasses flavor I can't get enough of! While molasses is still a sugar cane based sweetener, it contains a lot more minerals and nutrients than your basic sugar, including a hefty serving of iron. This is great for those of you who are women, and anyone who doesn't eat meat regularly or often finds they're a little low on iron (all of the above are accurate for me, so this granola is a godsend!). 

The best part? This granola is basically a ginger molasses cookie you can feel good about eating for breakfast! I've added both ground ginger and fresh grated ginger to make the flavor shines through that flavorful molasses. Ginger lovers rejoice! 

Ginger Molasses Granola 

Note: To make a granola that doesn't clump at all, omit the flour and stir the granola every 15 minutes or so while baking. To make a granola that is between totally loose and big clumps, include the flour and very gently stir the granola once during the baking process. This recipe also doubles very well, for those of you who eat through granola faster than you imagine possible. 

3 cups thick rolled oats  

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut  

1 cup nuts (almonds and walnuts are great choices!), roughly chopped 

1/4 cup flour (white or whole wheat will work) 

2 tsp ground ginger  

2 tsp cinnamon  

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses 

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter  

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated  

• Place oats, coconut, nuts, flour, ground ginger, and cinnamon in large mixing bowl and stir to combine. You want the flour and spices to distribute throughout the rest of the ingredients.
• Add the molasses, oil, and fresh ginger then stir until everything is evenly coated in the liquids.  
• Spread the mixture evenly on one large (or two small) baking sheets covered with parchment or a silicone baking mat. If you're shooting for the clumpiest granola, use a silicone spatula to flatten the mixture into a tightly packed layer about 1/2 inch thick. Make sure it is a similar thickness over the entire tray, not thinner at the edges, so it cooks evenly. 
• Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the granola feels dry to the touch. Knowing when to take this granola out of the oven can be a little tricky, because the molasses is so dark you can't watch it browning. But you got this!  
• Let the granola cool completely on the pan. If you're making the super clumpy version, it should come off of the pan in basically one solid piece. Break it into large chunks for snacking straight from the jar, or smaller chunks for eating with milk or yogurt.  
• Granola will keep in an airtight container for at least two weeks.  

Pork Gyozas (Japanese potstickers)

Just about every cuisine has some form of dumpling sitting near the center of what we consider comfort food. Indian cuisine has the samosa. Eastern Europe has the pierogi. Latin America has the empanada. Italy has ravioli. Japan has the gyoza, commonly known throughout Americanized Asian restaurants as the more generic potsticker. 

I can get behind all of these dough-wrapped delights, and slowly I'm learning to make each and every one of them from scratch at home. It's a labor of love to form each and every one of those little pockets - something often done with many hands - but my goodness is it worth it! 

While gyoza wrappers can be found in the freezer section of most Japanese markets, I wouldn't be honoring my inner self if I didn't take the time to make the wrappers from scratch. The recipe is simple, and doesn't take all that much time to bring together. I've even simplified it a little more by rolling out the dough in sheets, where many recipes I've seen call for each individual gyoza wrapper to be rolled individually... efficiency, friends! It makes all of our lives easier. 

But don't worry! I won't judge if you decide to just buy your wrappers at the store. We all have to honor our true selves, and that convenience is what many of us crave! 

Here we have them! The wrappers start to stack up, ready to be filled with their flavor-packed filling. 

I chose to start by making a classic pork gyoza with cabbage, garlic chives or green garlic (if you're making these during the magical time of spring when it's available), and ginger. The flavor of these beauties is powerful, but pleasing in a way that they should be enjoyed by just about everyone! 

Like I mentioned, assembling any form of dumpling is a commitment to a long process. It's meditative in the best way as a solo-task, and a great way to connect and laugh together with friends or family when done with many hands around the table. 

As I see it, once you're putting the effort into forming gyozas at home, you might as well take the time to make a big batch! This recipe will make about 50 gyozas, enough to serve a large party or be saved for a quick snack or side dish in the future. You can very easily freeze the gyozas and cook them straight from the freezer. Believe me, your future self will thank you! 

So here they are in all their ready-to-eat glory - crispy on the bottom, and ready to be gobbled right up! 

Homemade Gyoza Wrappers 

 from Just One Cookbook

Note: I know for many of you, making these at home will seem like a huge commitment. I love knowing that I made every part of what I'm eating from scratch, so am generally happy to put in the extra work. If this feels overwhelming and you live near a Japanese market, feel free to use store-bought wrappers! Having spent much of my life in places where ethnic shopping options are slim to nonexistent, having the recipes to make dishes like this from scratch is a life-saver! 

2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup boiling water 

potato starch for dusting 

• Place flour into a medium bowl, sifting it as you put it in or giving it a good whisk to make sure it's nice and fluffy before you start. 
• In a liquid measuring cup (or small bowl), whisk salt into boiling water until it has dissolved. 
• Slowly add the water to the flour, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon as you go. If needed, add additional boiling water in 1 tsp increments, until the dough comes together. You may need to use your hands partway through this process! 
• Transfer the ball of dough onto a clean work surface and knead for about ten minutes. The dough will be nice and smooth when you're finished. 
• Divide the dough in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes. 
• After it's finished resting, start with one half of the dough. Cover your work surface with potato starch and roll the dough until it is just about as thin as you can get it. Use a 3 inch round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass to cut as many circles as you can. Stack the circles in a damp kitchen towel as you go to keep them from drying out. Squeeze together any extra dough and set it in the damp towel as well. 
• Repeat this process with the second half of the dough, and then with all the scraps together. 

Gyoza Filling, Assembly, and Cooking 

filling recipe every so slightly adapted from Tadashi Ono's Japanese Soul Cooking

3 cups finely chopped napa cabbage (you can also use green or savoy cabbage) 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup garlic chives or green garlic, finely chopped

2 small cloves garlic, minced (if you use green garlic, I would omit this!) 

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 

2/3 lb ground pork 

2 tsp soy sauce 

4 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 tsp salt 

2 tsp sugar 

3 Tbsp potato starch, divided (plus extra for dusting) 

• Start by putting the cabbage in a large bowl, and mixing in the salt. Let this mixture sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the cabbage to a large clean kitchen towel, or nut milk bag and wring it out with all your might! You want to remove as much liquid as you possibly can from the cabbage. 
• Place the cabbage back in the large bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients, reserving 1 Tbsp of the potato starch. 
• Using your hands, toss all of the ingredients together mixing until they are evenly distributed. Mash the mixture together between your fingers for a few minutes until it holds together enough to be spooned into the dumplings. 
• Mix the remaining 1 Tbsp potato starch with 3 Tbsp of warm water in a small dish. This will act as your glue to close the dumplings. 
• Hold one of the wrappers in your hand, then dip a finger into your potato starch mixture and wet the entire edge of the wrapper with the liquid.  Place about 1 Tbsp of filling in the center of the wrapper, then fold it in half, squeezing together the wrapper to seal it up. 
• Place finished gyozas on a plate that has been lightly dusted with potato starch. Any that you're not planning to eat right away, freeze on a baking sheet then toss into a freezer bag. Fast and easy gyozas for busy nights in the future! 
• Now, for cooking the gyozas. Heat a pan big enough to fit however many you would like to cook over high heat for about 5 minutes. You want it to be fully heated! I recommend using a non-stick pan if you have one (or a cast iron skillet). Add about 1 Tbsp of sesame oil to the pan and spread it around. Place the gyozas into the pan with the seam side up and let them cook for about 30 seconds, then add 2/3 cup water and quickly cover the pan. Let them cook for about 4 minutes (8 minutes if you're cooking them from frozen). At this time, most of the water should have cooked off. Remove the lid and cook for 1 additional minute. Carefully scoop them up and onto the plates! 
• If you're a fan of Hane, the crispy skin often found on Japanese gyozas connecting them all together, add 1 1/2 Tbsp of flour to the 2/3 cup water before adding it to the pan. I have a horribly uneven stove, so the liquid pools over on one side of the pan. This makes the hane cook unevenly, and it really just won't happen well. My biggest suggestion if you decide to cook the hane is to use a non-stick pan. It'll make your life much much easier. 

Dipping Sauce 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

2 Tbsp rice vinegar 

1 Tbsp chili sauce, or another spicy condiment you have on hand 

• Whisk all the ingredients together, and serve alongside your gyozas for dipping!