High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Scones

This recipe was developed and tested in my home kitchen at 5,400 feet above sea level. These Chocolate Chip Scones are truly one of my favorite bakes- they are simple, easy to make, but really satisfying and delicious with a cup of coffee. Soft and fluffy on the inside, lightly crisp around all the edges, and stuffed with lots of chocolate chunks- what’s not to like?

Let me show you how to make them!

How to Make High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Scones

We’re using simple ingredients for these scones plus lots of chopped dark chocolate. You can use any kind of chocolate you prefer here, and chocolate chips work perfectly too if you don’t want to chop up a bar of chocolate.

To start out, stir together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl which includes flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Then add in chunks of cold butter.

You want to use either a pastry cutter or clean hands to mash the butter into the dry ingredients until well combined and sandy in texture with small chunks of butter running throughout the whole mixture. Then toss in your chocolate chunks or chips and stir everything together until well coated and distributed.

Then it’s time to stir in the wet mixture. I like to use a fork here to work everything together until you have a soft, shaggy dough starting to form. Then turn it out onto a clean surface and gently press and knead the dough together until it holds together easily and there’s no big pockets of dry flour.

Pat the dough into a disc that is about 3/4 of an inch thick- it doesn’t have to be perfect but you want to pat the disc into an even shape at this point. Then cut it into 8 slices like a pizza. If your dough is getting warm at this stage, pop the dough slices into the fridge for 15 minutes.

Once ready to bake, brush each scone down with a generous amount of cream, and sprinkle coarse sugar all over the tops of each scone. Bake until they are deeply golden brown all over and they have puffed up significantly.

Enjoy these scones warm with your coffee or tea for the perfect treat! If you’re looking for more tips about high-altitude baking, see my full high-altitude baking guide here.

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Scones

Here are my tips to help along the way!

• Do I have to use chopped chocolate? No, you can use any chocolate or chocolate chips that you prefer here- it all works perfectly!
• Work quickly to keep the dough cold or pop the formed scones into the fridge before you bake them. This helps cool down the butter and keep the shape perfect as the scones bake.
• Do I have to use heavy cream? You can swap in buttermilk (and omit the vinegar) if you’d prefer here, but I would recommend using real buttermilk or cream to get the perfect soft texture on the inside of the scones.
• Do I have to chill the scones before baking? If you work with the dough quickly and it stays mostly cold and firm, you do not have to chill before baking.
• Do I have to add sugar to the top? No, this is option but it tastes amazing and provides a lovely crunch to the top of the scones.
• How do I know when the scones are finished baking? They should be nicely golden brown all over the top and they should have puffed noticeably all over.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.

Enjoy!

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High-Altitude Chocolate Chip Scones

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour plus more as needed for shaping
• 1 tbs. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbs. cold butter
• 3/4 cup chocolate chunks or chips
• 3/4 cup heavy cream plus more to brush the tops
• 2 tsp. white vinegar
• 1 egg cold
• 1 tbs. vanilla extract
• 1 tbs. coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender or clean hands, cut the cold butter into your flour mixture until it has coarse crumbs of butter running throughout. Toss the chocolate chunks or chips into the mixture until well distributed.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, vinegar, egg, and vanilla extract until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and use a spatula to mix until a dough comes together.
4. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface, and gently knead it until it just comes together, adding more flour if needed until the dough is not sticky, but still holds together. Pat the dough into a disc about 3/4 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut it like a pizza into 8 even scones, or use the cutter of your choice to cut rounds. You can reshape and cut the scrapes once.
5. If the dough is fairly soft and becoming warm, place the scones onto your sheet pan and put them into the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
6. Place your scones onto your prepared baking sheet spaced evenly. Brush the tops generously with cream, and sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the scones are golden on top. Cool and enjoy!

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!

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