Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Scones

These yummy Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Scones are soft in texture and feature flavors of subtle toasty salted brown butter and bold semisweet chocolate. Begin browning the butter a few hours in advance to allow it time to cool and harden before working it into the dough.

Author: Knead Some Sweets

Meal Type: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12 scones

Calories: 333 kcal per serving

Ingredients

¾ cup - salted butter*
2 ¼ cups - all-purpose flour
⅓ cup - granulated white sugar
1 tbsp - baking powder
⅛ tsp - salt
1 cup - semisweet chocolate chunks*
½ cup - heavy whipping cream
1 - egg
1 tsp - vanilla extract
additional heavy cream and sugar

Instructions

Begin cooking ¾ cup of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. The butter will melt, bubble, and sputter, and the milk solids will separate out into tiny white clumps before toasting to a dark brown color in a layer on the bottom of the pot. Transfer to a heat-safe dish and let cool to room temperature before covering and freezing or refrigerating until solid (this will take around 1 hour). Chop the cold brown butter into small pieces.
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the cold browned butter using a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are the size of peas. Stir in the chocolate chunks
Whisk together the cream, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the flour/butter mixture. Stir together until the dough just starts to come together. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a clean counter and gently knead and press the mixture until it forms a loose ball. Add a touch more cream if the dough is too dry. Do not over-mix!
Separate the dough into 3 pieces and form into 3 disks around 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch tall. Cut each disk into quarters and arrange on the prepared baking sheet, leaving spreading room between each scone. Brush with additional heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated or coarse sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool slightly for 10 minutes before serving.
NOTES
Add another ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter.
Chocolate chips would work fine in place of chocolate chunks.
Store the fully cooled scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, though scones are best eaten fresh on the same day they were baked.

Nutrition