Chocolate Chip Scones
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These chocolate chip scones are soft, buttery, and just sweet enough, with plenty of melty chocolate in every bite. They’re perfect with coffee, tea, or straight off the baking sheet.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that anything with chocolate chips is an instant hit with my kids—chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip muffins, you name it. These chocolate chip scones are no different. They’re sweet, buttery, and tender, with just the right amount of melty chocolate in every bite. Warm from the oven, they’re perfect for a lazy weekend morning when you feel like spoiling everyone.
This recipe is a twist on my classic cream scones—just a bit sweeter, flecked with chocolate chips, and flavored with vanilla. And they always disappear fast…at least around here.
“These are great! I’ve tried to make scones 3 times with other recipes, this is the first time they came out perfectly.”
What You’ll need To Make Chocolate Chip Scones
- Cake Flour: The base of the scones. Cake flour provides a softer, more delicate texture than all-purpose flour thanks to its lower protein content. Don’t have cake flour on hand? You can make your own; just whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.
- Baking Powder: Gives scones their lift, helping them rise and become light and fluffy.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the dough just enough to balance the richness and chocolate.
- Cold Butter: Butter adds richness and helps create a tender, flaky texture in scones; keeping it cold ensures it melts during baking, forming steam pockets that lift and lighten the dough.
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chips bring bursts of melty chocolate throughout—use a high-quality brand like Guittard or Ghirardelli for the best flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the dough and adds richness.
- Heavy Cream: Adds moisture and richness to the dough, creating a soft crumb. Don’t swap it for milk or light cream—this is one place where the fat really matters.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warm, subtle flavor that complements the chocolate.
- Demerara Sugar: Sprinkled on top before baking for a sweet, caramel-y crunch on the outside. Also known as raw or turbinado sugar. If you don’t have it on hand, you can substitute brown sugar or more granulated sugar.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisking helps evenly distribute the baking powder, which ensures the scones rise and bake evenly.
Step 2: Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter and use your fingertips to rub it in until the mixture looks very coarse—those little clumps of butter are what make the scones tender.
Step 3: Add the chocolate chips. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the cream, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Step 5: Combine wet and dry. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir it all together. (Making a well helps incorporate the wet ingredients more gently, which reduces overmixing.)
Step 6: Mix the dough. Stir with a spatula until the dough mostly comes together—it’ll be sticky.
Step 7: Shape and cut dough. Lightly knead it into a ball. Be gentle and stop as soon as the dough holds together; over-kneading can make the scones tough. Press the dough into a ¾-inch-thick circle and slice into 8 wedges. For clean cuts, use a sharp knife.
Step 8: Prep to bake. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
Step 9: Bake. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and serve warm. The scones can be frozen, before or after baking, in an airtight container for up to 3 months. (For best results, freeze before baking.)
More Scone Recipes You May Like
Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (see note on substitution)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch (13-mm) pieces
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, best quality such as Guittard or Ghirardelli
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ to ¾ cup heavy cream (do not substitute milk or light cream)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon demerara sugar (also called raw or turbinado)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, salt, baking powder and granulated sugar. Add the pieces of cold butter. Use your fingertips to rub butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-size clumps of butter within. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream, the egg, and the vanilla. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, then add the cream mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix until the dough comes together. It should be a bit sticky. If it seems dry, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream.
- Dust a work surface lightly with flour, then dump the sticky dough on top. Knead very gently a few times until the dough comes together into a ball, sprinkling more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky to work with. Press the dough into a circle about ¾-in (2-cm) high, then cut into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared baking sheet, and then sprinkle evenly with the demerara sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the scones are lightly golden and firm to the touch. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Another great recipe from this site. I’ve been making scones and muffins for years, and the recipes here are the best, ever. I usually follow the recipes exactly unless I need to substitute for an ingredient I don’t have on hand. I’ve made these scones using half-and-half in place of the cream, and I thought they were perfect. To make clean up easier, I turn the dough onto a pan-size piece of parchment, knead it, cut it, separate and space the scones, then transfer the whole thing to the baking pan.
These are my kids’ all-time favorite breakfast food ever. I’ve made them so often, I could probably do it in my sleep. I leave off the sprinkling of sugar on top (it’s sweet enough without it) and sometimes split the dough into two rounds and cut each round into six triangles.
Can I make these with Gluten-Free Flour?
That should work, Ana. Please lmk how they turn out!
Hi Jenn! Did Ana (or anyone else) let you know how these came out with GF flour? Thanks!
No, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like anyone has reported back — sorry!
I gave it a shot today! I used Namaste GF Flour from Costco, as I have found it to be a great GF flour. I did use cornstarch as you suggested to make it more of a “cake flour.” The scones came out looking beautiful. They tasted fine but not great. They were a little gritty, like a lot of other GF baked goods. Perhaps they needed a bit more butter or whipping cream to offset the grittiness?
Hi Melissa, I think that grainy texture is sometimes unavoidable with gluten-free flour. I wouldn’t add more butter or cream as that will change the wet to dry ratios. While you mentioned that you’ve had good luck with Namaste flour, you may want to give this a try with a different brand.
These scones are fantastic! I’ve made them for friends, family and bake sales. Everyone always raves about them. I use a food processor to pulse the butter into the flour mixture. I look forward to trying other recipes on this site. Thanks to Jenn for sharing.
Best scone recipe ever! And super simple to make. I’ve made it several times and it has come out perfectly every time.
Hi! I don’t have raw sugar. Can I substitute with granulated sugar ? If so , what amount is needed. Thank you!
Sure, Molly – I’d use about 2/3 as much.
So glad I found this site and totally agree with the majority of reviewers: recipes are excellent, preparation steps are well laid out and easy to follow and best of all everything that I have made so far tastes fantastic! Thanks Jenn!!
Hi Jen, I have a question about cake flour. I read online that as a substitute for every cup of regular flour remove one Tbls. and add one Tbls. of cornstarch in its place. Would that be something you’d suggest? Otherwise, I’ll wait until I buy some cake flour. The scones sound and look delicious!
Hi Sandy, I replace 2 tablespoons of flour with cornstarch – works great!
Thanks, Jen, for getting back so quickly! Made them right away – why is every recipe I try of yours an absolute favorite!?!?! My husband ate two right away! We have some guys over doing some painting, and I gave each of them a scone – they were wowed! That means only three left, since of course I had one! Next time I’m thinking of cutting each triangle into three before baking – ? Thanks for another 5 star recipe!
Yay! ?
I’m making your chocolate chip and flaky scone recipes today for Mothers Day but I just noticed that while they are very very similar they bake at different temperatures. Any chance they can both be baked at same temperature? Hope you have a wonderful Mothers Day. I’m a huge fan of your recipes and site.
Sorry I’m probably too late to reply, Annie – but yes you can cook them at the same temp.
Hello,
I do not eat chocolate (I don’t like it very much), can I substitute nuts, cranberries, or dried coconut (or something else along those lines)?
Thank you,
Marilyne
Definitely– hope you enjoy!