Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
These Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones boast a tender, flaky texture, enriched by the tangy complexity of the sourdough discard, which pairs perfectly with the rich, melty chocolate chips. Use up sourdough discard and create a delicious treat with what would have been waste.
If you’re looking for more homemade scones, check out Everything Bagel Scones With Bone Broth, Citrus Scones, Blueberry Cream Cheese Scones Without Eggs, Eggless Pumpkin Spice Scones, or Banana Scones with Peanut Butter Glaze.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
- Ready In: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Makes: 6 scones
- Main Ingredients: salted butter, sourdough discard, all purpose flour, dark chocolate
- Flavor Profile: tangy sourdough meets rich chocolate in a flaky scone
- Dietary Info: no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: tender, flaky scones with chocolate chips that use up sourdough disacrd
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Unique Flavor: These chocolate chip sourdough scones offer a delightful mix of tangy and sweet flavors, with the subtle sourdough tang enhancing the rich, melty chocolate chips, creating a taste that's both unique and irresistible.
- Perfectly Tender Texture: The sourdough discard in these homemade scones contributes to an exceptionally tender and flaky texture, making each bite soft yet satisfying, and a step above traditional scones.
- Sustainable Baking: Making Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones is a great way to use up sourdough discard, reducing food waste and making the most of your sourdough starter, while enjoying a delicious treat! If you love sourdough discard recipes, check out Sourdough Chocolate Shortbread Cookies or Vegan Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Sourdough Scones: I love making organic scones with sourdough discard because it creates a slightly tangy flavor that only sourdough discard can provide. These are so good, you may want to make a double batch!
Ingredients
- Butter: I use organic salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter if you prefer. I like to grate the cold butter using a large box grater, think pizza cheese grater size. I find this gives you the most tender, flaky scones. If you don't have this size grater, you can cut the butter into small pieces. Don't use room temperature or a soft stick of butter because your scones won't be flaky.
- Buttermilk: I use organic buttermilk, you can use store bought or you can make your own with my Organic Buttermilk Recipe. If you don't have buttermilk or whole milk to make your own, heavy cream is a great substitute.
- Sourdough Discard: You can use your sourdough starter discard straight from the fridge. If you do not have sourdough discard, you can still make this recipe. Just mix together 57 grams all purpose flour and 57 grams of water and use this in its place. The recipe will still be delicious!
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high quality vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: I use organic dark chocolate chips, but semi sweet or milk chocolate also works. Totally up to preference.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Flavor Variations
This is a great sourdough discard scone base that you can use to make different flavors. Try some of my other flavor variations!
- Raspberry Walnut: Add in 57 grams chopped walnuts and 43 grams freeze dried raspberries.
- Chocolate Strawberry: Add in 57 grams dried strawberries (or freeze dried).
- Chocolate Pecan: Add in 85 grams chopped pecans.
- Almond Blueberry: Replace the dark chocolate chips with white chocolate and add in 43 grams dried blueberries and 57 grams sliced almonds.
Baker's Tips
- Always use a kitchen scale for the best results!
- You can use your sourdough discard straight from the fridge.
- If you don't have sourdough discard, you can still make this recipe! Just mix together equal parts flour and water (57 grams each for these homemade scones).
- All ovens are a little different, so you can adjust the bake time a few minutes to ensure you get golden brown scones.
- Make sure to store scones in a cool, dry place. I prefer to leave out on a plater on the kitchen counter.
- If you want to warm up your scone, pop it in the toaster oven on a warm setting.
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix on low to for 2 to 3 rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Using a large grater, grate the butter and add to the flour mixture. Don’t mix yet.
- Add the sourdough discard, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix on low to combine into a shaggy dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix to combine.
- You’ll have to scrape the bowl to help combine the dry ingredients, and I find it’s easier to finish combining with your hands.
- Using your hands, form the dough into a rectangle that is about 7 x 5-inches in diameter.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the scone dough into 6 square pieces (cut down the middle lengthwise, and then in three).
- Separate the pieces so they are spaced evenly apart. Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 24 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the bottoms. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet. (If you're baking at high altitude, be sure to check the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for high altitude baking instructions).
- Melt the additional chocolate chip, either using a double boiler, or in a microwave safe bowl doing 30 intervals, stirring between each one.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops of the scones.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones FAQ's
Sourdough discard is the portion of your sourdough starter that gets tossed out during the feeding process. Instead of wasting it, you can use it in other baked goods to give them a sourdough flavor!
If you don't have buttermilk you can easily make your own with my Organic Buttermilk Recipe recipe that only requires 2 ingredients! But, you can also use regular milk in its place as well, you will just miss out on the flavor that buttermilk brings to this recipe.
I use dark chocolate chips here, but you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips too. If you want to chop up a dark chocolate bar, that also works!
Yes, I have lots of flavor variations above. You can add in freeze-dried raspberries, walnuts, pecans, almonds, or dried fruits. This is a great sourdough discard base you can use for different flavors.
Yes, if you want to make these in the traditional triangle shape or like wedges, instead of square, you can definitely do that! To do that, form the dough into a disc that is about 7-inch in diameter. Cut the disk into 6 slices (like a pizza!) and separate. Either way you do it, they will be amazing!
Chilling helps keep the butter cold right before baking. Cold butter is what will create a flaky, tender scone. This is why chilling the dough is essential.
You can chill overnight if you need to or want to. Doing so can result in a little bit tangier flavor too.
Yes, you can freeze the unbaked scones. First place on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until firm. Then you can transfer to an airtight container, place parchment paper between each one to prevent sticking. When you are ready to bake, transfer the scones to a baking sheet with parchment paper and move to the fridge for 24 hours. Then, bake as instructed.
This can happen from too much flour. Be sure to weigh ingredients using a digital food scale for the best results. This can also happen if you over bake.
If your baking powder was bad, then this can happen. Be sure it's fresh. This can also happen if your butter is too warm or you overwork the dough. Scone dough is similar to pie dough, you don't want to overmix it because the cold butter is what creates the steam pockets in the oven and that makes scones rise and become flaky.
If you have leftover scones they are best stored in a cool, dry place so they stay flaky and tender. Don't store them under a cake dome or in an air-tight container as they can become soggy and you want to keep the scones tender.
More Ways to Use Sourdough Discard
If you have a sourdough starter, then you know you always will have sourdough discard. Instead of wasting it, create delicious baked goods and treats with a sourdough tang! Try some of my other favorite ways to use up what would have been waste!
- For more breakfast treats try Sourdough Strawberry Pop Tarts, Eggless Sourdough Waffles, or Baked Chai Donuts with Sourdough Discard.
- Try more chocolate desserts like Small Batch Chocolate Cake With Sourdough Discard, Sourdough Apple Pie, or Sourdough Chocolate Chip Brownies.
- Make easy quick breads with sourdough discard like Sourdough Irish Brown Bread With Guinness or Sourdough Irish Soda Bread.
More Homemade Scones Recipes
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Sourdough Chocolate Chip Scones
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
Dough
- 284 grams all purpose flour
- 75 grams cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 113 grams salted butter (cold)
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 198 grams dark chocolate chips
Topping
- 99 grams dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, cane sugar, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix on low to for 2 to 3 rotations to combine the dry ingredients.
- Using a large grater, grate the butter and add to the flour mixture. Don’t mix yet.
- Add the sourdough discard, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix on low to combine into a shaggy dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix to combine. You’ll have to scrape the bowl to help combine the dry ingredients, and I find it’s easier to finish combining with your hands.
- Using your hands, form the dough into a rectangle that is about 7 x 5-inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut the scone dough into 6 square pieces (cut down the middle lengthwise, and then in three). Separate the pieces so they are spaced evenly apart.
- Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 24 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the bottoms. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Melt the additional chocolate chip, either using a double boiler, or in a microwave safe bowl doing 30 intervals, stirring between each one.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops of the scones.
- Store in a cool dry place for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Always use a kitchen scale for the best results!
- You can use your sourdough discard straight from the fridge.
- If you don't have sourdough discard, you can still make this recipe! Just mix together equal parts flour and water (57 grams each for these homemade scones).
- All ovens are a little different, so you can adjust the bake time a few minutes to ensure you get golden brown scones.
- Make sure to store scones in a cool, dry place. I prefer to leave out on a plater on the kitchen counter.
- If you want to warm up your scone, pop it in the toaster oven on a warm setting.
- High Altitude — Bake at 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the bottoms.
Nutrition
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These were amazing! Crunchy outside, moist inside, just the right amount of chocolate!!!!
Thank you Leah!
This is a chocolate lover’s delight! I especially loved the sourdough taste and texture to these tender scones!
So glad you enjoyed Connie!