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 . . . and they are stogged full of lovely chunks of milk chocolate, sweet sticky sultanas and crunchy toasted walnuts!
They aren't pies really, but a lovely drop scone! So lovely to make and to eat.
Dusted with a sweet drift of icing sugar . . . covering all of their tasty lumps and bumps . . .
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 I often don't eat what I bake . . . Todd does or I give it away. I simply get a pleasure out of baking things . . .
And Todd . . . 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 . . .
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
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!
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