Tessa’s Recipe Rundown

TASTE: Like a chocolate chip cookie and a buttery scone had a baby! Butterscotch flavors with a slight tang from the buttermilk, and, of course, lots of mini chocolate chips.
TEXTURE: Soft, tender, and light in the middle, yet perfectly crisp and caramelized on the outside, with gooey mini chocolate chips studded throughout.
EASE: So easy, and make-ahead friendly.
PROS: Simple recipe containing ingredients you may already have on hand!
CONS: None.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Absolutely!

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These Chocolate Chip Scones capture the rich and comforting butterscotchy flavors we all love in a chocolate chip cookie and pack them into a buttery, flaky, and ultra-light scone.

I knew my super popular Classic Scone Recipe would be a great base for this recipe – but it took a little tweaking to achieve the exact flavor I craved.

First, I changed out some of the granulated sugar for light brown sugar and added additional vanilla extract. This provided the perfect cookie flavor I wanted!

Then there was a dilemma regarding chocolate chips. Believe it or not, there IS such a thing as too much chocolate! I wanted every bite of scone to include the perfect amount of chocolate that didn’t overpower the light, buttery scone. Read below for more details, but once I landed on mini chocolate chips in the correct amount, the texture was perfect.

A few minutes into baking, the whole house smelled like chocolate chip cookies – but with a hint of tangy buttermilk in there too. Drool-worthy!!

Ideal for breakfast, brunch, or after-school snacks, these Chocolate Chip Scones are destined to become a favorite in your household. To make them even more special, I included a few topping variations in the recipe below to suit the look and flavor you prefer.

Sprinkle of Science

How to Make Chocolate Chip Scones

The Chocolate Chips

At first, my team and I tested these Chocolate Chip Scones with 1 ½ cups of regular-sized semisweet chocolate chips. We found that not only did they fall out of the dough when shaping, but they also provided too much crunch, interfering with the ultra-tender flaky texture of the scones. To fix this textural issue without losing the flavor, we experimented with mini chocolate chips instead. This worked perfectly! I recommend sticking with mini chips for the best texture, but I included some other variations below.

Chocolate Chip Scone Flavor Variations

Swap out some or all of the semisweet chips for milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate. Keep in mind that this will alter the overall sweetness of the scones.
Opt for regular-sized chocolate chips – just note that larger chocolate pieces will make the scones crunchier and impact their light, tender texture. Reduce amount of chips used to 1 cup (170 grams).
You can alternatively use 10 ounces of finely chopped semisweet baking chocolate.
To make orange chocolate scones, add the zest of an orange to the wet ingredients. If using vanilla glaze, replace milk with fresh orange juice.

Do I Have to Use Buttermilk in Chocolate Chip Scones?

I highly recommend using real buttermilk in Chocolate Chip Scones. Buttermilk creates tender, tall scones because of how its acidity reacts with the baking powder and tenderizes the dough overall. It also adds a lovely tang, creating a wonderful depth of flavor. Whole or low-fat buttermilk both work perfectly.

Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute in These Scones?

If you can’t find real buttermilk, kefir is the best substitute. As a last option, use milk or heavy cream in its place – just note that the texture won’t be quite as tender and the flavor won’t have that slight tang. I don’t recommend substituting buttermilk with a DIY alternative (milk + lemon or vinegar). You can find out why, plus read more about how buttermilk works here.

How to Make FLAKY, Light Chocolate Chip Scones

The most crucial step to ensuring flaky, light Chocolate Chip Scones is keeping all your ingredients COLD – especially the butter. If you’ve ever experienced flat scones (as shown below), too warm of butter might be the issue!
The cold butter melts upon entering the oven and the water content in butter evaporates as steam. As the steam escapes, it puffs up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture.
While preparing the scone dough, if the butter softens and becomes at all greasy, pop it back into the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes before proceeding.
While the oven preheats, you can also place the baking sheet of shaped, unbaked scones in the fridge or freezer to ensure the butter remains nice and cold.
Be careful not to overmix the dough, otherwise your scones will be flat and tough.
My absolute favorite tool for making scones by hand is this OXO bladed pastry blender.
I also call for laminating your scone dough in this recipe. Learn more about why this is an important step here!

How to Make Chocolate Chip Scones Ahead of Time

Once shaped, the unbaked Chocolate Chip Scones can be covered with plastic wrap (to prevent them drying out) and refrigerated overnight. Bake from the fridge as the recipe directs. You can also freeze the shaped, unbaked scones – directions for that below.

How to Freeze Chocolate Chip Scones

Place shaped, unbaked Chocolate Chip Scones in an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. If baking from frozen, add about 2 minutes to the baking time.

How to Serve Chocolate Chip Scones

I recommend allowing Chocolate Chip Scones to sit for 30-60 minutes after baking (if you can resist them that long!). The chocolate chips will still be gooey, but waiting a little helps the flavor develop, so you really taste the delicious chocolate chip cookie flavor. Serve as they are, or with butter, jam, or Nutella, if desired.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Scones

Scones are best served fresh, within a few hours of baking. Store any leftover Chocolate Chip Scones inside a ziptop bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 400°F oven for a few minutes to re-crisp the outside, if desired.