Salted Chocolate Chunk Scones are super simple to throw together and I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your pantry! Plus, they make a special treat for a holiday breakfast or brunch. This decidedly not-too-sweet recipe has a great balance of melty chocolate, butter, cream, and plenty of flaky salt. Bittersweet chocolate is chopped into imperfect chunks, which means it melts into little chocolate puddles when baked. A good bakery scone is buttery, not too sweet, and a great vessel for well, more butter. Here, I’m breaking down everything you need to make easy, delicious scones in your own kitchen.
Making scones from scratch is actually pretty straightforward. My mom used to make scones for us all the time growing up, and even got close to opening up her own bakery! While she didn’t go the bakery route, most weekends we had fresh scones in the house, and I certainly learned a thing or two from her. To make, you’ll mix basic dry pantry ingredients, use your fingers to cut in some butter, mix in some cream, and the rest is just shaping by hand and baking. I don’t use a mixer here because that’s one fewer appliance for me to clean, and I think working with the dough is really fun. Scones are known for their rustic layers and craggy, imperfect edges, so there is no need for special equipment to shape them. If you prefer to use a biscuit cutter to shape them into rounds, do your thing!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 5 Ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks (chocolate chips work)
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Optional: Demarara sugar
- Preheat oven to 400* F.
- Toss chocolate chunks with a few pinches of flour and set aside (this will help them from sinking to the bottom of the scones).
- Toss flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and gently mix to combine.
- Using your fingertips, a fork, or a pastry cutter, work butter into flour mixture until butter is size of peas. Gently incorporate chocolate chunks.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl, and add the heavy cream. Mix ingredients together by hand until it comes together. It’s okay if it looks a bit dry and shaggy at first, it’ll come together once you knead it.
- Turn dough onto floured surface and gently knead the dough until it becomes a bit more smooth. No need to knead beyond this point, as over-kneading the dough can lead to tough scones.
- Pat dough into ¾-1” thick disc, using a rolling pin if needed. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving room in between scones.
- Brush tops of scones with lightly beaten egg, and sprinkle with demarara sugar, or another coarse sugar, such as turbinado. Add a few pinches of flaky salt if desired.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until scones are just golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Once done, serve warm with butter and more flaky salt if desired. Store covered, at room temp. These scones reheat well, even a quick pop in the microwave the next day will help bring them back to live.
A FEW NOTES ON RIFFS:
- The chocolate: I use bittersweet because I made this recipe decidedly not-too-sweet, but use whatever you like! Semisweet is a great option. You could also do a combination of whatever odds and ends you have in the pantry; I’ve tried this with some leftover dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate chunks together and it was delicious. If you’re looking for a great chocolate brand, Guittard Chocolate is the move.
- The salt: I top these scones with a flaky finishing salt, such as Jacobsen or Maldon. Fleur de sel works as well. If salted baked goods aren’t your thing, simply leave it out.
- The sweetness: If you prefer a sweeter scone, add another tablespoon of sugar or more chocolate.
- The mix-ins: If you aren’t big on chocolate, sub in something else you like. Here are some of my favorite combinations:
- Lemon Zest + Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Currants + Orange Zest
Did you make this recipe?
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