Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Chopped chocolate is a mix of big chunks, little shards, and fine powder, flavoring the dough itself.
  • Milk cuts the richness of cream, keeping the scones light in both taste and texture.
  • Using more cream than butter gives these scones more lactose, helping them brown and crisp along the bottom.
  • A sprinkling of toasted sugar, while optional, adds a crunchy caramel note.

Whether it is a special occasion or just another Tuesday, I don't see any reason why the day shouldn't start off with a warm chocolate scone. It's a fast and simple way to make any morning special, with or without an official excuse to do so. While it's strangely difficult to find a good scone these days (store-bought versions always seem so dry), they're freakishly simple to make at home.

Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate

You can make these scones with whatever sort of chocolate you prefer, but I've found that dark types can seem almost astringent in the lightly sweetened dough. In the context of the otherwise buttery but simple scone, milk chocolate offers just the right sweetness and flavor, especially if it's on the darker end of the spectrum. Look for brands like Endangered Species 48% in supermarkets, or buy in bulk online; I usedValrhona's Caramélia 36%, made with caramel rather than sugar for more bitterness and complexity than is offered by a typical milk chocolate.

How to Make Cream Scone Dough

Once you've figured out what sort of chocolate you'd like in the scones, the recipe itself comes together in a flash. Just sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl, then add the cubed butter and smash each piece flat. Continue smashing and rubbing to create a coarse meal, with no bits of butter larger than a Cheerio. As in apie dough, butter coats flour, which helps limit gluten development, delivering more tender scones.

If you like, you can finish the recipe through this step, then wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and stash it in the fridge overnight to streamline prep for breakfast or brunch. Truth be told, my scones don't use a lot of butter, so this part comes together really fast. But it's a nice make-ahead option if you're planning a more complicated spread.

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (1)

To make up for the comparative lack of butter, my scones use a lot of cream. Cream is higher in lactose (a natural milk sugar) than butter, which helps the scones brown in the oven. I cut that richness with a splash of milk to hydrate the dough. Using 100% cream would make a dry but rich dough that's golden and tender, but far too crumbly and dense. Meanwhile, using all milk would make the dough sticky, wet, and lean, producing a pale scone that's fluffy but chewy, bordering on tough. After much experimentation, I've found that a 1:3 ratio of milk to cream by weight is just right, making the scones light but tender and tawny gold.

Shaping and Cutting the Dough

Once the dough comes together, turn it onto a lightly floured surface, and gently pat it into a seven-inch round, using your palms to tidy up the edges. If you're serving the scones as part of a more complicated brunch, you can get away with eight or nine pieces, but when serving scones on their own, you'll want to cut no more than six.

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (2)

Since the dough itself contains less than a half ounce of sugar, I like to finish the scones with a dusting of lightly toasted sugar to help crisp their craggy tops. If you've baked with me before, then you probably have a bag oflightly toasted sugar left over fromblind-baking a pie crust. With its subtle sweetness and a mellow caramel flavor that will only intensify in the oven, toasted sugar is the perfect topping for scones, but if you don't have any on hand, it's fine to use turbinado instead.

Whatever the case, remember: It's cut,thensprinkle. Doing it the other way around will cause the sugar crystals to drag down with the knife, creating ragged cuts that look sloppy and can cause the scones to deform as they rise. But if you cut the dough and then sprinkle the sugar on top, each wedge will look sharp and clean.

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (4)

How to Tell When Scones Are Perfectly Baked

To help the scones crisp along the bottom without drying out, it's best to bake them on a parchment-lined half sheet pan in a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. The time will depend on exactly how thick the scones were patted out and the particulars of your oven and pan, so visual cues will be more reliable than any timer.

With their crispy tops, crunchy bottoms, and light but tender middles (not to mention those gooey pockets of molten chocolate), these scones are everything I want in a last-minute breakfast treat.

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (5)

If you're feelingreallygenerous, warm chocolate scones are amazing with a dollop ofsuper-thick and fruity whipped cream, which recalls the combination of strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (6)

Not that they need it. These scones are rich and moist all on their own, served with nothing more than a piping-hot mug of coffee or tea.

February 2017

Recipe Details

Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe

Prep10 mins

Cook25 mins

Active5 mins

Total35 mins

Serves6 scones

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups, spooned; 255g), plus more for dusting

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight

  • 2 ounces cold unsalted butter (4 tablespoons; 55g), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 6 ounces roughly chopped milk chocolate (1 cup; 170g)

  • 2 ounces milk (1/4 cup; 55g), any percentage will do

  • 6 ounces heavy cream(3/4 cup; 170g)

  • Toastedor turbinado sugar, to taste (see note)

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Sift flour into a medium bowl, then whisk in baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add butter and toss to break up the pieces, then smash each one flat between your fingertips. Continue smashing and rubbing until butter disappears into a coarse meal. Add milk chocolate and toss to combine, then stir in milk and cream to form a soft dough.

    Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (7)

  2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch round. Cut into 6 wedges with a chef’s knife, sprinkle generously with toasted or turbinado sugar, and arrange on a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. If you like, serve with clotted cream and strawberry jam, or a spoonful of super-thick and fruity whipped cream.

    Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (8)

Special Equipment

Half sheet pan

Notes

I love topping these scones with lightly toasted sugar left over from blind-baking a pie, but if you don't have any on hand, turbinado sugar can be used to similar effect.

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Bakery-Style Cream Scones With Milk Chocolate Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is milk or heavy cream better for scones? ›

Heavy cream (grand majority): hydrates while adding a generous amount of fat, which helps lead to tender scones. Whole milk: provides moisture but provides significantly less fat.

What to avoid when making scones? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
  1. Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
  2. Only using all-purpose flour. ...
  3. Overmixing the dough. ...
  4. Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
  5. Baking them ahead of time.
May 1, 2019

What is a bakery scone? ›

In its most basic form, a scone is a baked quick bread that is usually eaten for breakfast or tea. Since its earliest known origin, the scone has taken on many forms, all the way to what we know today in sophisticated sweet and savory gourmet versions.

Which flour is best for scones? ›

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons, using just enough to bring the dough together.

Is buttermilk or cream better for scones? ›

If you are using baking soda, you will want to use buttermilk, an acidic ingredient that will react with the leavener to help them rise. On the other hand, if you use cream or milk, you'll want to use baking powder because it combines the acid needed with baking soda all in one complete powder.

Is it better to make scones with butter or oil? ›

For example, if you substitute oil for butter or margarine, you can significantly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your baked goods. This streamlined recipe for Light Scones uses just 3 tablespoons of canola oil, which contains a fraction of the saturated fat found in butter or margarine.

What happens if you put too much milk in scones? ›

The crumblier the dough, the crumblier the resulting scones, so be sure not to add too much milk. You might not even need it all. I say roll the dough out, and using a rolling pin makes me feel all domestic goddess, but the be completely honest, you can just press the dough out onto a floured surface.

What happens if you use milk instead of heavy cream? ›

You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe. This substitute is especially useful in cooking, but it may alter the texture of baked goods and will not whip as well as heavy cream.

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Keep scones cold before putting them in the oven: For best results, chill the mixture in the fridge before baking, this will help to stiffen up the butter again, which will stop your scones from slumping as soon as they hit the oven's heat.

How to make scones rise higher? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

Why put eggs in scones? ›

Scones can be made either with self-raising flour or with plain flour and baking powder. Sweet scones and cheese scones have an egg added to enrich them. Both will rise but whatever scone you make its important that they are handled lightly and not rolled too thinly.

How to tell when scones are done? ›

Use a toothpick: Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the scones. If it comes out clean, the scones are done. If there is still wet batter on the toothpick, they need more time in the oven.

What is the American version of a scone? ›

Biscuits and scones have the same British ancestor, but the early Southern colonists' version included butter, lard, buttermilk, and soft wheat, plentiful in the South. Over time, this fluffy and layered bread evolved into a regional commodity: the Southern biscuit.

How to get really high scones? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another.

How do you get the best rise on scones? ›

Once you've cut out your scone shapes, flip them over and place upside down on the baking tray. This will help them rise evenly and counteract any 'squashing' that happened when you cut out the dough. Perfect scones should rise to about 2 inches high.

References

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