Today I am sharing by far the easiest chocolate chip scone recipe that you will ever find. And if you’re after soft and fluffy chocolate chip scones this recipe is definitely the best one going around too!
I have to admit I haven’t had too many chocolate chip scones in my lifetime. Up till now I have been more of a fruit scone person, maybe raisins, sultanas or mixed dried fruit. I prefer scones with add in’s because it eliminates the need for extra toppings. I often whip up a batch of these fruit scones and enjoy them for breakfast just as they are – no need for butter even!
While I love fruit scones there are some in my family that don’t like dried fruit. They do however like chocolate so today’s recipe is great for when you’re baking scones for non-dried fruit eaters.
Just like my recipe for fruit scones this recipe for chocolate chip scones is a spinoff of the original 3 ingredient scones that I made a few years back. It’s the most popular recipe that I have ever shared, and for good reason. Once you have made scones using cream and lemonade (Sprite is called lemonade in Australia) you will never make them any other way again.
Because the recipe is so easy I’m always on the lookout for variations. So I few weeks ago I decided to try making a chocolate chip version. I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out but I was very happy with the results. I’ve made them a few times now and they’re a definite hit!
These chocolate chip scones are very easy to make so you can have a batch ready to eat in under an hour. They’re very light and fluffy and they’re packed with chocolate chips so every mouthful is a chocolate lover’s heaven.
These scones are great if served warm or cold but personally I love them when they’re warm and the chocolate chips are still soft. The next day I just heat them for around 10 seconds in the microwave (900w) and they’re just as good!
They also freeze well and I find that two bursts of 10 seconds in the microwave will thaw them out quickly and leave them as fresh as the day they were baked. Although I have to admit that mine haven’t stayed in the freezer for long!
Like the fruit scones you don’t need any extra toppings; they are delicious just as they are! So now I have two favorite add in’s for my scones; dried fruit or chocolate chips. It will be so hard to decide which ones to bake now!
- 3 cups of self raising flour
- ½ cup of icing/powdered sugar
- 1 cup of thickened/heavy cream
- 1 cup of lemonade/soda pop (e.g. Sprite)*
- 1 cup of milk chocolate chips
- extra self raising flour for kneading (approx. ½ cup)
- Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and line a baking tray or tin with baking paper - I use a 20cm x 30cm (8 x 12 inch) rectangular slice tin.
- Place flour, sugar, cream, and lemonade in a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Fold through chocolate chips.
- Turn the sticky mixture out onto a well-floured board and bring together/knead with extra flour until just smooth and no longer sticky.
- Use your hands to flatten the dough out to about 2 – 3 cm (1 inch) thick and then cut into rounds using a floured scone cutter.
- Place scones onto a lined baking tray so that they are just touching and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Scones are cooked when they are golden brown and can be easily pulled apart where they are joined.
- Remove from oven, cover with a tea towel and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I have used sugar free lemonade and find that it works just fine.
Yield depends on thickness of dough and size of cutter.
Can be made ahead of time and frozen until needed. Allow to thaw at room temperature or warm using short bursts in the microwave.
If you prefer plain scones topped with jam and cream then this recipe is exactly what you need.
Would Diet Squirt work as well for Scones?
Hi Teresa, I think that your Diet Squirt would work with these scones. They just seem to need some sort of carbonated/bubbly drink. However, I’ve never tasted Squirt (not sure you can even get it here in Australia) but from what I see online it is a citrus flavoured carbonated drink. I’m not sure if Squirt has a strong flavour but that might affect the taste of the scones if it does. I hope you do have success making them!
I have Gingerale (ginger soda) in my cooler, so can I substitute that for sprite? Does the sour lemon flavor of sprite make a difference (because I also have a lemon)?
You should be able to use the Gingerale instead of the sprite with no problems Karen. I don’t find that you get any flavour from the sprite; just a bit of sweetness. As long as it is carbonated/bubbly it will be fine!
Do I need the icing sugar for them or is it fine without
Hi Emma, you don’t have to use the icing sugar for the recipe to work but they wont be as sweet without it. You do get some sweetness from the Sprite but I prefer to add a little more sugar!
Are these a type of biscuit?
Hi Lisa, this is not a type of biscuit it is how we shape our scones here in Australia! Our scones are traditionally cut into rounds and they are usually served for ‘afternoon tea’ or as a snack. These ones are sweet and have chocolate chips, but you can also make them plain and then top them with jam and cream. It is confusing because they look very much like american biscuits!
Have you tried adding cheese to this recipe? I have made the plain and chocolate chip ones both delicious. Thank you
Hi Jay, I have made a cheese and pumpkin version of these scones but it was so long ago that I have lost the exact quantities that I used! I’m planning on perfecting a cheese version very soon and I’ll post it on the blog when I’m done! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the plain and the chocolate chip ones. My favourite is the fruit version; I make them all the time!
I am wondering if plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt would work as well as cream. When I make regular biscuits I use vanilla yogurt.
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried using yoghurt but you could probably use it instead of the cream. The scones might not be as soft and fluffy because the fat content is generally not as high in yoghurt compared to cream. When I used low fat cream I found that they turned out okay but they were a bit drier. I hope that helps!
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream and do I need to reduce the quantity for milk?? Thanks
I haven’t tried using milk instead of heavy cream for this recipe. However for similar recipes online I have read that some people have used milk. I find that the fat content in the cream helps to make the scones nice and fluffy. I used low fat cream once and they were a bit dry. You could probably use milk but it might affect the texture of the scone. With regards to quantity, you might not need as much milk compared to cream. I would start by adding just half a cup of milk and then add more as needed to get a slightly sticky dough. I hope this helps!
Hi Kaylene, I have made this scones for many years and I agree, they are delicious and very popular.
I also make them with Dates, Dates and ginger, sultanas, sultanas and ginger , mashed pumpkin, and dates/ginger/sultanas can also be added. I also do apricots and ginger. You may think I use a lot of ginger its because I just love it.
Take care , stay safe Regards Patricia
Hi Patricia, sorry for the late reply. I’ve had technical issues that meant that I couldn’t access any comments!
It does sound like you do like your ginger! I think that is the great thing about this recipe though – you can add in extras to suit your taste!
I love these chocolate ones and ones made with dried fruit (sultanas, currents, and raisins).
You stay safe too Patricia and thanks for taking the time to comment!
I am going to try low fat choc milk instead of cream + blood orange grapefruit sparkling water instead of sprite.
Hi Madeline, I’m not sure how the low fat chocolate milk will go in this recipe. These scones seem to require the high fat content of the cream to give them a light and fluffy texture. I have made scones like these using low fat cream and they turned out a bit dry, so the low fat milk might give a similar result. The blood orange grapefruit sparkling water should work fine though. Any type of carbonated drink seems to work with this recipe. I hope you have success, whatever you try!