Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones -

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

Buttery, tender, and flaky, these chocolate chip buttermilk scones are simply sublime! With all the earmarks of classic scones, they melt in your mouth. Wonderfully light and so, so moist, it’s the delicate magic of buttermilk at work.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Cookies, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, British

Servings: scones

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Natasha Minocha

Ingredients

3 cup All-purpose flour
1/3 cup Sugar
2.5 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/8 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup Buttermilk Make your own buttermilk: Combine 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips I used 70% dark chocolate

Topping

Egg wash - 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water
Granulated sugar Optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
Rub in the chilled cubed butter, using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Pour over the buttermilk. Mix with a fork until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
Combine the ingredients gently using your hands until they all come together and you can form a ball with the dough. Please don't knead the dough.
Turn the dough on a floured surface and gently pat into an even circle, about 6" in diameter.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips on the surface. Press them down slightly. Cut the dough in half and place one on top of the other. Press the dough slightly, and again cut in half.
Place the halves on top of each other, press it slightly and repeat this process twice more.
This helps the chocolate chips get dispersed evenly through the dough without overworking it. It also helps create flaky layers.
Press into an 8" circle, about 2" in thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out into any shape you like. I used a 2" round cookie cutter. Gently place on the prepared tray.
Brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Don’t overmix: Do not knead the dough. You simply push and pat till it comes together.

Chill, chill, chill: The butter has to be (has to be) chilled. I cannot reiterate this enough. My tip? Cut the butter into cubes, then pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before you begin rubbing it into the flour.

Work quickly: The faster you work, the less the chance the butter softens and spreads around. You don’t want that. So be quick and work steadily. It should take 3 to 4 minutes to cut the butter into the flour.

Cool the dough: It’s 40 degrees Celsius here! Needless to say, the refrigerator was my best friend for this scone recipe. Instead of adding unnecessary flour, if your dough feels sloppy or just unmanageable, slide it into the fridge for 15 minutes.

Don’t knead the add-ins: Stick to the folding method for the add-ins. If you knead the dough to evenly spread the chips, you’ll form a gluten network. And that will make your scones dense, not lighter than air.

Nutrition