Easy Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe

Mini Chocolate chips baked into our tender scone recipe are the breakfast treat you have been looking for! I love waking up early to bake delicious scones. If you also like white chocolate chips, try our raspberry white chocolate scones- they are scrumptious!

If this is your first time making scones don't be nervous. Check out my Master Scone Recipe (for any flavor) to get started. It has helpful tips for making any scone recipe whether sweet or savory! Scones are easy to make and I will walk you through them step by step so you will have a nice, fluffy, and tender scone, one that will rival any coffee shop!

Tools for baking

Before we start to make our homemade scones, it is a great idea to prep our work surface with the ingredients and items we will be using. Here are the go-to baking tools I use for every batch of the best scones.

• Pastry blender we mention this item with every single recipe because it is THE item that will ensure a fluffy outcome for your scones. You can use 2 knives or your hands, but a pastry blender or pastry cutter is best.
• Parchment paper a baking sheet lined with parchment paper is not only great for non-stick baking, but it is also awesome for easy cleanup! No pan scrubbing is needed!
• Mixing bowl should be a large mixing bowl if you want to make this a one-bowl recipe! I mix and also knead the scone dough right in the bowl before turning it out onto a floured surface. 

Secret to Making Good Scones

First, let's go over THREE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS you MUST DO to ensure a perfect flaky scone:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees for at least 20 minutes before baking. A hot oven will help your scones rise tall instead of being flat.
2. Make sure you're using COLD butter. It does not matter if you use cold unsalted butter or salted butter, but it MUST BE COLD. As the butter melts it will allow for air to create flaky scones
3. Minimal handling of the dough. The more you knead the scone dough, the tougher it becomes and you will end up with a flat, hard scone.

Scone ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Vanilla Bean (optional)
• Chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• Half-and-half, plus 1 tablespoon
• Mini Chocolate Chips

How to Make Chocolate Chip Scone Recipe

Grab your cup of coffee or tea ready and get these buttery chocolate chip scones into the oven and soon you will be enjoying a nice warm and tender treat!

As I mentioned above in the Baking tips section, it is important to preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Be sure to do this at least 20 minutes before you intend to bake.

We are going to mix our dry ingredients first. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 

Now, in the flour mixture, we are going to cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs. You should see pieces of cold butter and that is exactly what you want.

Next, we are going to add our wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste until just moistened. If you only have heavy cream That is ok too. Add in your chocolate chips and stir.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 5 to 10 times and pat it into a 1-inch thick round disc shape.

With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges and transfer dough triangles onto a prepared baking sheet 2- inches apart. I can usually fit all eight on a large baking sheet.

Tip: If you would like to make smaller scones, cut unbaked scones into 12 sections. They will be smaller, but will still bake with a flaky texture. 

With a pastry brush, brush the top of each scone with 1 Tablespoon half-and-half, and sprinkle each top with sugar for a little extra sweetness.

Place scones in the oven on the middle rack.

Bake until golden brown, which is about 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm scone with your cup of hot tea or coffee!

Adding an egg to scones helps to bind ingredients together. Some seem to think that it adds richness to the flavor, however, I found I have the best results when I don't add an egg. That's why our tender scones are full of layers and super flaky. 

What is the Best Temp For Baking Scones? 

Setting the oven at 425 degrees I have found to be the best temperature for baking our easy scones recipe. As mentioned in our baking tips sections, it is important to bake your scones in a preheated, hot oven. This helps to release steam from the butter when baking a delicious scone.