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If you’ve ever wanted to combine the buttery richness of traditional scones with the indulgent flavor of chocolate, this chocolate scones recipe is exactly what you need. These scones are soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the edges, and filled with chocolatey flavor that make every bite irresistible. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a cozy afternoon treat!
Table of Contents
Why Chocolate Scones Are Perfect for Brunch
- Sweet & satisfying: They balance out savory brunch dishes like eggs or quiche.
- Elegant yet easy: They look fancy but are simple to make ahead of time.
- Versatile: You can serve them plain, glazed, or with fruit and cream.
Chocolate Scone Brunch Ideas
- Classic Chocolate Chip Scones & Coffee Bar
Pair warm chocolate scones with fresh coffee, espresso shots, or cold brew. Add whipped cream or chocolate drizzle for extra indulgence. - Chocolate & Berry Brunch Board
Serve chocolate scones with strawberries, raspberries, and a bowl of mascarpone or clotted cream. It’s visually stunning and delicious! - Mini Chocolate Scones Sampler
Bake smaller scones and offer toppings like Nutella, orange zest glaze, or sea salt caramel sauce — perfect for variety. - Mocha Brunch Theme
Pair chocolate scones with mocha lattes or chocolate chai. Add a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top for café vibes.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Scones
- Simple ingredients: No fancy tools or hard-to-find ingredients.
- Quick to make: Ready in under 40 minutes from start to finish.
- Perfect texture: Flaky on the outside, tender on the inside.
- Versatile: Delicious plain or drizzled with a touch of chocolate glaze or dusted with powdered sugar. Toss in some dried fruit or nuts.
Bonus Tip
You can make double chocolate scones the night before and reheat them in the oven before brunch — they’ll taste freshly baked and save you time in the morning.
Why You Should Watch the Video
I know — baking can sometimes feel intimidating. That’s exactly why I created a quick, easy-to-follow YouTube video tutorial to go with this post.
In the video, I’ll show you:
- The exact texture the dough should have.
- How to shape scones without overworking them.
- A few fun twists (like mocha or double chocolate variations).
Trust me, once you see how simple and delicious these are, you’ll want to bake them every weekend.
Ingredients and Tips
These are most of the important ingredients to make double chocolate scones. Most of them are very common in the average kitchen, so I would like to pull your attention to the most important ingredient, which is the cocoa powder. For this recipe, I prefer to use Dutch processed cocoa powder, because I love the deeper dark color it gives cakes and pastries. However, if you have natural cocoa powder, you can use that instead. In my video below, I made the scones with natural cocoa powder, and they still turned out amazing.
Science Note: There is a difference in acidity between natural cocoa powder and Dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch processed is pH neutral while natural cocoa powder is acidic.
- Rule of thumb, when using natural cocoa powder, it is important to use baking soda to take advantage of the acidity and aid in rising via the production of carbon dioxide gas.
- When using Dutch processed cocoa powder or even black cocoa powder, there is little to no acidity so we have to rely on baking powder for the rise of our pastries. This is important because baking powder contains both baking soda and acidic compounds which helps produce the carbon dioxide gas the pastries need to rise properly.
How to make Double Chocolate Scones
I have written out the most important parts of this recipe in a step-by-step sequence of images along with the instructions for the Double Chocolate Scones. You can find the full sequence of instruction in the recipe card below.
1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. (Add to your food processor, if using)
2. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a bench scraper until butter the size of peas. (If using a food processor, pulse until butter is the size of peas.)
3. Pour in instant coffee, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until just combined. (You will have dry spots.)
4. Pour mixture onto work surface. Begin shaping it into square, folding and mashing the dough onto itself. Dough will begin hydrating dry bits but DO NOT OVER MIX. Keep folding dough until all dry bits are hydrated. You should see specs of cold butter. (If dough get too warm, place it into the refrigerator.)
Note: The folding action and the bits of butter create layers in the scone dough. I call this semilamination. It is a very similar technique to what we see with rough puff pastry.
5. Form dough into a 6 inch circle. Dough should be 1 inch thick.
6. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
7. Place them onto a parchment paper lined cook sheet.
8. Bake on 375°F for 14-16mins. Let cool for 10 mins. Drizzle with chocolate glaze.
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Double Chocolate Scones
Video
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Pasty Cutter/Bench scraper A fork works as well
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup instant coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp instant coffee
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. (Add to your food processor, if using)
- Add the cold butter to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a bench scraper until butter is pea-sized. (If using a food processor, pulse until butter is the size of peas.)
- Pour in instant coffee, vanilla, and heavy cream. Mix until just combined. (You will have dry spots.)
- Pour mixture onto work surface. Begin shaping it into square, folding and mashing the dough onto itself. Dough will begin hydrating dry bits but DO NOT OVER MIX. Keep folding dough until all dry bits are hydrated. You should see specs of cold butter. (If dough get too warm, place it into the refrigerator.)
- Form dough into a 6 inch circle. Dough should be 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Place them onto a parchment paper lined cook sheet.
- Bake on 375°F for 14-16mins or until scones have puffed and set. Cool about 15 mins before service.
For Chocolate Glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder, until well combined.
- Add in instant coffee and vanilla.
- Add in Milk and heavy cream. (Add more or less as needed)
- Whisk until smooth. Glaze should barely hold it’s shape before dissolving into itself. This will give the perfect drizzle.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
These chocolate scones are amazing on their own, but here are a few ideas to take them up a notch:
- Pair with a latte or chai tea for a cozy breakfast.
- Top with a dusting of powdered sugar for a bakery-style finish.
- Add a drizzle of melted white chocolate for extra flair.
- Add Chocolate chunks or chips for more texture and deeper chocolate flavor.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- You can also freeze them for up to 3 months — just thaw and warm before serving!
Reheat Options
- Reheat in the convections oven for 14 minutes to bring back that fresh-baked texture.
- Reheat in microwave on high for 45 seconds.
