Chocolate Chip Yogurt Based Scones

  

I used to love getting chocolate chip scones from Starbucks when I was in high school, but for some reason I haven't been able to find a chocolate chip scone there for years, it's like as soon as I graduated high school they were gone. This made me very sad and although I have missed them for years, I just now got to making some for myself rather than purchasing them from other local pastry shops.  My friend Megan is like a professional scone maker, so she helped me with these since it was my first time making scones. These turned out delicious, although they aren't quite what I remember from Starbucks, I must try again until I get that Starbucks quality, my guess is they used a cream base rather than yogurt.

Makes 8 mini scones

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
a good pinch of salt
2 Tbsp butter, chilled
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Dice the butter and blend it into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter, until no visible lump of butter remains (if you don't have a pastry cutter, try crumbling the butter with clean hands).

4. In a small bowl combine the yogurt, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips. Gradually add yogurt mixture into flour butter mixture. Blend until the dough forms a ball. Handle the dough as lightly as you can. Avoid overmixing, or the scones won't be as tender. It is okay if there is some dry ingredients leftover that were not able to get incorporated.

5. Pat the dough into a flattish round, about 3 cm (a little over an inch) in thickness, and cut into eight wedges with a knife or a pastry cutter.

6. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet, giving them a little space to expand. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the top of the scones is set and lightly golden. Once scones are cooked, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Serve warm, enjoy!

Recipe adapted from http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2004/02/yogurt_scones.php