Chocolate Chip Scones are a simple pleasure, having a tender flaky texture and crumbly exterior with just the right amount of sweetness. They're perfect for breakfast or brunch, and make a nice addition to an afternoon tea!
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Why this recipe works
- Cream scones have a tender flaky texture and a crunchy exterior
- Chocolate chips upgrade a basic cream scone recipe to something special
- Homemade chocolate chip scones are easy to make and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack
Chocolate Chip Scones are one of life's simple pleasures. You'll see them in major coffeehouses and in the bakery section of your local supermarket. But sometimes these commercially made scones can be dry and crumbly with no real flavor.
That's when it's time to bake your own! These easy Chocolate Chip Scones only take a few minutes of hands-on work time, and will be better than anything you can buy!
These Chocolate Chip Cream Scones are tender and flaky on the inside, and have a nice crunchy exterior. They're perfect for breakfast or brunch, and make a nice addition to an afternoon tea.
So why bother with dry, bland supermarket or coffeehouse chocolate chip scones? You can have freshly-baked homemade Chocolate Chip Scones that will be so much better than store bought!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this chocolate chip scones recipe:
Ingredient Notes
The basic ingredients for cream scones don't vary a whole lot: all-purpose flour, heavy cream, butter, sugar, baking powder, an egg, and salt.
Butter: How you cut up your butter isn't as important as keeping it cold. Generally I'll grate frozen butter on a box grater before cutting it into the flour mixture. You can also cut chilled butter into small ½-inch cubes. Either way, make sure the butter is well chilled before cutting it into the flour mixture.
Some cream scones recipes use more butter than the 3 : 1 : 2 recipe ratio. For this recipe, you can add another 2 tablespoons of butter for more richness if you'd like.
Baking powder: This scone recipe uses 1 tablespoon of baking powder to insure you'll have tall, tender scones. Don't substitute baking soda as the scones will have a metallic taste to them.
Chocolate chips: Add a nice burst of chocolate to complement the sweetness and buttery scone texture.
Flavoring: To flavor your scones, you can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon of vanilla and ¼ teaspoon of another extract like almond, peppermint, or Fiori di Sicilia (an orange vanilla flavoring).
Toppings: The scones are topped with a bit of coarse sugar sprinkled on before baking to add a little crunch.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Is baking powder necessary for making scones?
Funny you should ask, because I did leave out the baking powder one time and this was the result: flat, unappealing scones with a tough texture. The baking powder works to create lift in the oven, and contributes to the overall soft and crumbly texture you want.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Scones
Step 1: Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (photo 1).
Toss the butter into the flour mixture to coat, then use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to work the butter into the flour until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear (photo 2). Don't overdo this step as you don't want the butter to warm up and mix completely into the flour.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla (if using). Slowly add the heavy cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together (photo 3). Using a bowl scraper will help to combine the dough in the bowl without your hands warming up the butter, plus you can see any crumbs at the bottom that still need to be mixed in.
You have to be flexible about the amount of liquid to add to the flour mixture as the actual amount will depend on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers and if it is very crumbly, add more liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum). If the dough is too wet, you can knead in 1 tablespoon of flour when you turn out the dough. Don't over-mix the dough - you want to keep that butter cold and separate from the flour.
Making scones in the food processor
I've noticed as I've grown older that it's getting harder for me to make scone dough by hand, especially if I'm using frozen butter.
Using the food processor is a quick and efficient way to make scone dough, as long as you follow the #1 rule: Don't overwork the dough! Use short 5 to 10 second pulses to process the dough - you still want to see the chunks of butter after the dough is mixed. Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
- Pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until it's combined.
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse a few times. Stop as soon as you see the flour mixture looking crumbly with pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Add the liquid ingredients and pulse just until the dough holds together.
Now you're ready to turn out the dough and continue with the recipe.
Step 2: Fold in the chocolate chips
Use the bowl scraper to push the dough into a ball in the bowl, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rough square about 1-inch high.
Sprinkle some of the chocolate chips on the dough, then fold it in half to seal them in (reserve some chocolate chips to press into the dough later). Repeat a couple more times, so the cranberries are evenly distributed in the dough (photo 4). This process is similar to how mix-ins are kneaded into bread dough.
Gather the dough, and flatten it into a 6-inch disk (if you want square scones, shape the dough into a rectangle with the short side about 4-inches long). Use a bench scraper to release the dough, if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Step 3: Portion the dough
Once the dough is chilled, you have your choice of how to shape the scones:
- For wedge-shaped scones: Roll out the disk into an 8-inch circle, then use the bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 wedges.
- For round scones: Roll out the disk to a height of about ¾ inches. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (gather, press, and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).
- For square scones: Roll out the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into twelve 2-inch squares.
Place the scones about 2-inches apart on a half baking sheet pan covered in a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Press in the reserved dried chocolate chips on the tops of the scones (photo 5).
Step 4: Bake the scones
Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream with a pastry brush and sprinkle on some coarse sugar.
Bake the scones at 400°F for about 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown (photo 6). Remove from the oven and cool the scones on the baking pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage Instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before serving.
Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Yield Notes
The yield is generally about 8 scones (that's what I get from a circle cut into wedges or with a 3-inch round cookie cutter), and up to 12 (cutting the square scones). Your yield may vary.
What goes with scones?
Why, homemade lemon curd and clotted cream, of course! I've also seen whipped cream, butter, crème fraîche, and various jams and jellies at teas I've attended, just to name a few. No rules!
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Recipe ratios are an easy way to remember the basic building blocks for many items. The concept comes from Chef Michael Ruhlman's book, Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking book. For example, the recipe ratio for a pie crust is as easy as 3 : 2 : 1 (3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part liquid) by weight (using a kitchen scale comes in handy here). This post takes a deeper dive into how to use recipe ratios in cooking and baking.
Biscuits fall under a 3 : 1 : 2 ratio, 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. A cream scone is just an enriched biscuit, meaning eggs are included in the measurement of the liquid (in this case, heavy cream) for richness and tenderness. And just as with making pie crust, it's important to keep everything chilled as you go.
The best way to make sure you have scone success is to be sure not to over-work the scone dough by cutting in the butter too much. You want the dough to have pea-sized chunks of butter that you can see. Chilling the dough right before baking also helps to firm up the butter before baking.
Why? Like with biscuits, cold chunks of butter in the dough ensure that the scone will have the texture you want. This is because when the scones bake, the steam created by the water in the butter evaporating makes the flaky, crumbly texture that scones are known for.
Technically, yes, you can use baking soda in scones. You'll have to make sure that there is some sort of acid for the baking soda to react with in order for it to leaven the scone dough, like buttermilk or lemon juice. Use about ¼ of the amount of the baking powder so the scones don't have a metallic taste.
Yes! Heavy cream just makes the scones richer, but you can use any type of milk or milk-alternative that you'd like.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More biscuit and scone recipes to try
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Scones
Equipment
- box grater if butter is frozen
- 3-inch round cookie cutter or your choice of size and shape, optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, grated or cubed, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus extra for brushing on top, see Recipe Notes
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or another flavoring, optional, see Recipe Notes
- 3 ounces chocolate chips, (½ cup)
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a half baking sheet pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.Note: The instructions below are for making the dough by hand. If you want to use the food processor to make the dough, see the instructions in the post above.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Toss 6 tablespoons unsalted butter into the flour mixture to coat, then use a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands to work the butter into the flour mixture until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear. Don't overdo this step as you don't want the butter to warm up and mix completely into the flour.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup heavy cream, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (if using).
- Slowly add the heavy cream mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough just holds together. Using a bowl scraper will help to combine the dough in the bowl without your hands warming up the butter, plus you can see any crumbs at the bottom that still need to be mixed in. Remember, do not over mix the dough - you want to keep that butter cold and separate from the flour.The amount of the heavy cream mixture to add depends on the humidity of the day. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers, and add more heavy cream or flour, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum), if it's too crumbly or too wet.
- Use the bowl scraper to push the dough into a ball in the bowl, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rough square about 1-inch high.
- Sprinkle some of the 3 ounces chocolate chips on the dough, then fold the dough over them. Flatten the dough and reshape into a disk. Do this "fill and fold" method a few times until you have enough layers of your mix-in incorporated into the dough. Reserve some of the chocolate chips to press into the surface of the scones before baking.
- Gather the dough, and flatten it into a 6-inch disk (if you want square scones, shape the dough into a rectangle with the short side about 4-inches long). Use a bench scraper to release the dough, if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Once the dough is chilled, you have your choice of how to shape the scones:For wedge-shaped scones: Roll out the disk into an 8-inch circle, then use the bench scraper to cut the disk into 8 wedges. For round scones: Roll out the disk to a height of about ¾ inches. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds (gather, press, and cut the leftover dough again as needed, but hopefully not more than 2 times).For square scones: Roll out the dough into a 12- by 4-inch rectangle, then cut into twelve 2-inch squares.
- Place the scones about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking pan. Press in the reserved chocolate chips on the tops of the scones. Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for about 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool the scones on the baking pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Pair them with lemon curd and clotted cream for a lovely combination. Enjoy!
- Storage Instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before enjoying.
- Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 25 minutes.
- The yield is generally about 8 scones (that's what I get from a circle cut into wedges or using a 3-inch round cookie cutter), but yours may vary.
Ella says
I made these with a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of almond extract to make chocolate chip almond scones and they turned out great! My boyfriend doesn't like almond but even he loved the scones!
Tammy Spencer says
Those are yummy flavors to pair with chocolate chip scones. I'll include these ideas in the Recipe Notes. Thanks for sharing! 😉