Flaky yet tender scones, filled with chocolate chips & topped with an espresso glaze.
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mocha scones
I loooove all things espresso, as you may have noticed looking around my blog – so these scones are no exception. Scones are the perfect treat to have with your coffee, and now, you can have even more delicious coffee flavor with your coffee.
why you’ll love these mocha 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.
- Espresso. I think we’re all espresso lovers here, and these are the perfect excuse to have more coffee with your coffee.
- 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 mocha scones:
Mocha 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.
- 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: you’ll need your favorite espresso here
- Chocolate chips: use your favorite chocolate! I used a chocolate baking bar, but mini chocolate chips would work perfectly here as well.
glaze:
- Powdered sugar & espresso
mocha scones recipe q&a
can I make these mocha 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.
Can I make these smaller?
Yes! These scones can easily make 16 mini mocha scones. Split the dough into 2 equally sized pieces and form each into a circle that is 1″ thick (~3.5-4″ in diameter). Once the dough has chilled, cut each circle into 8 equally sized triangles. Bake as directed, checking on the scones after baking for 10 minutes for doneness.
how to store mocha 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.
How to make mocha scones:
tools and ingredients:
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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
Mocha Scones
Ingredients
Mocha Scones
- 260 g all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 113 g unsalted butter cold, cut into chunks
- 1 egg cold
- 30 mL espresso cold
- 85 g sour cream cold
- 113 g semi-sweet chocolate baking bar chopped
Espresso Glaze
- 160 g powdered sugar
- 30 mL espresso
Instructions
Mocha Scones
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into chunks and add it in to the bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are quite small.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, espresso, and sour cream. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour the wet ingredients in to the well. Add in the chopped chocolate.
- Using a rubber spatula, start to fold the mixture together until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto some parchment paper or a clean surface, and lightly knead the dough until it just all comes together.
- Form the dough into a circle that is ~6.5" in diameter and ~1" thick. Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.*
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Once the dough has rested, cut it into 8 equally sized triangles. Spread the triangles out evenly, and bake for 15 minutes. Let the scones cool completely before glazing them.
Espresso Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and espresso. Equally distribute the glaze on top of each of the scones. 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.
omg these are soooo good, super buttery and flaky!! i wanted to use chopped dark chocolate bars but my store didnt have any so i opted for chocolate chips and it was obviously stillll delicious!! im a sucker for anything coffee flavour so this was amazing :)))
These are delicious! I did end up making a chocolate glaze instead bc I wanted to maximize the chocolate flavor for the non-espresso-loving people of my household. The result was them being just a little less mocha-ish. I did weigh my ingredients and they turned out perfectly- very soft, tender, and flaky. I would add more chocolate chunks/chips next time, though. I did mess up and refridgerate after shaping them into triangles, but I don’t think it really changed anything.
Thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 A chocolate glaze with these sounds delicious!
Have you tried to make these gluten free?
Hi! I have not tried making these gluten free but I have seen many people online successfully swap all purpose with gluten free flour. I’d love to know and see how they turn out if you try it! 🙂