These chocolate chip sourdough discard scones are flakey, tender and oh, so sweet. It’s the caramel drizzle on top that really makes these amazing.
I’ve lived in Utah my entire life, so when I hear the word scone I immediately think of fry bread. Until about a year ago, scones were always fried bread with some butter and a drizzle of honey. And boy are they delicious.
But these scones are the real deal. Or at least, that’s what I’ve been told. These are loaded with chocolate chips and then topped with a homemade quick caramel drizzle and they’re sure to be one of your new favorite desserts. My kids might like them better than a chocolate chip cookie.
How to Make Tender, Fluffy Scones at Home
There’s something cozy and comforting about a freshly baked scone—crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Whether you’re enjoying one for breakfast or just need a sweet treat, scones are simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser.
Start with Cold Ingredients
The key to great scones is cold butter. Just like in pie dough or biscuits, cold butter creates steam as it bakes, giving your scones those flaky, tender layers. Here are three different methods you can use for your butter.
- Freeze a stick of butter and grate it with your cheese grater.
- Weigh out your dry ingredients and place them into your food processor. Then cube up frozen or very cold butter and add it to the food processor. Pulse it a few times until the butter is in pea-size bits. Place in the freezer to keep cold while you prepare your wet ingredients.
- Don’t have a food processor? Add about 1/3 of your flour into your blender with very cold, diced butter. Quickly pulse it until the butter is in pea-size bits.
- Melt your butter in the microwave. Let cool. Mix all your wet ingredients well. Add your butter to your wet ingredients. When the butter hits the cold cream, it will form small beads of butter. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes so the mixture is very cold.
Don’t Overmix
Once you add the wet ingredients (I usually use half-and-half), stir just until the dough comes together. Overmixing will make your scones tough instead of soft and fluffy. It’s okay if the dough looks a little shaggy—it’ll all come together when you pat it out.
Shape and Cut
Pat your dough into a circle about an inch thick, then cut into wedges. I like to use a cake pan for a perfect circle. Just take your favorite round pan (mine is a 9-inch round) and line it with plastic wrap. Take your dough and gently press until it fills the pan and is evenly spread. Brush the tops with cream or milk for a golden finish, and if you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top.
Bake and Enjoy
Bake your scones until they’re golden brown and smell amazing—usually about 15–20 minutes. Let them cool slightly before digging in (if you can wait!).
Scones are one of those simple bakes that feel a little special, and once you try making them, you’ll see just how easy and rewarding they are. Happy baking!
When you make these scones, I recommend using discard that’s less than a week old. If it’s really old and covered with hooch, your discard is going to make these scones taste more tangy and sour. And that’s not the flavor we’re going for. Save that jar of discard for pancakes or savory crackers where you want more sour flavor.
Want to make these scones even more amazing? Grab a bag of salted caramel baking chips at Trader Joe’s (they’re seasonal, so stock up in the fall when you see them). Add half chocolate chips and half caramel chips. It’s a little taste of heaven.
These are best enjoyed fresh from the oven, but if you have extras store them in an air-tight container. After the first day, we like to warm them in the microwave for about 10 seconds before eating them.
Chocolate Chip Discard Scones
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Sheet Pan
- Grater
- round cake pan, optional
Ingredients
For the Scones
- 375 grams all purpose flour
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 6 grams salt
- 12 grams baking powder, about a tablespoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter, frozen or very cold, about 1/2 cup
- 250 grams chocolate chips
- 125 grams sourdough discard
- 100 grams half and half (or 40 grams whole milk + 60 grams heavy cream)
- 2 large eggs
- 5 grams vanilla extract
- extra cream for brushing on top
- 30 grams turbinado (coarse) sugar, for sprinkling on top, optional
For the Glaze
- 60 grams unsalted butter, about 4 tablespoons
- 100 grams brown sugar, about 1/2 cup
- 15 grams half and half or heavy cream, about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
Make the Scones
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix well.
- Grate the stick of butter and add to your dry ingredients. Gently fluff the butter into the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Place in the freezer to keep the butter cold.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine sourdough discard, half and half, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well making sure everything is combined and there aren’t large clumps of sourdough discard.
- Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix. If mixture is too dry, add a tiny splash of milk. If mixture is too wet, add some extra flour.
- Line a 9-inch cake pan with plastic wrap. Add scone dough into the cake pan and gently press until the dough fills the pan and is evenly distributed. If you don't want to use a cake pan, just gently shape it by eye on plastic wrap.
- Place scones in the freezer to chill 30 minutes or in the fridge up to 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 °F
- Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the round scone dough into 8 even pieces. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Brush the tops of the scones with half and half or milk then sprinkle with turbinado sugar (optional).
- Bake at 425 °F for 15-20 minutes until scones are cooked through and golden brown.
Make the Glaze
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar. Bring to a slow simmer and remove from heat. Add 1 tablespoon of half and half and mix well.
- Drizzle over warm scones.
Notes
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