Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones
These chocolate chip sourdough scones are so tender and buttery on the inside and you'll fall in love with the crumbly, golden brown edges
This is a great recipe to use with your sourdough discard and we provide step-by-step instructions for you to follow!
Sourdough scones are a great way to use your sourdough starter discard. I love to save my discard to make these scones and other baked goods like, sourdough banana nut muffins and sourdough discard crackers.
If you've never had a scone before, the texture is kind of like a cross between a cookie and cake. A crumbly, golden brown outside with a soft center. It's the best of both worlds!
The recipe is made of basic ingredients like butter, flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, heavy cream and vanilla extract. So more than likely, you've got what you need to bake a batch!
Let's bake some scones!
Step by step instructions
These sourdough scones are so easy to make. Let's dive straight into the details!
- Make sure to put stick of butter in freezer ahead of time for best results!
1. To a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and whisk to combine. Use a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Use a fork to cut the butter into the flour until it forms pea size crumbles. Toss in the chocolate chips.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sourdough discard, heavy cream and vanilla extract.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a fork to combine. Dump the dough onto a clean work surface. (The dough will seem dry and clumpy but resist the urge to add more liquid) Use your hands to press the dough together and shape into an 8" disc.
4. Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Remove the baking sheet from the fridge, brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.
Tips for success
To make sure these scones keep their shape, make sure you chill the wedges for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Scones can be assembled the night before and kept covered in the fridge for a quick breakfast. (Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle sugar, right before baking.)
The heavy cream can be substituted with milk or half and half with no problems.
Butter should be frozen for best results, but cold butter out of the fridge will work in a pinch. Use a cheese grater to create small ribbons of butter. This makes it easy to cut the flour into the butter with a pastry cutter or a bench scraper.
Don't have a kitchen scale to measure flour?
Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
Because flour is measured by weight in these recipes, if the flour is scooped straight out of the bag with the measuring cup, there will be more flour than is called for in the recipe.
Tips for baking in warm and/or high humidity areas - When baking in high humidity and/or warmer areas, it's often a good practice to use less water and bake a little longer than the recipe calls for. Reduce the water by 25 grams in the initial mix and then slowly add the remaining water until you achieve the correct hydration level. You may need to bake the scones a few minutes longer. This will take some trial and error!
How to store and freeze leftovers
Store leftover scones in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
To freeze baked scones, let them cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat, let thaw at room temperature. You can heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds if you want to eat them warm!
To freeze unbaked scones, cut the scones out and arrange them on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze them on the sheet until they are solid and then transfer them to resealable bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Bake the scones direct from frozen but add an extra 2-3 minutes baking time.
Other sourdough discard recipes you might like to try:
- sourdough vanilla cake
- sourdough coffee cake
- sourdough brownies
- sourdough banana bread
- sourdough cinnamon rolls
We hope you enjoy these chocolate chip sourdough scones as much as we do!
Make sure to rate this recipe and leave a comment below! We'd love to hear from you!
Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 teaspoons (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter (frozen or very cold)
- 1 cup (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) heavy cream (milk or half and half can be used)
Topping
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) heavy cream (milk or half and half can be used)
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) sanding sugar (coarse sugar)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the bowl. Toss the grated butter with the flour mixture with a fork to coat and separate the pieces of butter. Cut the flour into the butter using a pastry cutter or a bench scraper until the mixture comes together in pea size crumbs. Add the chocolate chips to the mixture and stir.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the starter, egg, vanilla extract and heavy cream until smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and use a fork to gently mix. The dough will be crumbly, resist the urge to add more liquid.
- Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and use your hands to press and shape the dough into an 8" disc shape. (Use a small amount of flour if needed to help it from sticking to the surface.)
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges using a bench scraper or a large knife. Arrange the wedges onto a parchment lined baking sheet with space in between each wedge. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Brush the top of the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Remove and serve warm.
NOTES
- Use the scoop and level technique to measure your flour if you do not have a kitchen scale. To do this, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in the bag. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until it is heaped on top. Take a butterknife and level off the top. This should give you the most accurate measurement for flour.
- Tips for baking in warm and/or high humidity areas - When baking in high humidity and/or warmer areas, it's often a good practice to use less liquid and bake a little longer than the recipe calls for. Reduce the liquid by 25 grams in the initial mix and then slowly add the remaining liquid until you achieve the correct hydration level. You may need to bake the scones a few minutes longer. This will take some trial and error!
- Store leftover scones in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 4 days.
- To freeze baked scones, let them cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let thaw at room temperature. You can heat them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds if you want to eat them warm.
- To freeze unbaked scones, cut the scones out and arrange them on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze them on the sheet until they are solid and then transfer them to resealable bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake the scones direct from frozen but add an extra 2-3 minutes baking time.
These were easy to make and tasted excellent. The trickiest part was proceeding even though the dough seemed too dry. The comment to resist adding more liquid was invaluable, because I would have otherwise. They are the best scones I have ever made, light in texture. I recently bought sourdough chocolate chip scones from a home-based baking business and wanted to try making my own. This recipe was better! I plan to try them with other chips, like butterscotch and cinnamon, maybe with a light glaze on top, or drizzled caramel sauce from a jar. I might try them as drop scones instead of wedges, too.
Thank you Ann!
I'm sorry if this was already asked, I'm having a difficult time getting to all the comments. first, thus is my family's FAVORITE recipe! They are so quick but make me look so fancy 😉 I can quickly whip them up and impress pretty much anyone!! Second, my teenager daughters sweet best friend would love to try these but can't have gluten or dairy. Have you made these gluten and dairy free? Or have you had anyone else do so? I'd love to surprise her with them! (I know the starter has some gluten in it, but I think with the way it ferments that she is able to tolerate it. But I'll ask her mom to be sure. So let's assume normal starter is ok, hope that helps!) And thank you for this recipe! ❤️
Love these scones! I’ve reduced sugar To 1/4 C. and adding 1/4 cup of honey, and 50 g extra flour to make up for the liquid still seems too moist. Do you have any suggestions- maybe less discard or more butter and flour—Thank you.
I would try adding more flour until you get the right consistency instead of changing the discard or butter.
These taste amazing!! I do have a question thought mine at the bottom came out a little more toasty than I would have prefer.
It baked at the second to the last tray. Also I used milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chocolate chips, could this have influenced the chocolate to ooze out?
I would place the rack in the center next time and/or bake on a light colored baking sheet. Yes I think the milk chocolate was the culprit.
These have become my fave sourdough discard recipe! They are SO good. I add cinnamon and the whole fam adores them! (What’s not to love?!) ❤️
Thank you Katelyn!
I have never made scones, first time user of discard and these are incredible! Such an easy recipe to follow and the outcome is so good. My partner ate four in one day haha. I switched out the chocolate for white chocolate since it was all I had and THEN just made them for a second time with blueberries and white chocolate to share with friends who *gasped* after first bites. So glad i found this recipe and now your website. Thank you!!
Hi Amy! I've made these a few times and they are incredible!
Can I let the cut dough chill on the baking sheet in the fridge overnight, to bake first thing in the morning?
Thanks!
Yes you can!
Do I need to cover the baking sheet if chilling all night?
Yes, cover them to avoid them drying out too much.
Hi Amy!
You advised me on tweaking this recipe for cinnamon apple scones last year and they are still one of my favorites; along with the chippers version.
My strawberry patch is looking like it is going to provide me with a nice strawberry harvest. Would you add any spice or flavoring to complement the fresh strawberries? I was thinking of a nice glaze to drizzle over them. Do you have any other suggestions for me?
Thanks so much! I just absolutely love this scones recipe!!!
I think fresh basil or mint would be a great compliment to strawberries!
So good! I’ve made them for friends and family and people who don’t typically like scones, love these!
Could 1 C of fresh blueberries or cranberries or 1 C of dried fruit be used tin place of the 1 C chocolate chips ??
Yes, just let them soak in warm water while you are mixing the dough to rehydrate before mixing them in!