Chocolate and coffee are a classic flavor combination. These fantastic Chocolate Chip Scones with Espresso Glaze feature a tender crumbed interior and a crusty exterior all finished with a simple coffee-infused glaze, making these morsels truly perfect for breakfast time.
1stick(4 ounces) unsalted butter,cold and cut into cubes
¾cupchocolate chips
⅓ to ½cupbuttermilk, heavy cream, or milkplus more for brushing on top
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1large egg,beaten
Glaze:
½cupconfectioners’ (icing) sugar
½teaspooninstant espresso powder
1 ½tablespoonsmilk
Instructions
Heat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add cold butter cubes to the flour mixture and work the butter into the flour mixture, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse pea or dime-size crumbs. Be careful not to overwork the mixture or the butter will soften too much and the resulting scones will not be flaky.
Add the chocolate chips and toss well. Mix together ⅓ cup of the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and beaten egg and then add to the flour mixture and mix until just combined, kneading lightly (but don’t overwork it). Add more buttermilk if the dough is too dry.
Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a ¾-to-1-inch thick circle. Don’t overwork the dough, as you want the butter inside to stay as cold as possible until the scones head into the oven.
Use a bench/dough scraper or knife to cut 6 wedges (like a pizza) from each round. Flip each cut scone over and place upside down on the parchment lined baking sheet (the bottoms are flatter and will look prettier as the tops of the scones), spacing a couple inches apart. At this point, the scones can be refrigerated or even frozen and baked later. Frozen scones can be baked from a frozen state; just add a little extra baking time, as needed.
Lightly brush on top of the scones (but not the sides) with a little heavy cream, buttermilk, or milk. Bake scones for 18 to 22 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to cool on the pan while you prepare the glaze.
Stir together the confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder, and milk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add a sprinkle more confectioners’ sugar. Too thick, add a drizzle of milk. When scones are cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops. Allow the glaze to set briefly and then serve the scones at room temperature.
Notes
Cut each dough round into 8 wedges instead of 6 to yield 16 smaller scones.
Don't like coffee? No problem. Omit the espresso powder from the glaze and replace about ½ teaspoon of the milk with pure vanilla extract to make a simple vanilla glaze instead. Or skip the glaze entirely and sprinkle raw sugar over the tops of the unbaked scones after brushing with milk.