This is the BEST peanut butter chocolate chip scone recipe… have you ever wanted to make the perfect melt in your mouth scone? This is it! These moist and flaky scones are energy boosters for breakfast, coffee break, or tea time.
This isn’t your proper English scone, for sure, but omg it’s a killer. Maybe I should dub it an American style, scone, because it’s loaded with that all American duo, chocolate and creamy peanut butter. After many many years of developing and baking scone recipes, I think I may have hit on my absolute favorite. This one is soft and tender, and the peanut butter presence is just perfect. It’s nice and sweet, but in a middle of the day sort of way.
This peanut butter chocolate chip scone literally melts in your mouth…and I’m not one of those people who use the word literally loosely 😉
I broke tradition with this peanut butter chocolate chip recipe…
If you know me you know I love pb and chocolate together. Have you ever had my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, or my Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies? And while I usually like to use regular homogenized pb like Jiff in baking, for these scones I actually prefer a drippy, natural peanut butter. As for the chips? I broke tradition again and used milk chocolate. Dark is my usual preferred chocolate, but milk chocolate makes these scones utterly perfect.
Scones should always be served warm, if you ask me.
Scones are always best fresh out of the oven, but if you’re eating one the next day, I love to microwave it for about 20 – 30 seconds to ‘reactivate’ its texture. That short time in the microwave makes them soft and steamy and wonderful. In this case it also makes the chocolate chips go all molten again. I. love. scones.
I had every intention of making a drizzle or glaze for these scones, but after one bite I knew they didn’t need a thing except maybe a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. They’re absolutely perfect.
Follow the instructions exactly and then let me know what you think. Scratch that, I already know what you’ll think 😉
Why do I use cornstarch in my peanut butter chocolate chip scone recipe?
- Cornstarch is the secret ingredient if you want to bake tender scones.
- The cornstarch plus flour in this recipe mimics the use of cake flour. (Yup ~ cake flour is simply flour that has cornstarch added to it.)
- Cornstarch does not contain gluten, and so lightens the dough and makes for a soft, tender scone.
- I always have cornstarch in the cupboard and use it often for baking shortbread and scones.
The best (and a little controversial!) method for making high rise flaky scones ~
- I swear by the food processor method, it makes scones quick, easy, mess free, and perfect every time. It’s the same way I make my pie dough, too.
- I pulse the dry ingredients together to combine.
- I drop in cubes of cold butter and pulse until fully incorporated and ‘sandy’ in texture.
- I add the liquid and pulse/run the machine just until the dough comes together.
- I fold in any add-ins by hand.
- I shape the dough into a disk, then refrigerate it while I clean up and preheat the oven.
- Then I’ll slice it into triangles, and bake up the flakiest scones ever!
How to make fresh scones ahead of time ~
Yes, you can refrigerate your scone dough overnight in the fridge, and bake it up fresh in the morning…
- After you’ve formed your scone dough into a disk, wrap it up tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning preheat your oven before removing the dough from the fridge, you want it to stay cold.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment, place the disk on top, and slice it into 8 triangles with a large sharp knife.
- Bake as directed.
How to freeze and thaw baked scones ~
Maybe you’re just one or two in your house, or maybe you have no self control, but freezing scones is a handy thing and luckily these freeze beautifully.
- The best way to freeze scones is to wrap them individually.
- Let them cool completely. Then wrap each one in plastic wrap, and then in foil.
- They’ll be great for 3 months.
- To defrost, just remove the package from the freezer and let thaw on the counter. To prevent any condensation from making the outside of your scone soggy you can unwrap it. I usually don’t bother.
- You can zap the thawed scone in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or until warm throughout. Some people prefer to rewrap loosely in foil and set in a 300F oven for 5-10 minutes.
How to freeze and cook unbaked scones ~
- Set the unbaked scones on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about an hour.
- Wrap each scone in plastic wrap, then stash in heavy duty freezer bags, pushing out any extra air before zipping. Label with the date.
- The scones will last one month.
- To bake, remove from the freezer, unwrap, and set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven. By the time the oven is preheated, the scones will be partially softened. Bake as usual, perhaps adding a few extra minutes if necessary.
These scones are so rich and delicious they don’t need anything else with them, no butter, no clotted cream, no nothing. But if you’re a scone type of person you might be interested to see my Homemade Clotted Cream recipe, and my new Instant Pot Clotted Cream recipe, they’re both awesome for serving with all the rest of your scones 😉
One of my favorite challenges in the world of food photography is to capture in an image what you can expect to experience in your mouth. I think you can see in these photos how tender these scones are…just look at those lovely cracks! Never trust a scone that’s completely smooth 🙂
Reader Rave ~
“I rated this 5 stars, yum! I’ve never made scones before, this recipe turned out perfectly for me. Luckily I have 5 kids to share them with or I would eat all of them! The only thing that I had to change was the baking time for me was closer to 20 minutes. I will definitely make these again.” ~ Tina
Epic Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Scones
Equipment
- food processor (optional)
Ingredients
dry ingredients
- 2 cups or 250 grams all purpose flour fluff the flour before scooping and leveling
- 1/4 cup or 30 grams cornstarch
- 1/2 cup or 110 grams sugar
- 3/4 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
butter
- 1/2 cup or 113 grams cold unsalted butter 1 stick cut in pieces
wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup or 117 grams heavy cream
- 1/2 cup or 125 grams natural style creamy peanut butter
chocolate
- 1 cup or 176 grams milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade and pulse to combine.
- Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 25-30 times to get the butter really incorporated in small bits. The mixture will be sandy.
- Measure out the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and then pour in the peanut butter to make 1 cup.
- Add the wet ingredients to the processor and pulse/process just until the dough comes together in a lump or lumps.
- Turn out into a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a smooth 7-8 inch disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for an hour to an hour and a half.
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- Slice the chilled dough into 8 scones with a large, sharp knife, and place on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between scones. Bake for about 15 minutes until the scones are firm and baked through. Look closely at the cracks in the top of the scone, if they look wet inside, bake a little longer. Don't over bake. Note: you can place the scones closer together in a ring shape if you like the sides to cook into each other, pull-apart style...this makes a softer scone.
- Let cool on a rack for a bit before devouring.
Notes
26 Comments
Janet C
June 19, 2020 at 3:46 pmMade them exactly as directed, and they are absolutely delicious, but I’m thinking of them as a giant peanut butter cookie. Yum!
Sandy Novak
April 15, 2020 at 5:22 amThese scones are amazing!Making them in the food processor was so easy Definitely making these again!
Sue
April 15, 2020 at 8:40 amI’m so glad you liked these Sandy 🙂
Bailey
March 31, 2020 at 6:05 pmI would love to make these this weekend, they look delicious!! But…I don’t have a food processor, what should I do to mimic this for a similar result??
Sue
March 31, 2020 at 6:06 pmYou can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or two forks. It will take longer, but can be done.
Terri
April 2, 2020 at 2:53 pmI don’t have food processor either!! What can I use??? HELP PLEASE!! AND THANK YOU!!
Sue
April 2, 2020 at 3:09 pmYou can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or two forks, even. The idea is that you want very small pieces of butter thoroughly mixed into the flour. If you’re doing it by hand you can also freeze the butter and actually grate it on the big holes of a box grater.
Bridget
November 7, 2019 at 8:10 pmCan you use this recipe with other fruit like blueberries or anything else? Maybe more sugar something sweet. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sue
November 8, 2019 at 6:10 amYes, but you might use another scone recipe on my blog as your base. I just made cranberry orange scones that I haven’t posted yet. I would use my Rhubarb Scones as your base, and change up the fruit from there.
Nancy
September 20, 2019 at 1:07 pmThese scones are aptly named as they are indeed epic! I’ve made them twice and they are so delicious, tender gorgeous texture. Completely addictive! I think making them with natural peanut butter is definitely the way to go. If you used commercial peanut butter the scones would be way too sweet. Luckily I have an amazing bulk store near my home that has a “grind your own” peanut butter that is fantastic.
I don’t have a food processor so I made them by hand and they turned out perfectly both times. I am going to double the recipe and take them to work to share with my co-workers!
Thanks Sue!
Sue
September 20, 2019 at 2:10 pmThanks Nancy, I’m excited to get good feedback on these, they’re my absolute faves. I’ve got a pumpkin version coming up, stay tuned 😉
Tricia B.
August 27, 2019 at 5:26 amThese look absolutely fantastic! You have really nailed it with this wonderful combination. Great recipe! Pinned 🙂
Victoria
August 27, 2019 at 2:47 amThank you for the grams!!! I’m beginning to see why my recipes go horribly wrong sometimes, cup conversion isn’t as straightforward as it seems! Can’t wait to get back home and try these 🙂
Kelly
August 26, 2019 at 10:14 pmThese look amazing, we would love to try them! Do you suppose arrowroot starch would work in place of cornstarch? (Corn sensitive.)
Sue
August 27, 2019 at 4:22 amI think that should work fine, although I’ve never tried it.
Mary Zimmer
August 26, 2019 at 8:32 pmCould you just use cake flour? If so, is it 2 1/4 cups? Thanks!
Sue
August 27, 2019 at 4:23 amYes, that that’s the right amount. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Tina
August 26, 2019 at 1:30 pmI rated this 5 stars, yum! I’ve never made scones before, this recipe turned out perfectly for me. Luckily I have 5 kids to share them with or I would eat all of them! The only thing that I had to change was the baking time for me was closer to 20 minutes. I will definitely make these again.
Sue
August 26, 2019 at 2:46 pmThanks so much Tina, I love this quick feedback!
Chelsea
August 26, 2019 at 12:44 pmThese look amazing, and perfect for a back to school treat! If I don’t have heavy cream, could I use milk + sour cream or greek yogurt in a pinch? Thanks!
Sue
August 26, 2019 at 2:48 pmYes, I sometimes use buttermilk, or whole milk and sour cream would be wonderful. I haven’t made scones with yogurt, it’s an interesting idea I’ll have to test.
Laura
August 26, 2019 at 12:03 pmOMG! What could be better? I love this recipe, Sue, and can’t wait to make these. Although, how am I going to save them all for myself? Because I’m not sure I could share. ??
Susan
August 26, 2019 at 7:51 amThese sound amazing! I have a bake sale coming up, is there a way of making an extra batch of gluten-free for those that are restricted?
Sue
August 26, 2019 at 8:29 amYou can try using a good gluten free baking mix in the same amount as the flour Susan. They won’t have the same texture of course, but it should work.
Debbie
August 26, 2019 at 6:44 amThese look amazing! My son is pretty much sugar free but would love these. What would you recommend as a sugar substitute that wouldn’t alter the consistency too much? Please keep in mind that we also don’t like artificial sweeteners that are unhealthy.
Thank you
Sue
August 26, 2019 at 7:07 amFor scones you need a granulated type of sugar substitute…if he can tolerate it, coconut sugar would work. Otherwise, I don’t use artificial sweeteners so I can’t guide you there, if he eats sugar free you probably know more than I do. A granulated sugar substitute that can be used in a 1 to 1 ratio would be a good bet.