Flaky yet tender scones, filled with espresso & chai, topped with an espresso chai glaze.
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dirty chai scones with a dirty chai glaze
If you can’t help but order a starbucks dirty chai latte, these scones are for you. They’re made with espresso and chai directly in the scone dough, and with espresso and chai in the glaze. To get that delicious flavor, we brew a chai tea bag directly in hot espresso. It’s a technique I think I’ll have to implement into my own lattes to be honest! But anyway – these scones are ridiculously light and fluffy and so so flavorful and delicious. If you’re wondering “what is a dirty chai latte?” – A dirty chai latte is just a regular chai latte that has had coffee added to it.
why you’ll love these chai scones:
- They’re moist and flaky. A lot of scones are sad and dry – and while scones need to be a little dry for their signature shape and rise, these are *way* more moist than you’d expect.
- They’re perfectly spiced. We brew a chai bag directly into the espresso to get the perfect chai flavor into the scones and into the glaze.
- They’re super easy to make. Scones are actually super easy to make, can easily be made ahead of time and baked off at a later date, and are *perfect* for sharing.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
keep the dough and ingredients cold:
The trick to getting those flaky layers and butter pockets is to keep the dough cold. If you notice the butter getting too warm at any point while making the scones, just pop the dough into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden it up again. You’ll also want to keep your egg & sour cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Mix the dough carefully:
Be careful to knead the dough just until it comes together. Over-kneading the dough can lead to a drier, tougher scone.
freeze the dough before baking it
This step is super important because it ensures that the scones will not spread much in the oven, and will bake up nice and tall! Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before slicing them and baking them off. If you’re freezing the dough overnight or longer, make sure you wrap the dough up tightly in plastic wrap to avoid it drying out. Also – you will probably need to let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before it’s soft enough to slice in to.
how to cut butter into the scones
There are multiple different ways that you can incorporate butter into your scones. I find it’s easiest to cube up the butter and then smush it into the flour with my fingers until the pieces are fairly tiny. You can also use a pastry blender, or two forks to kind of cut the butter up into the flour. If you wanted to prep the night before, you could use a cheese grater to grate the stick of butter and then freeze it until you’re ready to make the scones.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for dirty chai scones:
espresso chai scones:
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the scones rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the scones.
- Chai spice: to amp up the flavor a little. You can buy a pre-made blend or just blend together your favorite chai spices. I used a blend of: 1 tsp. ground cinnamon & 1/4 tsp. of ground allspice, ground cardamom, ground cloves, and ground ginger
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and making those delicious flaky layers. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to remove the excess salt from the dough!
- Light brown sugar: for lightly sweetening and for moisture. You can easily substitute in granulated or dark brown sugar.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Sour cream: makes these scones nice and tender and keeps them from being dry. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
- Espresso & a chai tea bag: you’ll need your favorite espresso and favorite chai brand here.
espresso chai glaze:
- Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.
- Espresso & a chai tea bag: you’ll need your favorite espresso and favorite chai brand here.
how to make dirty chai latte scones
Here are some photos of the process of making these delicious chai scones. The full recipe can be found at the end of this blog post.
dirty chai latte scones recipe q&a
can I make these chai scones ahead of time?
Yes, you can! There are two ways you could go about this.
- Prepping the night before: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave in the freezer overnight. In the morning you can bake these scones off as stated in the recipe.
- Prepping further in advance: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 1 month before baking. You can bake the scones right from frozen, they will just need a couple more minutes in the oven!
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe and divide the dough into even circles. I (even more) strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
how to store chai latte scones
Like most baked goods, these scones will taste the best on the day that they are baked, but will keep well for 3-5 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.
american scones vs. british scones
These are very much American scones. British scones are more akin to American biscuits and likewise, do not contain any egg (while British biscuits are more like shortbread in America!) These scones contain one egg which helps make them light, fluffy, and moist.
My scones turned out super dry
The #1 reason for baked goods coming out super dry is not measuring the flour properly. I seriously can’t recommend using a scale enough for the best baking experience and outcome! They may also turn out dry if you over-kneaded the dough (only knead until it comes together), or if you browned the butter for too long and too much moisture evaporated.
My scones spread a lot in the oven
There are three reasons this may have occurred –
- The dough was not chilled for long enough. Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This allows all the ingredients to get cold again, which leads to less spreading in the oven.
- Your oven temperature is wrong. I recommend getting an oven thermometer, you might be surprised to find out that your oven runs too hot or cold!
- Your baking powder might be expired. You can test if your baking powder is active by dropping some in a small amount of water. If it bubbles, it’s active, if not, it’s expired.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Dirty Chai Latte Scones
Ingredients
Espresso Chai
- 60 g freshly brewed espresso (2 oz.)
- 1 chai tea bag
Dirty Chai Latte Scones
- 1 egg
- 60 g sour cream (¼ c.)
- 30 g espresso chai
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 240 g all purpose flour (2 c.)
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 35 g light brown sugar (3 tbsp.)
- 113 g unsalted butter cold, cubed (½ c.)
Dirty Chai Latte Glaze
- 150 g powdered sugar (1 ¼ c.)
- 1-2 tbsp. espresso chai
Instructions
Espresso Chai
- Add the chai tea bag to a small cup, then brew or pour the hot espresso directly over it. Let the mixture steep for 5 minutes, then discard the tea bag.
Dirty Chai Latte Scones
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, 30g (2 tbsp.) of the espresso chai mixture and vanilla until well combined. Set the mixture in the fridge.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cube up your cold butter stick and add it into the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are quite small.
- Make a well in the center of the ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients mixture. Lightly mix the ingredients together in the bowl until you have a shaggy dough.
- Use your hands to lightly knead the scone dough together until it comes together.
- Form the dough into a circle that is 6" in diameter. Cover the dough and let it rest in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Slice the scones into 8 equally sized triangles. Evenly space them apart on the lined baking sheet.
- If desired, you can brush a little bit of heavy cream on top of the scones to encourage the tops to brown. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones start to turn golden brown on top.
Espresso Chai Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add in the remaining espresso chai one tablespoon at a time, until you get your desired glaze consistency.
- Once the scones have cooled to room temperature, top them with the glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Super easy to make, and I love that weight is used rather than volume! Flavor is delicious, but came out a bit dry. I dont think I over kneaded it, and measured the flour with weight, so not sure what went wrong. But overall delicious, and perfect with a cup of coffee!
Thank you so much Lida! They are a little dry just because that’s the nature of scone dough – but I’m happy you liked them overall! 🙂