Blackberry chamomile scones with caramelized white chocolate

Instructions

• In a spice grinder or small food processor pulse the sugar and chamomile together just a few times, until the chamomile is finely ground.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup of the chamomile sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
• Add the cubed butter to the bowl, coat in the flour mixture, and working swiftly, flatten and smoosh the butter pieces between your fingers. You’ll still have some slightly larger butter pieces in the mixture which is fine, as long as they’ve all been somewhat flattened.
• Pour in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and stir gently to incorporate until you have a very shaggy dough that has begun to form clumps but is still very crumbly and has a few dry patches of flour. Add in the blackberries and gently toss with your fingers to coat them with the flour mixture.
• Turn the dough out onto a cutting board. If there are no major dry patches of flour and the dough starts clumping together when squeezed between your fingers, then move onto the next step. If it has any areas that are very dry and will not hold together at all, add a little buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time. You shouldn’t need to add more than 2-3 tablespoons at most.
• Gently press the dough together into a square shape. If you have a bench scraper, it can help to use that as a wall to gently press the dough against. Cut the dough in half, and use a bench scraper or spatula to lift the other half and place it on top—grab any crumbles that fell off and add it to the top. Gently pat down and repeat another 1-2 times. The dough will start off very shaggy but should be less crumbly after doing this about twice.  Be careful not to overwork the dough. It will still not be a fully uniform or smooth dough in the end. As long as it’s holding together, you should be good! Pat the dough gently into a square shape about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
• While you’re waiting, preheat the oven to 425F. Remove the dough from the freezer and cut the square into four quarters and then cut each of those diagonally in half to form a total of eight triangles.
• Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle the remaining chamomile sugar on top. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, rotating once halfway through baking. Let cool until the bottoms are only slightly warm. These scones are best served the same day they’re made but will keep in an airtight container for another couple of days.
• Make the caramelized white chocolate
• Preheat the oven to 250F. Coarsely chop the white chocolate and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes and then give it a stir. Continue baking, stirring every 5 to 7 minutes, until the white chocolate is fragrant and has turned a deep beige color, like butterscotch. The chocolate may look lumpy at times—just use an offset spatula to press down on the chocolate to create a thinner layer. Swirl back and forth with the spatula to help smooth out the lumps.
• Once the chocolate has reached the desired color, scrape it into a bowl and stir in one tablespoon of heavy cream to thin it out a bit. Let cool. If the chocolate became gritty or lumpy at all, you can run it through a food processor to smooth it out again.
• To serve, warm the chocolate for just a few seconds in the microwave so that it has a runny consistency. Pour into a Ziploc bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner. Use that as a piping bag and drizzle the chocolate back and forth across the top of each scone. Let sit for about 30-60 minutes, for the chocolate to fully set.