Orange Cherry Chocolate Chip Scones

Flour, sugar, a leavening agent, a hint of salt, and butter dance around in a stainless steel bowl. A waltz begins to play as a white paddle conducts a symphony of taste and flavor that is known only to certain breads. The rhythmic swaying of the steady movements, are all planned out. Each beat is the same and with every passing second the sound intensifies. The cold unsalted butter breaks down to small, pea-sized clumps creating a coarse, crumbly mixture. The smell of citrus bounces through the air, as orange zest falls through a grater and into the cacophony of sweetened flour and butter. Flavorings that seem like they were made for each other are added in unison. All part of a greater plan for a treat that melts in your mouth. One you can’t help but love and savor to the bitter end.

Tart and chewy dried cherries are added to the mix, not only to bring in another layer of unprecedented flavor, but also to counter balance the citrusy orange and the sweetness from the chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, in all their glory, cascade down into the crumb mixture, and douses it with jewels of sweetness. The harmony emitting from the mixer makes you smile and your heart jump with joy. Just before the aroma becomes too much to bear, the slow and steady downrush of chilled heavy cream brings the symphony to a crescendo as the dry mixture becomes a sticky dough right before your eyes. A quick mix, and a sudden halt, you form the dough into a shape resembling a square and you make precise even cuts. With each gliding movement of the blade a scone takes shape.

A skating brush paints on a thin layer of cream over each triangle of dough. Quickly they are placed in a hot oven. With the door closed, heat flies around, rotating through the confined, closed space. Baking, the scones go from pale white to golden brown, flaky and delicate. And in no time the pan is removed from the hot box and placed on a rack to cool. This precious time, allowing the wonderment to cool and come to an end in a decrescendo, the soft music starts to slowly fade. Now a faint whisper, you pick up a scone and break off a piece. As it enters your mouth and you begin to chew, you taste the layers upon layers of flavor. You’re first hit with that familiar twang of orange, and as your taste buds familiarize themselves with the citrus, suddenly a tartness enters the picture. The sharp poignant sweetness of the dried cherries, now takes center stage, and last but not least, in a final bow, the warm sweet chocolate melts into the perfectly balanced bread. The curtains fall and all around, you hear applause. Suddenly you open your eyes, as you’ve now realized they were tightly shut this entire time. The clapping, which you attributed to hundreds of fans, was really just coming from your own two hands. Slightly embarrassed, you turn to see if anyone has witnessed your display of emotion, relieved you pick up another scone and enjoy it even more so than the first time. Content with your orchestral abilities, you enter an euphoric state of bliss with nothing but orange cherry chocolate chip scones on your mind.

Cheddar-Dill Scones

Under the covers, you sleep. In a warm bed, cozy as can be, you dream about all the things that do not seem possible when you are awake. Not only are these situations and abilities attainable but they happen with such ease and precision that it seems unnatural. In sleep, you are transported to magical places. With each dream, such fantasies and tales come to life. They spiral out of control and shoot up straight to the sky. The unpredictable takes place and you somehow forget about all your troubles and fears. There is no place or room for nightmares in your dreams. Luscious lands, abundant with riches and love are all around  you. In dreams, you are never without. Food is piled high, like something right out of Willy Wonka. Oh how you dream about obtaining a golden ticket of your own and eating your way through chocolate rivers and edible hills and valleys. All the while short orange people with green hair are dancing around you as you devour everything and anything in sight. Food, food, food galore. Bubble gum that tastes like all the meals you love so much. Plants and trees that are not only edible, but deliciously delectable.

Suddenly, you begin to hear something. You cease from drinking the chocolate river. Put down the candy flowers and leaves, and stop to listen. You can’t quite make out what this peculiar sound is. The noise is somewhere far off in the distance, muffled and yet you cannot shake the feeling that you’ve heard it before. This particular sound has stopped you in your tracks and cemented your feet to the ground, rendering you immobile. Try as you might you cannot move. All of a sudden your body feels like it’s being pulled upward, stretching, and vacuuming you through a portal. Everything around you, the chocolate river, the candy plants, trees, leaves, and dancing oompa lumpas are just a blurred spiral, now. A vision that once was, but no longer there, just blurred streaks of color. As everything is moving rapidly, the sound is getting closer. Louder and louder, you make it out to be an annoying buzzing sound. But what in the world can it be? BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ. BUZZZZZZZZZZZ. You start screaming, tossing and turning, using all of your body strength to stay with Charlie and his new factory.

Your eyes open, to the bright light that is filling your entire room. You start to familiarize yourself with all your belongings. You’re entangled in your soft and warm bedding. You realize that you’ve been laying down, head on a pillow, and it all starts to make sense; you’re awakening from a deep slumber. Angry at the alarm clock for waking you up from such a lovely dream, you hit it with an unnecessary force to make the noise stop. Silence. You’d like nothing more but to stay in bed, snug as a bug in a rug dreaming about tasty landscapes and chocolate rivers, but alas you must get up. You begin to think about how in the world you’ll get through the  day when all of a sudden your nose catches something distinctive and enticing. The smell of baking bread. You jump to your feet, and run out of the room like a bat out of hell. Stumbling and tumbling, you make your way to the staircase and take two at a time to get to the bottom. Your nose follows the wafting smell and places the source at the kitchen. You enter the kitchen, enthusiastically and lively, and make a B-line for the oven. Your heart starts to jump for joy as you realize that cheddar-dill scones are baking away, and what’s more, they are just about done. Glancing at the timer, you see that one minute is left, so you reach for a plate and a fork. 5-4-3-2-1-ding. With oven-mitted hands you carefully remove your newly discovered treasure, plate yourself two and go off into the sweet oblivion that is just-baked morning scones. Somehow your day has started off on the right foot. Yup, it doesn’t get any better than that.