Chocolate Orange Buttermilk Scones

Close up of a freshly baked. buttermilk scone on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Chocolate Orange Buttermilk Scones

Buttery and flaky, with a crispy outside, these chocolate orange buttermilk scones (which also have a bit of ginger in them), are full of flavor and so quick to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

chilling20

Total Time1

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blood orange, buttermilk, Chocolate, ginger, scones

Servings:

Calories: 461kcal

Ingredients

Add-Ins

114 grams bittersweet chocolate
75 grams crystallized ginger

Scone Dough

100 grams granulated sugar
1/2" fresh ginger grated
1 orange zested
270 grams all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
114 grams butter frozen
120 grams whole milk buttermilk cold
100 grams orange marmalade

Toppings

3 tablespoons heavy cream
30 grams turbinado sugar

Instructions

Scone Dough

Place your butter in the freezer.
Chop up the chocolate and crystallized ginger and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add in the sugar, grated ginger, and orange zest. Rub together between your fingers until the sugar begins to clump from the moisture of the zest and ginger.
Pour in the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a fork or whisk to combine.
Slice the frozen butter into very thin slices and toss them into the dry ingredients.
Rub the slices between your thumb and pointer finger while tossing with the dry ingredients to create large flakes of butter. It doesn't need to be fully incorporated, just make sure each slice has been smushed. Work quickly to make sure the butter stays cold.
Pour in the chocolate and ginger and stir to combine.
Finally pour in the buttermilk and the vanilla extract. Use the fork to quickly toss and cut the dough until most of it has been moistened by the buttermilk.

Assemble & Bake

Dump the very crumbly dough onto your work surface and kind of pat it together into a flat mound. Spoon the marmalade on top of the dough.
Fold the dough over the marmalade a few times just until it is somewhat spread throughout the dough and the dough is mostly sticking together. Be careful not to over mix the dough at this stage. It's better for it to look uneven than over mixed.
Shape the dough into a disk that is about 1.5" tall.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
While the dough freezes. Preheat the oven to 400 F and place a rack in the center.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour 3 tablespoons of heavy cream into a small bowl.
Once the scone dough has chilled and the oven is hot, remove the dough from the freezer and unwrap it onto a floured work surface.
Use a knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges.
Brush the tops of the scones with the heavy cream and then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
Place the scones onto the lined baking sheet, spacing them out as evenly as possible.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Once baked, allow them to sit and cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy warm with more marmalade if desired.

Notes

Tips for making Buttermilk Scones

The butter needs to be COLD. I recommend placing it in the freezer 10 minutes before you start the recipe.
For the chocolate addition, I use a bittersweet chocolate bar because when chopped you get a variety of sizes of chocolate that get melty in the scones and balance out the sweetness. That being said, any chocolate chips will work too if that's what you have on hand.
Keep the butter in large and cold inside the dough, this will make the scones light and flaky!
Don't over mix the dough! Once the buttermilk has been added, stir until it's just dispersed but there should still be dry bits in the mixture. If you over mix the dough, the scones will be tough and chewy.
Allow the scones to bake until golden brown! This gives them that classic crunchy outside but don't worry they won't dry out inside!
These taste best freshly baked but they can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two. I like to microwave them for a few seconds to give them a little refresh if eating the next day.

Nutrition