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!
I am obsessed with this blog. I’ve never baked before in my life but the simple recipes here made me take up baking. The icing on the cake is the calorie count. I think I was always scared of baking because I didn’t want to learn yummy but unhealthy items but amys recipes fixed that for me.
I tried the chocolate chip scones and they’re amazing. I used honey instead of maple syrup and whole wheat flour (which was not intended, I realised I didn’t have white wheat flour too late). It came out amazing and I’ve bookmarked nearly every recipe on this blog.
Thank you Amy. I know it sounds weird but your recipes have made a huge difference to my life. My entire family cannot believe I know how to bake, without burning myself or screwing up the oven!
WOW!!! That’s such a huge compliment! Thank you so, so much Riddhi! 🙂 I’m really glad you enjoyed these scones and the other recipes that you’ve made. I’m so honored that you’ve invited my recipes into your kitchen and shared them with your family. That means a lot to me! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you try next — maybe the carrot cake? 😉
These scones are the BEST SCONES EVER!!!!!! Super delicious and healthy!! Love it! xoxo
You’re so kind Jumanah!! I’m really happy you loved these scones, and I’m honored that you’d call them the best ever! What a huge compliment — thank you! 🙂
Hi,
I noticed someone use honey so that’s good as a substitute for maple syrup. However, can we use simple full fat yogurt instead of Greek since we don’t get that here easily? I’m from Pakistan 🙂
Yes, full-fat yogurt and honey are both fine! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones Naz!
Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe! I was wondering if I can substitute butter with coconut oil or any other slightly healthier alternative?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Adela! If at all possible, I do not recommend substituting coconut oil for the butter. Coconut oil melts at a much lower temperature than butter, and that will negatively affect the scones’ texture. I’m not quite sure what other healthier alternatives you had in mind! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these scones if you try them!
I made this recipe and then wanted to make another one but only had peach yogurt so I made a peach and cinnamon and it was very yummy too!
That sounds wonderful Catherine! I’m so glad you loved the scones! 🙂
Hey Amy!
So I was a bit confused on the recipe. Your ingredients say 3 tbsp + 2 tsp of nonfat milk but in the recipe itself, it only mentions using 2 tbsp of milk. Am I missing something? I really want to make these soon but want to get this clarification first.
Thanks for catching my typo Brianna!! All fixed! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these scones!
These were great! A very simple recipe but so much flavor. I sprinkled a bit of sugar on top over the milk. Will definitely make for guests!
I’m so glad you loved these scones, Caitlin! That means so much to me that you’d want to make them for guests. What a huge compliment — I’m honored!! 🙂
Just made these. Win. Smell amazing in the oven too! Used pure sucralose instead of maple syrup, left out the chocolate chips, and used 2% greek yogurt because it was open. Yum!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these scones! Thanks for including your recipe modifications too — I always love hearing what tweaks work! 🙂
Amy;
Hi,your chocolate chip scones look so yummy and tastey that i am going to copy down your recipe and i am going to make it next saturday afternoon and i am going to make the scones for an after dinner treat when our fiend comes over for dinner.
Can the scones be frozen after it comes out of the oven and cooled completely?
Kim
Amy;
Hi,i have all of the ingredients to make your chocolate chip scone recipe that i am going to make next saturday morning or early afternoon in plenty of time for an after dinner treat or snack.
Kim
I’m so honored that you’d want to bake these to share with your friend Kim! That’s the best kind of compliment. 🙂 Yes, these scones freeze really well once they’ve completely cooled! I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of them!
Dear Amy,
I have made the scones for the first time today and followed the recipe (I used all purpose flower and regular yogurt) but my dough was extremely sticky so I wasn’t able to form the dough like shown and cut it into triangles
Any idea what the issue might be?.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Miriam! The dough is supposed to be somewhat sticky, which is why I use a spatula to shape it into a circle and then a very sharp knife to cut it into triangles. (If you watch my recipe video, located directly above the recipe, you’ll see exactly what I do!) Is that what you tried to do as well? 🙂