Blood Orange Chocolate Chunk Scones

Directions

1. 1
   Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. 2
   Cut the cold butter into 1/4" (6mm) cubes and place in the refrigerator while prepping the other ingredients.Zest the oranges, peel and chop the flesh into small pieces taking care to reserve the juices from the oranges.
3. 3
   Place the flesh into a small bowl and add 1 Tbs of all purpose flour to the blood orange flesh. Stir to coat. Set aside. In a measuring cup mix the cream, and vanilla extract.
4. 4
   Add the zest and pour the orange juice into the measuring cup with the cream and vanilla mixture. Set aside.Sift the remaining all purpose flour, almond flour, corn starch, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
5. 5
   Add the cold butter to the sifted ingredients and use a pastry cutterto cut in the butter into the pastry. (You can use your fingers here, but I like to keep the butter as cold as possible). The butter should be about pea size, evenly coated, and distributed in the flour.
6. 6
   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.Gently stir the mixture until the flour is just moistened. The dough will be shaggy and seem dry.
7. 7
   Add the chopped chocolate and the chopped blood orange pieces. Fold in to incorporate, eventually using your hands to press and fold the dough together, just a few times. Squeeze a portion of the dough in your fist. It should loosely hold together.Dump the contents out of the bowl onto a flour dusted work surface and start folding the dough over and onto itself 10-12 times (this helps build layers), while eventually pressing the dough together forming a circle. The dough will seem dry at first, but as it is folded it will begin to hydrate. Use a bench scraper to help you gather the bits of dough and to fold the dough over onto itself. Work gently, but quickly as the dough needs to stay cold and overworking the dough can cause the scones to flatten while baking. If the dough becomes sticky pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill. Pat the dough out to 1" (2.54 cm) thick circle and cut into 8 wedges using a large knife with one downward cut - no sawing here.
8. 8
   Place scones on the parchment lined sheet pan and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes, while the oven is preheating to 425F (218C). At this point, the scones can be held in the fridge overnight for a quick bake in the morning. Or, they can be held in the freezer for up to one week - thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Just make sure they are wrapped tightly.Before baking, prepare the egg wash by whipping the egg and water. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg mixture over the scones.
9. 9
   Sprinkle the raw sugar evenly over the top of each scone (it's for the crunch!).
10. 10
    Bake for 20 minutes at 425F, then turn the oven down to 375F (190C) for an additional 4-5 minutes. (I like my scones dark and crusty, so I press on right up to 24-25 minutes, but this will vary due to oven differences, so just keep an eye on them starting at 20 minutes so they don't burn).
11. 11
    Remove from oven and carefully transfer scones to a cooling rack.Best served fresh and warm.