Dark Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf
Holy crap. Tonight we are leaving for a big European adventure!! Our bags are mostly packed but the good news is that I've got all our plane snacks in order, as well as my cozy socks, Bose headphones (the ones that cancel out all the noise), and I got a new fancy Apple iPhone case that charges while protecting, so I feel pretty ready. I've also got converters, reading materials, tons of photos to edit, and some no-jet-lag tablets (thanks for the rec Lil). Hopefully I haven't forgotten something major, but if I have, Moses has reminded me five bajillion times that we can pick whatever it is up when we land!
So where are we going? London! Paris! Amsterdam! Berlin! Copenhagen! We'll be gone for nearly a month and I'm already 95% sure I'll need a second suitcase by the time we're ready to head back to the states (shhh don't tell Moses). To everyone who has shot over recs via text, email, fb, insta, etc., you are awesome and we are so so grateful. I've got a big ol' Google doc with a tab for every city, packed with tons of rows and columns of all your suggested gems. We've already mapped out most of our days, but of course, if you've got any more musts, please share!! We'll be sharing everything via Instagram and Instagram stories, and I'll be posting city recaps/guides here later!!
In the spirit of our upcoming (like coming up later today) journey, we've been enjoying these insanely delicious and super travel-friendly scones (many slices def made it into the snack bag). Of course we've been making big pots of tea and chatting in our best (bad, really bad) English accents while scoffing down slices because it makes everything 100 percent better. This scone loaf is bananas, aka amazing, aka genius, and I'm so freakin' excited to share it with you guys cause it's from Molly on the Range!!
Molly = one of my favorite ppl on the planet. She is the queen of sprinkles, and she also just wrote one of the best cookbooks I've ever seen/owned/loved!! Every recipe in it is the perfect combination of inventive, quirky, cool, and yummy sounding (<--that's a good way to describe a recipe, right?) and the book is so perfectly Molly. It's gorgeous, like so pretty that you want to lick the pages. And the stories are so good that I felt like Molly was right here in my kitchen, telling me about her first date with eggboy and all about her days at Julliard (it's a cookbook you'll actually read). I'm already looking forward to coming back from our trip and making/baking all the things!! I've already made her All of the Alliums Fried Rice a gajillion times and am so obsessed with it, and implicitly trust her when it comes to anything food related. Molly on the Range is out tomorrow and it's pretty much the coolest thing since hagelslag on toast!! And tomorrow we'll also be in LONDON!!!
INGREDIENTS
7 or 9 oz. marzipan, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar*
3/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 large eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 c. sprinkles, optional**
Jam, for serving
TOOLS
8 x 4-inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper
Measuring cups and spoons
Food processor
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Wooden spoon or spatula
Wire cooling rack
Sharp knife
Cutting board
FIX
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing 1-inch wings to hang over the edges on the long sides.
In a large bowl, toss together the marzipan and powdered sugar to coat. Add the chocolate chips and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the butter is in the size of peas. Add this to the bowl with the marzipan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk or cream, and the extracts and add to the dry ingredients. If you're adding sprinkles, add them in now. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until just combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 40 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using the parchment wings, remove to the rack to cool completely. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with jam.
Notes: *I sprinkled mine with turbinado sugar instead of granulated for extra crunch. **I added sprinkles for the full Molly experience.