Afternoon Delight

How can any afternoon tea go British style without some English scones?

I love having afternoon tea. It is a habit I have cultivated prolly since I was in Kindergarten. Every kid was given a biscuit and a small cup of water/juice. And then it would be my favourite time of the day – napping time (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*) Being as a typical Hong Kong girl, I love having a cup of HK style silky milktea with a buttery pineapple bun for afternoon tea. But I do miss the years I spent in UK occasionally. And the cream tea is definitely the best way to reminisce about those years abroad.

The cream tea is a form of afternoon tea, with a combination of scones and a pot of English tea (I prefer Earl Grey for afternoon). The key is, of course, having a thick layer of clotted cream and jam on the scones (*’∀`) ~ ♥

Clotted cream is created by gathering the floated fat after heating and cooling down the whole milk. It’s so creamy, smooth, milky, buttery… I enjoy smothering the nice, warm scone with a thick layer of clotted cream, watching it slowly melts away (๑¯∀¯๑) Some people may prefer to have it with honey/golden syrup instead of jam. Apparently that is called the ‘Thunder and Lightning‘ (thanks Wiki!)

There is nowhere on Earth can do the cream tea better than in Devon or Cornwall where it was originated. Two is usually the optimum number of scones for afternoon tea. However, by cutting out doughs using a glass with smaller diameter, you can definitely have more than two of these little cuties without feeling blotted! You may even finish up the little tub of clotted cream before you realise it ( ♥д♥)

CHOCOLATE CHIPS MINI SCONES

(Make 16-20 scones)
INGREDIENTS :

• 150 g Butter, taken out from fridge right before mixing
• 500 g Self-raising flour
• 2 level tsp Baking powder
• 2 heaped tsp Golden caster sugar
• pinch of Salt
• 2 large Eggs
• 4 tbsp Milk
• Clotted cream & Strawberry jam, for serving

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Lining the baking tray with baking sheets
2. Put butter, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl
3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder.
4. Use your thumbs and forefingers to break up the butter and rub it into the flour.
5. Make a hole in the center of the bowl. Add in the eggs, milk and chocolate chips.
6. Stir with a spatula until you have a soft, slightly dry dough.
7. Sprinkle over some flour. Cover the bowl with cling film and store in the fridge for 15 mins.
8. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until 2-3 cm thick.
9. Cut out circles from the dough with a glass. Place them on the baking tray
10. Fold in and roll out the remaining dough again and continue cutting out circles
11. Brush the top of each scone with milk/egg/melted butter.
12. Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins, until risen and golden.
13. Take them out and leave them to cool down a little.
14. Serve with clotted cream/fresh cream/butter and jam/honey/syrup.

TIPS:

• The less you touch the dough, the shorter and crumblier the scones will be.
• Temperature settings of ovens vary. Pay attention and check often while baking. If the surfaces become golden before the scones are cooked, reduce the temperature or put a piece tin foil on top the scones.
• You can keep the scones for the next day. Spray some water before reheating them in the oven

I absolutely adore the aroma of freshly baked scone,  and the super crumbly, buttery texture  ヾ(´︶`*)ﾉ♬ If you want a Chinese version of this recipe then check this. If you want to know more about the nation’s favourite and the proper, the most British way to enjoy it, check out this link here on How to eat: A Cream Tea.

Interested to see more of my creations? Checkout my instagram hashtag #fisweetcookery or follow my instagram ＠fisweet

xx