Make Ahead Chocolate Chip Scones
Scones are a weekend staple around here when the kids are home, so for Mother’s Day, I thought I would make chocolate chip scones. Perfect in the morning with a cup of coffee, or even later in the day as a treat.
Scones can be made ahead of time
One of the things I love about making scones for the morning is that they can be made ahead of time. You mix the scones, form the dough into a disk, and refrigerate, or you could even cut them into triangles and freeze them. Then, when you are ready to bake, line a pan with parchment paper and bake about 2″ apart.
Pro tip: Chilling or freezing scone dough before baking helps in a few ways. The cold butter stays solid longer in the oven, which creates steam as it melts and produces those lovely flaky layers. It also means the scones hold their shape better and rise up rather than spreading out. Frozen scones can go straight from freezer to oven (just add a few minutes to the bake time).
Grated frozen butter is the secret to great scones
Many recipes call for cold butter, but grated frozen butter is the secret to delicious scones, and it makes it so easy to mix the butter into the dry mix. This also helps in overworking the dough. The grated frozen butter is so much easier to mix in, avoiding overmixing or overworking the dough.
Your shopping list for scones
- Salted butter (or unsalted, but I prefer salted, so I omit adding salt)
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Egg
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla
- Mix-in (like chocolate chips)
Serving scones
The thing I like about scones is that you really can serve them without anything at all. Maybe a simple glaze on top, or not. But if you want to get a little fancy, and since it’s Mother’s Day today, I’ll be serving them with clotted cream and some good French butter. If these were another type of scone, I would probably add jam and lemon curd. You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post! You can find out more on making tiered stands here: How to Make a DIY Tiered Stand with Vintage Plates.
A few more Sunday favorites this week:
Artist Lizzy Love
I’ve been following artist Lizzy Love for years — she even painted a stunning piece of our favorite spot in Tuscany that I treasure to this day. Back then, she was known for her beautiful abstract landscapes, but true artists evolve, and Lizzy is no exception.
In her recent email, she shares what inspired her pivot, and I loved hearing the story behind it! After her son was born in 2020, she found herself in a creative rut and decided to just play around with something new. A magazine, a sketchbook, and a little experimentation later, and her gorgeous series of ladies was born.
The scale, the color, the patterns. These paintings are pure joy. And if you’re looking for an unforgettable gift, Lizzy does commissions. Reach out here and follow her on Instagram here.
Tomato lovers
This week, I shared this beautiful garden carry-all from Terrain on Instagram. We use ours all summer to collect tomatoes from the garden. I knew it would make a wonderful gift for a gardener. I added a tomato plant, a basil plant, and a potted marigold to the basket and put them inside these little paper bags from UASHMAMA. I also added a beautiful seed packet I picked up at the little shop I visited with Mary Ann, called Officina 1397. This twine is so nice for tying up your tomato plants.
My favorite inexpensive art Supplies to make greeting cards
I make all of my greeting cards for every occasion. These are the supplies I keep on hand so that I can make a card or a tag at a moment’s notice. I keep an assortment of envelopes that are extra or leftover from holiday cards, etc. I can trim the paper using this paper trimmer to fit the envelope as needed. I use inexpensive watercolor paints and watercolor paper for texture and weight. I also have a few acrylic paints and these fine-tip markers.
Mary Ann’s post: Everyday Dining Table Decor Ideas
Mary Ann’s post made me think differently about how to decorate the dining table every day. You can read her post here if you haven’t already.
Let’s check in with Cindy and Mary Ann
Chocolate Chip Scones
I love that these scones can be made ahead. Make the dough, form it into a disk, and cut it into 8 triangles. Wrap well in plastic wrap, and then in a Ziploc bag.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Total Time: 30-35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 8 tablespoons grated frozen salted butter (add 1/2 teaspoon salt if using unsaslted butter)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (plus a little more as needed if dough is too dry and for brushing on scones before baking)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
- Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on top of scones after brushing with heavy cream just before baking)
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, powder in a large bowl. Add grated frozen butter and combine with a pastry cutter, or your hands.
- Mix the egg, heavy cream, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add a teaspoon of heavy cream at a time if the dough seems too dry. Add in the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Work the dough into a ball and then on a floured surface, flatten into a disc that is about 8″ in diameter. Using a bench scraper, cut into eight triangles.
- Cover and refrigerate, or freeze until ready to bake.
Notes
Scones can be frozen before baking or even after baking. Bring frozen scones to room temperature and pop them into the oven for just a few minutes to warm.
How do I do 5 stars for the recipe??? Thanks for the dining table decor mention.
Hi Annie,
Creating cards and crafting them is the best. It’s very meditative and therapeutic too as I listen to some of my quiet music.
I recently have decided to start creating water color and change up my medium s bit. A good chill.
I always enjoy seeing your handcrafted cards. You are one of the “Queen of Crafters.”
Happy Mother’s Day to you. I’m sure your kids will enjoy your home baked chocolate scones!
The queen of crafter, ha, love that! I could not agree more that crafting is meditative and therapeutic! Especailly when I remmeber to put on some music! I’ve been listening to Olivia Dean on repeat lately! Hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day Katherine!
xo