Orange Chocolate Chip Scones: The scones that stole my heart and took my breath away!

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in the UK. As promised, I made my family (specially dedicated to my mom, of course) a lavish brunch consisting of a feta/mushroom/spinach quiche with a hashbrown crust, a baked apple pie pancake with homemade salted caramel, these amazing (out of this world, to die for, knock-your-socks-off, every positive adjective!) orange chocolate scones, and greek yogurt and homemade fresh strawberry sauce parfaits. 

This post is the first of recipes in this brunch series. It also happens to be my favorite.

THESE SCONES ARE SO GOOD YOU HAVE TO MAKE THEM! I promise you won't regret it. 

And what's more? The hardest part of this recipe is grating the orange zest. Fresh orange zest and fresh orange juice are the essence of these scones. Don't be lazy and use stuff from the supermarket - your scones won't be as good! Plus, fresh = healthier, right? Seriously though. Also, use some good quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips - the kind that get all melty and delicious when baked, the kind that are so rich and full of chocolatey goodness.

Chocolate and orange are a killer flavor combination. I used to be a non-believer in this match made in heaven, but these scones were one of the things that helped convert me. The tanginess, bitterness and zestiness of the orange combined with a creamy, richness of the chocolate - wow, now that's a winner!

If that wasn't enough to convince you, here's two more things that may get you on-board. Firstly, my non-sweet-toothed dad ate two large scones. Now that may not seems significant, but it's a huge deal... and that, too, combined with all the other brunch goodies! Secondly, I am shamelessly (not really) admitting that we wiped the entire batch of scones clean in a single sitting... Yup, we still ate all the rest of the food as well! They were that good.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup unrefined sugar

freshly grated zest of 3 juicing oranges

5 tbsp cold butter

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

4-8 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

pinch of granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Sift the flours and baking powder and mix in the sugar and orange zest.

Next, cut in the butter in small cubes using a knife or pastry cutter and mix into the dry ingredients until it resembles course crumbs the size of peas. Don't overmix with your hands as the butter will melt and large chunks of cold butter are what make scones light and moist! 

Add in the chocolate chips.

Lastly, tablespoon by tablespoon, mix in the orange juice until the scone "dough" is just holding together. If you add too much liquid, the scones won't be scones - they'll be muffins!

Transfer the dough to the baking tray and form a large circle. Gently press down with your hands until it is around 3/4-1 inch thick. Cut into 8-10 triangles. 

Sprinkle with some granulated sugar.

Bake for around 15-18 minutes, or until the top looks a beautiful golden brown.

Wait for them to cool, and enjoy!

Like all scones, these taste best on the first day, so don't worry about eating them all! I won't tell...

Homemade Salted Caramel

I've been wanting to make my own salted caramel for forever. And I literally mean forever. As much as I'm a major chocoholic, I really really love good salted caramel. I'm drooling just thinking about it - drizzled on ice cream, pancakes, french toast, pies, crumbles, in milkshakes, frappucinos, dipping anything and everything into it (apples, cookies, yes... spoon included!). 

After reading tons of recipes and articles that made it sound like a real art and a very difficult technique to master, I was slightly put off and well, scared, which is why it took me a while to take the plunge. Well, I finally did, and boy oh boy.... I'm so glad I did.

I'm not going to lie. I didn't get it right on the first try - the sugar burnt, and the final caramel was a chocolate brown color... NOT the way salted caramel should be. But the second batch was perfect. I'm pretty proud of myself, to be honest. Just two batches to get it right? Good job Tanvi!

My version requires no fancy ingredients and no fancy equipments - this means NO candy thermometers like the majority of recipes call for!

The ten minute process is very involved and you don't want to step away from the stove. But ten minutes of paying close attention for a jar of delicious, homemade salted caramel? It's worth it. I promise you!

If you're a caramel fan, I urge you to stop buying the pre-jarred stuff, or even worse, the stuff out of a squeezy bottle! This is SO. MUCH. BETTER.

One more thing checked off my list with this recipe - taking photos with sauce "dripping"! I had a ton of fun with my mom taking these pictures (not sure if she felt the same way!). I'm quite happy with the way they turned out, but as always, there's lots of room for improvement.

Homemade salted caramel. What are you waiting for?

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar** 

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in three squares from the stick 

(should be firm - from the fridge is best)

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 tsp sea salt (fleur de sel is best, but I didn't have any)

**I used raw cane sugar, which is a light brown color, which is why my caramel is a bit darker than if you were to start with white sugar

Instructions

Heat sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a deep, golden-brown, amber-colored viscous liquid. At all times, be careful not to burn!

Once the sugar is all melted, immediately add the butter. The mixture will bubble, so do watch out. Stir until the butter has completely melted and is mixed well into the sugar.

Slowly pour in the heavy cream. Due to the reaction between the cold cream and hot sugar mixture, the final mixture will bubble vigorously. Allow the mixture to boil/bubble for 30 seconds. It will rise in the pan as it does so. Once again, watch that it's not burning!

Remove from heat and stir in salt, starting with 1/2 tsp and adding as you taste. Allow to cool.

Store in a tightly-capped jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Warm slightly before using again.

Enjoy - I'm sure you will!

Luscious Lemon Squares

Before we even begin to think or speak about these lemon bars (lemons are such a spring thing, and it's spring!), I'd like to share with you a great lunch experience I had today.

My mom and I ventured out on another one of our weekly (often more than once a week!) lunch dates exploring London's food scene. On our agenda today: Tibits.

Tibits is extremely conveniently located just off Oxford Street and tucked away in a cute little nook (on a tiny street called Heddon Street). It's location itself makes it a hotspot for office crowd, teenagers hanging out and shoppers alike.  It's a vegetarian cafe/bar/restaurant flaunting a very unique concept. Food is served in a food boat (buffet style) and has on offer a variety of hot dishes that change daily, delicious salads and cold dishes, a soup of the day, bread rolls, and a not-to-be missed dessert section. You pile your plate high, then head to the counter to weigh you plate and pay (yes, you pay by weight). I will shamelessly admit that my plate was quite full, and hence, slightly pricey! But you're paying for quality. Everything I had was fresh, healthy, wholesome and outstandingly yummy! I, being a sugar addict, and thankfully my mom is my dessert partner-in-crime, finished my lunch and headed for a dessert round. We were blown away by the sticky toffee pudding with dates, maple syrup and ginger. That's all I'll say about Tibits right now, but I could rave on and on and give it lots of praise. If you take away one thing, it's that Tibits is definitely worth a try if you're in London!

Back to these luscious and tart lemon squares. Like most of my recipes, they're relatively healthy, super easy to put together and made with ingredients you'll probably have in your pantry right now.

Rather than ramble on and on, let me cut to the chase! Check out the recipe below and when your citrus cravings hit, this is your go-to recipe!

Ingredients
For the base:
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup baby oats
3 tbsp unrefined sugar
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp cold water
pinch of salt

For the lemon filling:
4 eggs
1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
8 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tbsp honey
1 tbsp unrefined sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cup flour
pinch of salt

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 175 C.
Mix together all the ingredients for the base and press into a baking dish lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top looks crunchy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, make the filling.
Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey and sugar. Add in the eggs and salt and whisk again. Lastly, mix in the flour, making sure there are no small lumps of flour left.
The mixture will be quite runny, but that's fine. Pour the prepared mixture on top of the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is cooked through but still gooey and soft.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cut into squares and serve.
Enjoy!

Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seeds are a superfood that have been gaining popularity like crazy in the past year. Although I was late to try them, I've been amazed by their versatility. The seeds themselves have no distinct flavor, so it's all up to you. Whatever liquid you decide to soak them in is the flavor they'll pick up as they absorb the liquid.

This simple (non) recipe for chia seed pudding can be made up to five days in advance! The pudding can be eaten as a great, healthy, filling breakfast or as a guilt-free dessert. The varieties and options are literally endless - different soaking liquid, choice of nuts, wide range of fruits, chocolate is welcome to join as well!

Here I've done a very simple vanilla honey chia seed pudding layered with some of this raspberry chia jam and topped with some greek yogurt and chopped almonds.

This works as a great, no-cook breakfast that you can prep the night before and just grab out of the fridge when you're ready to eat. Topping it with some fresh fruit would complete the breakfast experience (breakfast without fruit isn't breakfast to me!). It's a great alternative to overnight oats especially if that ends up being your breakfast almost everyday! Don't forget it can be sneakily-healthy dessert option as well!

Ingredients
For 1 breakfast-sized serving
3/4 cup milk of choice
4 tbsp chia seeds
2-3 tsp honey
few drops vanilla extract
toppings - fruit, nuts, other seeds, jams, yogurt

Instructions
Add all ingredients except toppings in a jar, bowl or container and mix around. Place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, top the chia seed pudding with your desired toppings or layer in another serving bowl/glass.
Enjoy!