These heavenly chocolate chip sourdough discard scones will be the best scones you will ever eat. They are flaky, moist, and buttery on the inside while also being crumbly and golden brown on the outside.

I love scones. What’s better than a scone is a sourdough scone. The tanginess of the sourdough pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the chocolate chips. Best of all, the moist and buttery interior will keep you taking bite after bite!

There are many sourdough recipes I’ve tried over the years. If I could only pick one recipe to make for the rest of my life, this would be it. I might come off as crazy when it comes to sourdough. However, you’ll understand why I feel this way once you try this recipe for yourself.

Why You’ll Love This Delicious Sourdough Scones Recipe

• They’re the BEST scones you’ll ever eat. Trust me.
• Very easy to make
• Unbelievably moist and buttery scones
• Crumbly edges on the outside
• No mixer or food processor is required
• Can be frozen ahead of time
• Great way to use your sourdough discard

What Are Sourdough Scones?

A sourdough scone is a scone that uses sourdough starter instead of buttermilk. The starter (or sourdough discard) adds a tanginess to the scones.

These are American Scones. American scones are sweeter than their British counterparts. They come in a variety of shapes and flavors. Today, we are making sweet chocolate chip scones with sourdough discard.

Tips For Making Flakey Sourdough Discard Scones

I bake sourdough scones for the household weekly. I have learned so many helpful tips on how to perfect them. Here are my best tips:

Don’t Overmix The Batter

This is key to making a tender scone. In fact, it is better to undermix the scone dough than it is to overmix. The batter or dough should be shaggy the entire time. If you overmix the batter, then your scones will be more like muffins. They’ll still be delicious. However, you won’t get the flakiness.

Cold Ingredients and Cold Frozen Butter

The ingredients NEED to be cold! The butter should not melt! If they are warm, then you risk making more of a muffin top instead of a scone. You won’t get the signature flakiness.

If you notice that your ingredients are warm or the butter is melting, simply put them into the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes in-between steps.

For example, my kitchen stays at a hot 80°F. After each step in this recipe, I place the mixing bowl full of ingredients into the fridge for a couple of minutes.

Refrigerate Or Freeze Before Baking

Remember that the ingredients should be cold during the entire process. This also applies right before it’s time to bake the dough. The colder the scone dough, the better. This will help prevent the scones from spreading.

Use Heavy Cream Instead of Whole Milk

Although you can substitute milk for heavy cream, I highly suggest you stick with heavy cream. There were times I used milk for this recipe. However, the scones weren’t as flavorful.

Key Ingredients For Chocolate Chip Sourdough Scones

• Sourdough: You can use sourdough discard or an active starter. Either will work for scone recipes.
• Flour: This recipe calls for All Purpose Flour
• Sugar: This sourdough scones recipe calls for granulated white sugar. The amount of sugar used is minimal. If you would like a sweeter scone, simply add 1/4th cup of sugar to the original recipe.
• Baking Powder: Used as a leavening agent.
• Salt: A flavor enhancer. It will elevate the sweetness and should be used in most baking recipes.
• Cold Butter: Make sure the butter is COLD!!!! You can freeze the cold butter for 15-20 minutes after you have cubed it.
• Chocolate Chips and Mix-ins: The chocolate chips pair well with the tanginess of the sourdough. However, use any type of mixins that your heart desires.
• Heavy Cream: I suggest using heavy cream with this recipe. The extra fat from the cream gives you a better scone.
• Egg: Adds lift and structure.
• Vanilla Extract: Optional. Enhances the sweetness.
• Coarse Sugar: Completely optional. You can top your scones with coarse sugar. If you do not have coarse sugar, you can use granulated white sugar.

Step By Step Photos of Chocolate Chip Sourdough Discard Scones

Cube the cold butter and place it in the freezer for ten minutes. This ensures that the butter does not melt. You do NOT want the butter to melt!!!

You can use a cheese grater instead of cubing the butter. However, I have found that cubing the cold butter gives me more control in later steps.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. This is your flour mixture. Whisk together so that all the dry ingredients are combined.

Make sure to use a large mixing bowl in this step as you will need it. A medium bowl won’t have enough room to mix in future steps.

Put the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients and cut with a bench scraper, pastry cutter, or fork. The goal is to coat the butter with the flour mixture. Moreover, you also want to have different-sized pieces of cold butter in the flour (small pieces and medium pieces).

Keep in mind that cold butter is the key to tender scones. If the butter is melting or soft, place the bowl back into the freezer for 5-10 minutes, and then continue to cut the butter in the flour until you have the right consistency.

Stir in the chocolate chips. You can use other mix-ins if you’d like.

In a separate small bowl, combine heavy cream or milk, sourdough discard, egg, and vanilla extract.

Slowly add half of the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and toss with a bench scraper or spatula. You want to toss it like a salad.

Add in the other half of the wet ingredients and keep tossing. Do NOT over-mix!!! You want the dough to be shaggy. In fact, it is better to undermix sourdough scones dough than it is to overmix it.

Shaping the Sourdough Scones

On a lightly floured surface, place the scone dough onto it. Shape the dough into a 1.5-inch thick disk. The disk will be roughly 7 to 8 inches in diameter.

Cut scones with a knife or bench scraper into 8 equal triangles.

Then cover the unbaked scones and place them into the freezer. You want the scones to be COLD before they go into the oven.

Baking The Sourdough Discard Scones

Once ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the prepared baking sheet, place the 8 cold scones triangles two inches apart.

On top of the scones, brush each tender scone with heavy cream. Sprinkle the top of the scones with coarse sugar or granulated sugar if desired.

You can even place additional mix-ins on top of the scone. In my case, I chose chocolate chips and I placed a couple on top of each scone.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until the scones are lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack until you’re ready to eat! Enjoy!

How To Store Baked Sourdough Scones

First, let the scones cool down to room temperature. Then, place in an airtight container. These will keep at room temperature for three days.

Freezing Sourdough Scones

You can make this sourdough scone recipe ahead of time and freeze either before baking or after baking.

To Freeze Before Baking: Simply shape the scones into triangles. Cover and place in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can place them in a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

To Freeze After Baking: Let the scones cool to room temperature. Afterwards, place them in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, simply let thaw in the refrigerator. They are good for up to three months.

I prefer to freeze the scones before baking. To be honest, I never have leftover scones after baking. They are usually gone in the same day!