Double Chocolate Scones

Recently I've had the urge to remake my recipe for Double Chocolate Scones. And not just because they're incredibly delicious. 

Perhaps some of it is that they're made with a substantial amount of whole wheat flour. It was a happy accident that led to this discovery that a lot of chocolatey flavor hides the healthy bite of whole wheat.

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Jump to:

• Making Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Scones
• Making Scones in Advance
• 📖 Recipe

On a record-pushing snowy day in March 2013. I wrote:

Today I decided to make Double Chocolate Scones. I got started before I realized I barely had any all-purpose flour left! I wasn't going to let that stop me - and neither was I going to the grocery store with all of the big, fluffy snow St. Louis was getting.

Such beautiful snow, when spring was supposed to be blooming. Luckily for me, I always have lots of other flour in my kitchen. I decided that chocolate should hold its own against whole wheat flour. Thus, the Double Chocolate Scones recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 1997 (affiliate link) cookbook became Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Scones.

I wouldn't have them any other way. These scones are fantastic. They're sweet and tender, from gentle treatment of the dough. The chocolate and glaze holds the hearty flavor of whole wheat at bay. Not too rich, they were good both warm and at room temperature. Miniature chocolate chips add texture, and glaze keeps them from seeming dry.

Making Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Scones

This recipe originally was made with all-purpose flour, and it was only out of necessity that I made it with whole wheat flour. It would be ideal made with milder white whole wheat flour, but I've used traditional whole wheat. I recommend using ¼ or ½ cup of all-purpose flour as it hides the taste of traditional whole wheat flour, although they're still pretty tasty made with all whole wheat.

To start, mix together flour(s), cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can use white granulated sugar if you'd rather, but brown sugar adds a little more richness.

Next, cut your butter into chunks, then use a pastry cutter (affiliate link) to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it all resembles crumbs. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.

In a measuring cup, whisk together your yogurt, milk, and egg. You can use buttermilk in place of the yogurt and milk, or all yogurt. You can also use 2 teaspoons distilled or cider vinegar plus about 12 tablespoons of milk. However, the resulting dough may be sticky since milk/buttermilk isn't as thick as yogurt.

Use a fork to gently stir the liquid into the flour mixture until it's mostly moistened. Use your hands to fold the dough over itself (like folding a piece of paper in half) 10-12 times; you're kneading the dough in the bowl. This will incorporate the remaining dry ingredients. However, don't be rough with the dough.

If you've used a little too much liquid and the dough sticks in the bowl, go ahead and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it there, folding it in half over itself 10-12 times.

Form the dough into a ball and place it on a very lightly floured surface. Pat it out into a 9-inch circle, then cut it into 10 wedges. Separate the wedges and place them, not touching, on a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake them at 375F for 14-18 minutes. A toothpick in the center will come out clean; if it doesn't try another spot in case you hit a chocolate chip. Mine have always been done at 15 minutes.

To serve, mix together a quick glaze of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle over the scones. It's a light glaze. If you're an icing person, you may want to double it.

Making Scones in Advance

Not planning to eat these scones immediately? Make them ahead of time!

After you cut the dough, place them on waxed or parchment paper and freeze them. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag.

The morning you want to eat them, bake them for an extra 2 minutes without thawing them first. (So, 16-20 minutes total instead of 14-18.) Make the glaze, drizzle it on them, and enjoy.

They taste best freshly baked. If you happen to have leftovers, you can wrap them in a couple of layers of aluminum foil, freeze them, and stash them in a freezer bag. Be aware, though, that the thawed glaze will be rather messy.

These scones are not quite as rich and sweet as you might think given that they're double-chocolate; the whole wheat flour grounds them. But they are tender and chocolatey and delicious! I hope you enjoy these scones as much as we do.

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📖 Recipe

[Originally published March 24, 2013. Updated recipe, photos, and commentary in February 2019.]