Take the savory tea-side snacks and imbue them with sweet and creamy chocolate chips. What do you get? These Chocolate Chip Scones!
I once had a neighbor from northern England. She was an older lady, very kind, with an accent almost completely incomprehensible to me. Nevertheless, she asked me, shortly after I had moved in, to join her one afternoon for tea. The thought of joining anyone for tea was too charming to pass up, so I enthusiastically agreed. But what to bring? I couldn’t show up empty-handed. Whether for tea or something more involved, I was obliged to bring a gift, preferably one consumable.
I had never made scones, having only heard of them in T.V. and movies from the U.K. but I was curious to know whether I could put them together well enough to impress an expat. I scoured the internet for ideas then set about making some amendments, additions, and subtractions. After the math (or ‘maths’, as they say in Blighty), I carried my tray with my bounty next door. Her positive reaction to my scone-making efforts was so effusive, I was immediately indebted to her. The fact she ate three told me my efforts had hit their mark.
These are those scones.
Are scones and tea biscuits the same thing?
You may think tea biscuits are just the American version of the British scone but there is so much more to them than that. They differ in taste, texture, and preparation. In fact, the one thing they have in common is their association with hot beverages. But before they can be enjoyed with a spot of tea, they both need to be baked. Tea biscuits should come together more easily, given they seldom require more than flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and milk. Scones, on the other hand, are a bit more elaborate, often featuring fruits, nuts, spices, and yes, chocolate chips. Tea biscuits also have a texture that indeed resembles biscuits: light, fluffy, and less rich. Scones are more dense, with a crumbly, cake-like texture. Tea biscuits, because of their plainness, can be served with butter and jam, or served as a side with gravy. Scones are typically served with clotted cream or butter and jam, and served alongside tea or coffee, or as a breakfast snack.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for hands and work surface)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, (plus 2 tbsp for brushing)
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips
- coarse sugar (optional)
- confectioners’ sugar (optional)
Instructions
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Chill this mixture while preparing the wet ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips, and stir until just moistened.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. Flatten into an 8-inch disc and cut into 8 wedges.
6. Place the scones on a plate, brush with extra heavy cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
7. Set the oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Arrange the chilled scones on the baking sheet and bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if using. Let cool slightly before serving.
FAQs & Tips
To keep them from drying out, put your cooled-down scones in an airtight container and leave them in a cool, dry place for up to three days. If you made a whole batch and worry you won’t get through them in that time, you can freeze them for up to three months. Let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours or defrost them in the oven at a low temperature.
Scones are supposed to be a bit on the dry side (hence the side of tea or coffee) but they’re not supposed to be so dry, you can light a match off your tongue (ugh, that’s a gross image) after eating one. To mitigate the odds of making a desert dessert, use cold ingredients, like the cream and butter. Frozen butter makes steam pockets in the dough, which results in fluffy scones. Also, don’t overmix the dough. Incorporate the ingredients then stop. Another ‘over-‘ to avoid? Overbaking. The longer they stay in the oven (and the hotter the oven), the drier the scones. If you happen to notice your scones browning a bit too quickly for your liking, cover them loosely in aluminum foil.
Scones can be savory or sweet. These ones, what with their chocolate chips and sugar, are definitely in the latter category. To make savory ones, you would need to ditch the sugars, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, and replace them with the savory ingredient(s) of your choice. Typical ones include cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, for instance), garlic, or herbs like dill and parsley. Some people add meats like ham and bacon to their scones; if you want something more substantial, more like a sandwich, give that a go. I find a nice balance with the inclusion of raisins; they’re sweet but not so sweet you can call the resulting scones a dessert.
Serving Suggestions
As I’ve mentioned a few times in this recipe, scones are traditionally served with tea or coffee. Whether they’re sweet or savory may impact when during the day you serve them up. Sweet scones make an excellent dessert, served alongside clotted cream, butter, and an assortment of jams. If you’ve made savory scones, they would make a lovely mid-afternoon snack—heavy enough to fill you up but not so filling that you ruin your dinner.
Chocolate Chip Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for hands and work surface
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 tbsp, for brushing)
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips
- coarse sugar
- confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Chill this mixture while preparing the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add the chocolate chips, and stir until just moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. Flatten into an 8-inch disc and cut into 8 wedges.
- Place the scones on a plate, brush with extra heavy cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Set the oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chilled scones on the baking sheet and bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using. Let cool slightly before serving.
