Liam Charles' recipe for mini s'more scones

My eldest nephew has loved scones ever since he moved on from baby food. Just like me, he has a dangerously sweet tooth, and now he’s a bit older he’s also discovered the joys of chocolate and marshmallows. So I thought, why not combine his loves in the form of a s’more scone? The chocolate-flecked crumb is filled with melted marshmallow and topped with a digestive crust. Fusion baking! And an absolute treat for children and adults alike.

Mini s’more scones

Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 12

240g plain flour
30g caster sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp baking powder
65g cold butter, diced
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
2 eggs, one of them beaten, to glaze
55ml whole milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
50g digestive biscuits, finely chopped
8 large marshmallows

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/gas mark 3 and line a baking tray with parchment. For the scone mix, sift the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the diced butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the chocolate chips quickly, stirring so they are evenly distributed.

Beat one egg, the milk and vanilla extract together in a jug, then pour this into the dry mixture, stirring as you go. Bring together to form a rough dough – do not overmix.

Dust your worktop and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough to a rough square, 3-4cm thick. Dip a round 4cm diameter cutter in flour and cut out as many rounds as you can, using a swift motion. Re-roll the left-over dough and cut out more scones until you have a dozen. Put them on the lined baking tray.

With a pastry brush, slather the top of your scones with the egg wash, sprinkle the digestives on top of each scone, and bake for 15 minutes until well risen. The base should be a deep golden brown, which should sound hollow when tapped.

Heat the grill to high. Once the scones have slightly cooled, cut them in half, pop one marshmallow onto the base sides of the scones. Grill until the marshmallow begins to melt and brown. Sandwich the scone halves back together and enjoy.