Chocolate scones are soft, tender and flaky chocolate scones filled with gooey chocolate chips. Top these chocolate chocolate chip scones with a rich and creamy chocolate glaze. They’re the best melt in your mouth, brownie like scones for decadent breakfast or brunch treat.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have recently gotten very into making scones after trying some from the store and thinking, “I can make this so much better.” My Easy Lemon Blueberry Scones and White Chocolate Raspberry Scones are two of my favorites scone recipes. These chocolate glazed chocolate scones are another scone recipe I know you will love.
- Layers of flavors and textures. From the tender and flaky chocolate scone bursting filled with gooey pockets of chocolate to the rich chocolate glaze, these decadent, brownie scones will delight your senses.
- Easy to make and bake. These glazed chocolate scones taste like you just bought them from the best bakery in town, but they’re actually so easy to make. Simply whisk the dry and wet ingredients together, fold in the chocolate, shape into a thick disk, chill, cut and bake.
- The best breakfast for the chocolate lover. Chocolate for breakfast can make an ordinary day feel extra special. These chocolate scones with chocolate chips could easily pass for a brownie.
Ingredients
This chocolate scones recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather sugar, all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cold or frozen butter.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather an egg, heavy cream, espresso powder, vanilla extract and chocolate chips or chunks.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these melt in your mouth chocolate glaze chocolate scones if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these cocoa scones gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based off of weight (240 g) versus cup for cup.
- Granulated Sugar: This scone recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar or brown sugar would also work well.
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: Feel free to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I prefer using Dutch process when possible for it’s smooth, fuller chocolate flavor.
- Baking Powder: This acts as a leavener in this raspberry scone recipe.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter. Just make sure the butter is very cold or even frozen.
- Egg: This recipe has not been tested without an egg.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Heavy Cream: For soft and tender scones, heavy cream is a must. Substitute with half and half or regular plain or vanilla yogurt.
- Chocolate Chips: No double chocolate scones is complete without loads of gooey chocolate chips added in. Feel free to add your preferred chocolate chips. Dark, milk, semi sweet or even white chocolate would all be delicious.
Variations
- Chocolate Drop Scones: Prepare the recipe as written through the step of folding in the chocolate chips. After folding in the chocolate, dump the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently gather and knead the scones 2 -3 times. Scoop the dough with a large spoon or cookie scoop. This double chocolate scone recipe should yield about 12 drop scones. Drop the scones onto a lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze as directed in the recipe. Bake at 425 F for 12 - 16 minutes.
- Orange Glaze: Orange pairs beautifully with chocolate. Whisk 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 -2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) orange juice to smooth and well combined. Drizzle on cooled scones.
- Vanilla Glaze: Vanilla is a classic pairing with chocolate. Whisk 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 -2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to smooth and well combined. Drizzle on cooled scones.
How To Make
Learn how to make chocolate scones in a few easy steps.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients with sugar until very well combined. Grate or toss very small cubes of cold butter into the flour. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse sand with some larger pieces.
- In a separate bowl, lightly whisk an egg to smooth. Then whisk in the espresso powder, heavy cream and vanilla extract until well combined. Form a little well in the center of the cocoa flour and butter mixture. Pour ½ of the wet ingredients into the dry and gently incorporate. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients into the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.Mix until the dough just comes together.
3. Transfer the chocolate and chocolate chip scone dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape the dough into a ball. Shape into a 7 - 8 inch disk that’s about 1 inch thick. Place the disk onto a parchment lined baking sheet or plate to chill in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes. While the scones chill in the freezer, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C).
4. Remove the scones from the freezer and cut into 6 - 8 wedges using a dough scraper or long sharp knife. Space the scones about 2 - inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 425 F (218 C) for 12 - 16 minutes. Scones should be a slightly darker brown and will be very fragrant. Allow scones to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Store baked chocolate scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing the scones.
- Make Ahead and Freeze: Wrap the frozen unbaked cocoa scone wedges in wax or parchment paper. Place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen in a fully preheated oven. If you would like to bake the unbaked scones straight from the freezer, simply add about 3 - 5 minutes to the baking time.
- Freeze: Place the baked, fully cooled and unglazed double chocolate scones in an airtight container to freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend individually wrap each scone in plastic wrap or wax paper. Do not top with glaze if you plan on freezing the scones. Once the scones have thawed, top with with glaze and enjoy.
- Thaw: Baked and frozen scones can be heated straight from the freezer in the microwave. I recommend heating the scones in 20 second increments until they reach your desired temperature.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use very cold butter. It’s perfectly fine to pull the butter directly from the fridge, but if you remember, toss the butter in the freezer a couple of hours before you plan to make the scones.
- Cold is a scone’s best friend. In order to create those beautiful tender and flaky layers, the scone needs to be cold. Keep the ingredients as cold as you can prior to baking. Pop the scones in the freezer while the oven fully preheats. This usually takes about 20 - 30 minutes.
- Don’t overmix. Just like making a pie crust, try to handle the scone dough as little as possible while forming it into a disk. Some kneading is necessary to get those tall layers, but try to touch the dough as little as possible.
- Chill the chocolate scones. It’s helpful to rest the dough in the freezer to help the butter solidify and the flour to hydrate. Use this time to full preheat the oven (which takes about 30 minutes).
- Give the scones some space. Some recipes call for leaving the scone wedges close together. I find the scones need a bit more room in order to have space to fully rise.
FAQs
Touch the scone dough as little as possible and use full fat ingredients. Gather the dough into a ball and knead just until the dough comes together into an 7 - 8 inch disk that measures about 1 inch thick. Fat equals flavor and moisture. Both are needed for the best chocolate scones.
This serves two purposes. One is to allow the glutens in the flour to rest and hydrate. The other is to help the butter fat resolidify before baking, creating beautiful flaky layers.
This is usually the result of overmixing or overworking the dough. Knead the dough with a light hand and only until it just comes together.
Use this rule as a guide to determine when the scones are done without drying them out. Bake them between 400 F - 425 F for about 15 minutes. The scones should have light golden tops.
Other Chocolate Breakfast Recipes to Try
If you try this Chocolate Scones recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Chocolate Scones Recipe
Equipment
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 pastry cutter optional
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (40 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teapsoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- 10 tablespoons (141 g) very cold unsalted butter, cubed or grated
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120 ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 6 oz. (170 g) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (20 g) cocoa powder
- 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) milk
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients with sugar until very well combined.2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (40 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teapsoon ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon salt , ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Grate or toss very small cubes of cold butter into the flour. When all the butter has been added in, use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse sand with some larger pieces. This is similar to making a pie crust. Set aside for now.10 tablespoons (141 g) very cold unsalted butter, cubed or grated
- In a separate bowl, lightly whisk an egg to smooth. Then whisk in the espresso powder, heavy cream and vanilla extract until well combined.1 large egg, ½ cup (120 ml) cold heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- Form a little well in the center of the cocoa flour and butter mixture. Pour ½ of the wet ingredients into the dry and gently incorporate. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients into the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks. Mix until the dough just comes together. There should be a few stray pieces of the dough. Try to mix everything in as gently as possible.6 oz. (170 g) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- Transfer the chocolate and chocolate chip scone dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape the dough into a ball. Gently knead the scone dough by pressing down on the dough from middle to edges to form a disk. Fold in half. Repeat gently pressing the dough back into a round disk. Shape into a 7 - 8 inch disk that’s about 1 inch thick.
- Place the disk onto a parchment lined baking sheet or plate to chill in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes. While the scones chill in the freezer, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C).
- Remove the scones from the freezer and cut into 6 - 8 wedges using a dough scraper or long sharp knife. Space the scones about 2 - inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 425 F (218 C) for 12 - 16 minutes. Scones should be a slightly darker brown and will be very fragrant.
- Allow scones to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Make the scones even better by topping them with a creamy chocolate glaze. Mix powdered sugar, cocoa powder and milk to your desired consistency. Then drizzle the glaze on the cooled scones and enjoy.1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, ¼ cup (20 g) cocoa powder, 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) milk
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