Tender, flaky, Chocolate Chip Scones are my idea of afternoon tea (or breakfast!) heaven. Stuffed with dark chocolate chunks, then drizzled with sweet yogurt glaze they're easy to make and unbelievably delicious!
I love making traditional English Scones as their buttery, flaky crumb with crisp exterior topped with cream and jam makes for the most perfect afternoon tea.
I wanted to shake things up so I swapped out the milk in exchange for buttermilk and then thrown in a heap of chocolate into the dough. The result is THE most tender scones.
The acidity of the buttermilk breaks down the gluten strands in the dough resulting in pure delicious flakiness. The chocolate melts into oozing puddles dotted throughout the buttery interior of the scone and the glaze provides the perfect sweetness to balance the dark chocolate. Perfection!
Simply made treats for afternoon tea make the perfect mid-week snack. Check out my Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars, Peach Crumble Bars, and Date and Walnut Cake too.
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Today, I’ll share with you how I create these scones and help you along with photos and instructions. You’ll realise just how simple they are to make. We definitely don’t want any hard, dry rocks!
🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses pantry ingredients. Flour, butter, egg and buttermilk make up the core ingredients of these scones and you're most likely going to have them in your kitchen. (I share with you how to make your own).
- Quick to make. The scones come together in ten minutes or under and with a short refrigeration time and then bake time, you could be enjoying these buttermilk chocolate chip scones in under an hour.
- Perfect for afternoon tea. Served alongside a cup of tea these make the perfect afternoon snack.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Let's delve into the ingredients needed to make beautiful flaky, soft scones in this easy foolproof scone recipe.
- Self-raising flour - Part of the success of making scones lies in the height that they rise. Using self-raising flour will greatly improve your chances as it has a raising agent already mixed through. (Check out my FAQ's below if you can only get plain flour).
- Salt & baking powder - Salt adds depth to the flavour and the extra baking powder helps create a little more lift.
- Caster sugar - Add sweetness, feel free to use granulated sugar and even light brown sugar if that is all you have. If you don't add the glaze, then double the sugar in the scones to add a little more sweetness.
- Buttermilk - A beautiful addition to these scones providing richness and helping with their tender texture. Double cream/heavy cream, sour cream or yogurt can be used as a substitute. To make homamde butter milk, see tip below.
- Large egg - The egg helps bind the ingredients together but also increases the richness and flavour.
- Unsalted butter - Has to be cold in order to create flaky layers within the scone.
- Dark chocolate chips- I use dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate coarsely chopped. But you can use milk chocolate if you prefer.
- Yogurt glaze - made with powdered icing sugar and Greek yogurt, this glaze provides the perfect sweetness against the dark chocolate. But please omit if you'd prefer.
TIP: To make homemade buttermilk: Add 30ml lemon juice (or white vinegar) to 210ml milk and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Once the milk has started to curdle, you are ready to use your homemade buttermilk.
📖 Variations
Here are some other simple ideas for what to add into your scones:
- Dried Fruit: From apricots, cherries, cranberries or raisins, any others dried fruit is a welcome addition. My Sultana Scones and Cranberry Orange Scones are always a hit.
- Fresh Fruit: Don't think you have to stick with dried fruit only. Oh no. Any type of fresh fruit like strawberries, peaches, pears or raspberries for example, when chopped into small pieces and mixed through are sensational. My Cherry Scones are an example of this.
- Nuts: Hazelnuts, almonds, pecans are some examples of nuts to mix in with your fruit or chocolate.
Make sure to checkout my Foolproof Scone Recipe where I share an extensive list of ideas on flavoured scones.
TIP: Chocolate versus chocolate chips.
Confession time - this recipe is called Chocolate Chip Scones, but in truth, I actually prefer to use chocolate bars, chopped coarsely, in the scones instead of chocolate chips.
When melted, chopped chocolate turns into oozing puddles whereas chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape when baked, so you don't get that same melted chocolate puddle.
Huffington Post has an interesting article on tests they ran using chocolate chips vs chocolate chunks vs chopped chocolate. You do you in this situation - whatever your preference, they will still taste delicious.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Chocolate Chip Scones
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
Now that we’ve had a look at the ingredients needed for these scones, let's get to business and actually make these dark chocolate scones.
STEP 1. Sift dry ingredients together. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the sugar and stir together (Image 1).
STEP 2. Whisk wet ingredients together. In a bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla extract, then add the buttermilk and whisk together (Image 2). Put one tablespoon of the egg mixture to one side- this will be your egg wash for later.
STEP 3. Add butter to flour, then add chocolate. Add the chopped cold butter and using your fingertips, toss the pieces until they're separated and coated with flour.
Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until the majority looks like breadcrumbs but some pieces are the size of peas (Image 3). (Alternatively, use a pastry cutter). Add in the chocolate and mix (Image 4).
STEP 4. Combine wet into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry mix and pour in the whisked egg/buttermilk mixture into the centre (Image 5). Using a fork, stir together (Image 6). It'll still be very shaggy at this point and feel quite sticky. If necessary, use your hands to lightly bring it all together incorporating the dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
TIP: The buttermilk and butter have to be cold
Refrigerate measured ingredients for half an hour before continuing on with the recipe if needs be. If you have warm hands, run them under cold water to cool them down before starting the recipe.
STEP 5. Bring the dough together and roll it out. Tip the scone mix onto a lightly floured surface (Image 7). Using your hands, bring it together and gently flatten it out.
Fold the dough in half and then half again using the bench scraper. This creates flaky layers and prevents you from over working the dough (Image 8).
Split the dough into two (Image 9) and using your hands, shape each portion into round discs or gently roll with a rolling pin until the dough is roughly 4 cm (11⁄2 inches) thick (Image 10).
STEP 6. Place dough on the prepared tray, refrigerate then egg wash. Place discs onto the prepared baking sheet and cut each disc into 6 equal-sized wedges (Image 11). Now refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes to rest the dough. Pre-heat oven to 200C (425F) whilst the scones are in the fridge.
Using the egg wash that you set aside earlier, brush the tops of the scones (Image 12). Take care not to let any drip down the sides of the scones as this can inhibit their rise.
TIP: The scones don’t need to be cut out into wedges. Stamp out rounds with a cookie cutter if you’d prefer.
STEP 7. Bake. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and well risen (Images 13 & 14)
STEP 8. Make yogurt glaze. In a bowl sift in powdered icing sugar then add Greek yogurt and whisk. Add a touch more if needed. Glaze should be thick (Image 15). Once scones are baked, allow to cool slightly then drizzle with glaze (Image 16). Best eaten the day they are made.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Use cold ingredients and cold hands. This prevents the scones from spreading when baked.
- Chop the butter into small cubes, it's far easier to rub into the flour! You can even grate the butter to make it even easier! Just pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes first.
- Don't over mix. This creates tough scones which we don't want!
- Refrigerate the dough. This need to be done before baking. Don't skip this step - it helps cool and harden the butter which in turn helps with the rise in the oven.
- Share these around! These scones are definitely at their best when freshly baked. They literally melt in your mouth with such a light and moist texture. Perfect to share with family and friends.
📋 Recipe FAQs
To re-cap on my pro-tips: Use cold ingredients, don’t overmix and refrigerate the dough before baking. These three points are key!
Make sure your baking powder is in date. The out-of-date powder will inhibit the rise.
An age-old question and one that can cause controversy. Some say scones shouldn’t have eggs, some say they should (like me). I believe scones benefit from the egg as it binds the ingredients, adds flavour, and also acts as a leavener and aids in the rise, leading to increased fluffiness.
If you don't have self-raising flour, then substitute with plain flour and extra baking powder. For this standard-size recipe I’ve provided today, add 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder to 375g (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and stir together. Continue as per the recipe instructions and the other ingredients, including adding the stated baking powder.
❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions
To store: These Chocolate Chip Scones are best served fresh and slightly warm. To store them, wrap them in plastic wrap or place them in a ziplock bag to retain their moisture and prevent them from drying out. Leave at room temperature. They should last 1 to 2 days.
To freeze: Once baked scones are cooled, wrap immediately in plastic wrap or place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven or microwave.
🍫 More Chocolate Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Scones
- 375 g self-raising flour
- 15 g caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 210 g buttermilk, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 90 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 150 g dark chocolate 70%, chopped. (Or dark chocolate chips)
Yogurt Glaze
- 120 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 1-2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
Instructions
Chocolate Chip Scones
- Sift dry ingredients together. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Into a large mixing bowl, sift in your dry ingredients; flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the sugar and stir together.
- Whisk wet ingredients together. In a bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla extract, then add the buttermilk and whisk together. Once whisked, set aside one tablespoon of the egg mixture- this will be your egg wash to be used later on.
- Add butter to flour. Add the chopped butter and using your fingertips, toss the pieces until they are separated and coated with flour. Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until it looks like breadcrumbs with some larger pieces the size of peas. (Alternatively, use a pastry cutter) Add in the chocolate and mix in.
- Combine wet into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry mix and pour in the whisked egg/buttermilk mixture into the centre. Use a fork to stir until the mixture just starts to come together to form a dough. It will still be very shaggy at this point and feel quite sticky. If necessary, use your hands to lightly bring it all together incorporating the dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Bring the dough together and roll it out. Tip the scone mix onto a lightly floured surface and using your hands, bring it together kneading a couple of times, and gently flatten it out. We're going to use a folding technique to create flaky layers and incorporate air into the dough. I use a bench scraper to help me out. Fold the dough in half and turn, then fold in half again. Divine eat enough in two. Using your hands, shape each portion of dough into a round disc or gently roll with a rolling pin until the dough is roughly 4 cm (11⁄2 inches) thick.
- Place dough on the prepared tray. Place discs onto the prepared baking tray. With a sharp knife (or using the bench scraper), cut each disc into 6 equal-sized wedges. Now refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes to rest the dough. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (425°F) whilst the scones are in the fridge.
- Egg wash and bake. Using the egg wash that you set aside earlier, brush the tops of the scones. Take care not to let any drip down the sides of the scones as this can inhibit their rise. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
Yogurt Glaze (optional)
- Make yogurt glaze. In a bowl sift in powdered icing sugar then add Greek yogurt and whisk. Add a touch more if needed. Glaze should be thick. Once scones are baked, allow to cool slightly then drizzle with glaze. Best eaten the day they are made.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2021 but has been updated with new photos, new content and a revised recipe.
Sarah
These Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones look absolutely scrumptious Emma! The glaze on top of them looks divine! What a happy email to land in my inbox on a Monday morning! I can't wait to try these this afternoon - they are the perfect week day treat- so simple to make! Can't wait. x
Emma
Thank you so much Sarah for that lovely feedback. I do hope that you love them as much as my family does!