Mud Pies

Did you make mud pies when you were a little girl?  I did.  I can remember sitting by the ditch at the end of our garden with my little bowl and spoon and making mud pies.

Little unappealing lumps of mud and twigs . . .  grass and gravel . . . inedible of course to anyone but my imaginary family who really loved them!

 




I still make mud pies, but these days they are quite edible, delicious. In fact, they are stogged full of lovely chunks of milk chocolate, sweet sticky sultanas and crunchy toasted walnuts!

Deliciousness personified!

They aren't pies really, but a lovely drop scone!  So lovely to make and to eat. 

I adore scones, and when they are as easy as these are, I love them even more. 

 

Dusted with a sweet drift of icing sugar . . . covering all of their tasty lumps and bumps.

I don't know anything that a light dusting of icing sugar doesn't pretty up. Well, baked goods that it. I doubt it would do much for mac and cheese.

I really wanted to bake something today that wasn't low fat or low sugar.  I knew I wouldn't be able eat them myself.

 But, then again,  I often don't eat what I bake. My husband does or I give it away.  I simply get a pleasure out of baking things for others. I do have a tiny taste, but that's all basically.

 

And my husband . . .  well, he is not overly fond of chocolate things.  But I really wanted to bake these today.

   

They were begging me to be baked and so I did. He had one and said it was pretty good as far as chocolate things go . . . I took it as a compliment.

But you know how these things work out.  The two Buckley Elders, Singsam and Judd . . .  they happened by this afternoon, checking up on me after my experience from yesterday, 

So I was able to sit them down with cold glasses of milk and one each of these.   And they REALLY enjoyed them.  

So much so that they took the remainder of them home with them.  I love it when that happens.

*Mud Pies*

Makes 8 or 9

Printable Recipe 

Very reminiscent of the mud pies of childhood.   These are not made of mud but are delicious drop scones, stogged full of milk chocolate, toasted walnuts and sultana raisins!  Break out the cold milk, these are scrumptious!

280g of plain flour (2 cups)

90g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup, firmly packed)

40g sifted cocoa powder (1/3 cup)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

86g of unsalted butter, chilled (6 TBS)

120ml of milk (1/2 cup)

1 large free range egg

1 tsp vanilla

10 ounces of milk chocolate, broken into bits

75g of sultana raisins (1/2 cup)

55g toasted walnut pieces (1/2 cup)

Icing sugar to dust (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  LIine a large baking sheet with baking paper and butter the paper.   Set aside. 

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the cocoa powder and baking powder.  Stir in the salt and brown sugar.   Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.   Beat together the milk, egg and vanilla.   Add all at once to the dry mixture, stirring to combine.   Stir in the chocolate bits, raisins and nuts.   Drop by 1/3 cups, leaving 3 inches in between, onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a scone comes out clean.   Remove to a wire rack and allwo to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool.   Serve warm or cool, dusted with icing sugar if desired.  Tasty tasty!

I don't know why, but chocolate things are really difficult to photograph and come out looking tasty, but I did try my best.  I hope you'll give them a go! 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

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