In January of 2015, I started working on my first major cookbook, Healthier Chocolate Treats. After writing the proposal and establishing the Table of Contents, I penciled in a schedule of the recipes I needed to test over the next three months, plus a little extra “wiggle room” at the end of that timeframe in case my perfectionist side needed the extra week to ensure every recipe met my standards. (Are you a perfectionist too? Can you relate?)
The next day, I drove over to the grocery store to stock up on baking staples before I dove headfirst into recipe testing. I nearly bought out their entire inventory of my favorite cocoa powder and chocolate chips… And did that again a few weeks later!
I strategically planned my schedule of cookbook recipes to avoid testing five desserts in a week (plus the recipes I still baked for this blog—it’d be impossible to run enough miles to compensate!). Instead, I worked on one snack, one or two breakfasts, and two desserts each week, and I always found myself staring at countertops and a fridge full of baked goodies every Saturday… Then knocking on my friends’ and neighbors’ doors with big platters of them to give away!
Because I absolutely adore muffins and scones, those were the first few breakfast recipes that I tested. I love pairing them with Greek yogurt for breakfast, nibbling on them alongside coffee as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, and even reaching for them as a pre-bedtime snack. Those types of baked treats never last long at my house!
Since I’m super excited that my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is coming out as an eBook next week (you can see a sneak peek and preorder it here!), I’ve been staring at pictures of the muffins and scones that I included in the cookbook for the past few days… Which inspired me to bake these Clean Triple Chocolate Scones!
Yes, triple chocolate! Chocolate dough. Chocolate chips. Chocolate drizzle. And they’re healthy too… They’re a chocoholic’s dream come true!
Mmmmmmmmm…. Doesn’t that look good??
You’ll start with a combination of white whole wheat flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. White whole wheat flour is made from a special type of finely ground white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from heartier red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits of regular whole wheat flour.
You’ll just need regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder. No need for Dutched or special dark—the scones already taste plenty dark without those! You’ll use a full ½ cup of cocoa powder in these scones, so using those other types will make them taste bitter instead of rich and chocolaty. So stick with the regular variety!
For the perfect light and tender texture, you’ll want to use very cold butter. Unlike traditional recipes that call for an entire stick or two, you just need 2 tablespoons in these healthier scones! You want the butter to stay cold until you put the scones in the oven because when the butter starts to melt at that high temperature, it creates little air pockets, which gives the scones their light and tender texture.
Note: For this reason, coconut oil and spreadable butter won’t achieve quite the same texture. You can use them in a pinch, as long as you remember that the texture will be slightly different.
To keep the scones really moist, you’ll use my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. Do you know what it is? That’s right… It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives these scones a protein boost too!
And of course… The mini chocolate chips! I highly recommend using mini chips because they ensure that every bite contains a little morsel of melty chocolate. These are my favorite because they taste really rich and melt very well!
Just before baking, you’ll brush the dough with milk. This little trick helps seal the moisture into the scones, and it also gives their outsides a hint of a crust. That texture contrast is so irresistible… It’s probably one of the biggest reasons I have very little self-control around scones! ?
Once they come out of the oven, it’s time to add the dark chocolate drizzle! It’s super simple to make: just cocoa powder, maple syrup, and milk. That’s it! Drizzle on top of those warm chocolate scones with their melty chocolate chips, take a bite, and…
Pure chocolate bliss! 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 scones!
And if you enjoyed these scones, you’ll love all of the recipes in my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook! See a special sneak preview and order yours here!
| Clean Triple Chocolate Scones | | Print |
- for the scones
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (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, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- for the drizzle
- 1 tbsp (5g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp nonfat milk
- 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, cocoa powder, 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. Gently fold in 1 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and shape into a ¾” tall circle using a spatula. Brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes, or tips of each scone triangle in the center of the pan feel firm to the touch. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the drizzle, stir together the cocoa powder, maple syrup, and milk in a small bowl. Transfer the mixture to a zip-topped bag, and cut off a tiny piece of one corner. Just before serving, drizzle on top of the scones.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
It’s very important to measure both the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. I highly recommend the latter! This is the one I own (it’s the best $20 I’ve ever spent!), and I use it every day. A kitchen scale ensures that the recipes you make will turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time. Too much cocoa powder in these scones will make them dry and bitter.
In a pinch, solid-state coconut oil may be substituted for the butter, but I warn against doing this, if at all possible, because the scones’ texture won’t be quite the same.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
These scones are meant to taste similar to 72% dark chocolate. For sweeter scones, substitute additional pure maple syrup for some of the milk in either the scone dough, the drizzle, or both.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
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♡ Skinny Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
♡ Fudgy Triple Chocolate Cookies
Just made these scones! I used brummel in brown instead of butter and sugar free maple syrup. They turned out a littlr more brownie like,but who doesn’t love brownies. They were less sweet than I expected, so next time I might add some splenda or more mapke syrup. Overall I was impressed by their googy chocolate flavor.
I’m really glad you enjoyed the scones Amal! 🙂
I know you were strict in the recipe about making this with cocoa, but could Cocao be substituted? Thanks, getting ready to make this
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I don’t have very much experience with cacao (if that’s what you meant by cocao!), so I don’t feel confident enough to answer that. I’d love to hear what you think if you try these scones! 🙂
Hello, this recipe was so delicious especially considering it’s a lot healthier so thankyou for that, but I found the batter was very sticky and hard to form into an actual shape so I just had a large blob of it on baking paper. But anyways great recipe
I’m glad you enjoyed these scones’ flavor Sam! Did you use a spatula to shape it on your baking sheet? If so, then my second trick is to brush the dough with milk FIRST, then shape it with a spatula, if the dough sticks too much to the spatula. Once it’s in a round circle, brush with milk once again before baking! 🙂
I love the look of these and just wondering if you have had anyone or yourself sub the gluten free flour for Almond or Coconut flour? I am just wondering if so how they turned out!! Thank you
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kimberly! Coconut flour will not work in this recipe. Almond flour may be substituted, but your scones will turn out denser. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these!
These came out a great consistency and pretty yummy but a little on the bitter cocoa side and not as sweet as I would like. How can i modify them to be sweeter? i used nestle toll house cocoa regular kind.
thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Shifra! I actually answer that question in the Notes section of the recipe, underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂
These were very good! I appreciate this healthier version and my husband also liked them. I didn’t have Greek yogurt so used sour cream. Based on other comments, I added a tablespoon of maple syrup and decreased the milk by one tablespoon. I used Hersey’s Special Dark Cocoa and dark chocolate chips. I will make this again.
I’m so glad you loved these scones, Sandal! That means a lot to me that you’d make them again. That’s the best kind of compliment! 🙂
Hi Amy! I would love to try these but when I saw the nutrition facts say that each scone has 8.6 grams of sugar, I’m not sure if that really good for my body or not…I’m trying to reduce my sugar intake and I like how many of your recipes use a minimal amount of maple syrup but I’m still worried after seeing the nutrition facts..what do you think? Even though there’s 9 grams of sugar, can it still be healthy? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ashley! I personally think these scones are still healthy and small amounts of sugar eaten in moderation is totally fine, but I’m not a certified health professional. In my opinion, every body is different, and you know your body better than me! 😉 There’s a minimal amount of maple syrup, but if you have a preferred sugar-free sweetener, we can probably adapt this recipe to use that. Also, remember that the total grams of sugar also includes lactose from the Greek yogurt and milk! So it’s impossible to make these scones fully sugar-free when using those ingredients, but we can at least reduce the sugar further if you’d like. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these scones!
Made these scones this morning, they turned out ok. I have been experimenting with GF items, since I bake alot I feel pretty good substituting/adjusting items. I used 1/2 cup Oat Flour, 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour, 1/4 cup Brown Rice Flour & 1/2 cup Hershey Special Dark Cocoa Baking Powder. It turned out ok, I will agree with another comment that it seems like a brownie. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I would make it again & play with it a little more next time to try and get it a little lighter, with a little more rise in it. Thank you.
It’s my pleasure Nancy! If you prefer a less intense chocolate flavor, then replace 2-4 tablespoons of the cocoa powder with an equivalent amount of flour. For sweeter scones, follow the Instructions in the Notes section (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know not everyone loves an intense 72%+ dark chocolate flavor as much as I do! 😉
I’m going to try these for my freezer cooking baked goods session! I’ll let you know how well they bake after freezing!
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making these scones! I can’t wait to hear how your batch turns out! 🙂
Amy, I think I have a confession to make..I’m addicted to your chocolate recipes. I think about them at work and imagine to bake them after work at home…You nail it so well with the chocolate recipes that I don’t think the word ‘nail’ begins to cover
Please make more videos! I love watching you cook!!
You just made my entire day Char!!! I’m SO glad you’re loving my chocolate recipes! (And I’m even more excited to meet someone who’s as big of a chocoholic as I am! 😉 ) I have a few more videos on my to do list, so hopefully I have some spare time to start working on those too! And of course, I can’t wait to hear what recipe of mine you decide to try next — chocolate or otherwise! 🙂
Looooooove it! I have become a fan!
Enjoy the rest of your break Amy! We look forward to your return!!
PS if I could make one small suggestion, not sure if it’s a function for the blog, but it’d be great if we can receive an email notification once the comments are replied (I currently don’t get that, but maybe I’m not doing something correctly!). I think this would make the blog so much more interactive and we should all know instantly of your heartwarming replies <3
You’re so sweet Char!! Thank you so, SO much!! ♡ And thank you for your reminder! I used to have an option to do that, but the comment notification software stopped working recently when I had to update my blog software. I’ll look into other alternatives for comment notifications really soon! 🙂