This past Sunday evening, I drove over to visit my best friend. We wandered into the backyard, weaving around their sweetly energetic dog, to settle back into cushioned lawn chairs and soak up the last few rays of spring sunshine before it disappeared behind the treetops.
She talked about her new job at an upscale bakery in town and how they mix up everything from scratch: cupcakes, cookies, scones, muffins, bread, wedding cakes, and even donuts! I must admit, I’m slightly jealous… Baking all morning, then watching as customers walk through the door and point at the case at something I helped create and seeing their eyes light up with delight? My heart would melt all day long!
However… I just don’t know that I could set my alarm for 3 am every morning and collapse into bed at 7 pm when the sunlight still peeked through my curtains. Waking up to the stars and falling asleep with blue skies? My brain would take a long time to get used to that!
My sweet friend figured out a system that works for her, which includes a big mug of coffee on the drive to work (practically a necessity for anyone waking up before the birds start chirping!) along with a healthier portable breakfast to nibble on. She usually sticks with muffins (these and these are two of her favorites!), but…
Because we’re basically two peas in a pod and chocoholics for life, I thought I’d change her muffin monotony by dropping off these Healthy Chocolate Chip Scones! Soft, tender, and packed full of rich chocolate chips… That’s definitely a perfect way for the two of us to start the day!
For step-by-step photos, look beneath the recipe!
Traditionally, scones are one of the least healthy breakfast pastries out there. Chock full of butter and heavy cream, they’re certainly moist… And a calorie bomb to boot! But I have one simple trick up my sleeve that keeps these healthier scones just as tender with just 2 tablespoons of butter in the entire batch. Yes, 2 measly tablespoons! Can you guess my trick?
It’s Greek yogurt! (Did you guess correctly??) Greek yogurt is my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. It’s a true powerhouse: it provides the same moisture and texture as excess butter or oil, and it adds a protein boost too! We’ll use ½ cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt in these, and countless readers have agreed that it makes the scones much better than those dry, crumbly ones offered in grocery store bakeries!
To keep these scones clean-eating friendly, we’ll stick with white whole wheat flour (regular or whole wheat pastry work too!) and sweeten them with maple syrup. Just a touch though! The scones I grew up eating were never overly sweet, so that’s the way I make mine. If you prefer a little more sweetness, add another tablespoon of maple syrup and decrease the milk by the same amount.
And of course… The chocolate chips! I love mini’s because they ensure you get a little chocolate in every bite. (What can I say—I’m a chocoholic!) I save some to press into the tops too for a pretty presentation. All of those polka dot chocolate chips are just begging you to take a scone!
And I completely agree with them. You definitely deserve one! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chocolate chip scones!
| Healthy Chocolate Chip Scones | | Print |
- 1 ½ cups (180g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 3 tbsp + 2 tsp (55mL) nonfat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Fold in 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 425°F for 17-20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free version, I recommend the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends may be substituted as well, if measured like this.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
{clean eating, gluten-free, low fat, low calorie}
Start by combining the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Unlike cookies and muffins, scones only require one bowl—fewer dishes to wash!
Make sure your butter is very cold. The colder it is, the more tender your scones will be. I usually cut my butter into cubes before measuring any of the dry ingredients and place the cubes back into the fridge to chill until I’m ready to mix them in.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Since we only use 2 tablespoons of butter, the crumbs won’t be as large as with traditional recipes that use anywhere from 8-16 tablespoons. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients to form the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (Easier clean-up!) Shape it into a large circle, about ¾” tall. Brush the tops with milk to create that characteristic crisp outer crust; then slice the circle into 8 triangles. Press the remaining chocolate chips on top, slide the pan into the oven, and wait as patiently as you can for the scones to turn golden!
Thanks for the recipe! My son and I made them tonight and they do taste delicious! Definitely better than the usual dry scones. However, I have to ask if your pictures show a doubling or even tripling of the recipe? That sure does seem like way more than 2 tbsp of butter you have there! We used our scone pan, which makes 16 triangles, and it filled 13 triangles that are 4″x3″x3″ and about 1/2 inch high each.
Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the scones Stephanie! My photos show a single recipe. I prefer to cut the butter into fairly small cubes (between ¼” to ½” cubes) because that makes it easier to cut into the flour mixture, and that’s probably why it seems as if there’s more butter than just 2 tablespoons in the photos. 🙂
Do you have a savoury amend to the above?
Can I replace maple with more milk and add cheese instead of chocolate chips? Perhaps remove a tsp of flour and add mustard or onion powder?
I’d recommend this savory scone recipe of mine. It already has cheese, and you can easily add any herbs and spices that you’d like. I hope you enjoy them Bini!
Thanks. I tried as per my suggestion and it turned out beautiful and soft. perfect for my charity tea party! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Bini!
Can almond or coconut flour be substituted?
I will start by saying these are the only scones I’ve ever made. With that being said, they are fantastic! I didn’t even have one batch done baking before I decided to make a second batch to share with coworkers. I absolutely love the scones and the ingredients in them. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the scones Barb! That’s really sweet of you to bake a second batch to share with your coworkers. They’re lucky to have you!
I get tired of hunting down clean ingredients. do you have a grocery list of the brands you use for this recepie?
I have an entire page dedicated to my preferred ingredients Esteban! It’s located on the main menu bar under FAQ > Kitchen & Pantry. I hope you enjoy the scones!
Thank you for your recipe. I would like to try tender scone with little butter but I have problems with my stomach so I would like to make it with gluten-free flour but in Thailand it’s very difficult to find millet flour. Do you think I could substitute it with oat flour? : )
I think oat flour should work, as long as it’s ground very finely. I hope you enjoy the scones!
Thank you. I am confident I will and I’ll come back to you : ).
Wonderful, I look forward to hearing what you think!
Oh my goodness! I hadn’t even HAD a scone before making these, but after seeing the pictures I knew I would love them. The recipe was simple enough for ME to master, and they are delicious. Next time I might have to make a double batch 😉
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the scones Allison! I’m touched that you chose my recipe as your first-ever homemade scones, and I’m even more flattered that you think you’ll need a double batch next time! 🙂
These look delicious! I’d like to substitute the flour for coconut flour or even almond flour… Do you have an idea if either would work?
Thanks Karrie! Almond flour will work. Coconut flour behaves very differently than every other flour, so I’d recommend against using that. I hope you enjoy the scones!
I am in love with this recipe! I’m making my 3rd batch in 2 weeks right now ☺️ Friends, family & co-workers all adore them. And nobody believes they’re healthy! I use agave & it works amazing. And I’ve played with adding raspberries & coconut to mix them up & they always turn out perfect. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
I’m really glad you’re enjoying the scones and sharing them with so many people Abby! I’m truly touched that you’ve made them so many times already. 🙂 Raspberries and coconut sound like lovely additions!
keeping the recipe clean: I have a problem with Greek yogurt. As you know, it’s just regular yogurt super concentrated by draining off most of the whey, a highly acidic substance that is finding its way, in huge quantities, into local streams and rivers. The industry hasn’t found its way (pun intended) to making good use of the waste, although it probably will eventually. In the meantime, for years (way before the Greek yogurt trend) I have been concentrating yogurt by draining it in a coffee filter. I get to keep and use the highly nutritious whey (in soups and even as part of my coffee water). Doing this comment gives me a chance to say how great all these recipes are!!
Thanks for sharing your homemade Greek yogurt tip!