Rich and buttery, each bite of these Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones reveals chunks of goodness with perfectly golden tops made crispy with the addition of coarse demerara sugar, made in under 30 minutes.
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Scones are our second favorite baked goods. Aside from croissants, they’re a pastry we eat regularly, and unlike croissants (which we prefer to buy) we make our scones at home, from scratch. 99% of the time we make savory over sweet – except when we make our Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones.
Something is comforting yet romantic about combining chocolate and strawberries, a flavor combo typically reserved for Valentine’s Day Recipes. And this scone recipe is exactly that – something special to make for a special someone, whether for brunch, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or just because.
Using chunks of hand-chopped dark chocolate and fresh strawberries, this sweet scone recipe stays true to traditional recipes. Of course, ensuring everything is cold is key – butter, chocolate, strawberries, and your working surface – and a pivotal step to those buttery and crumbly layers we all love.
But our secret to the best sweet scones lies in the sugar topping. A coarse and thicker textured sugar, Demerara is a raw sugar with toffee or molasses notes, derived from sugar cane and native to Guyana. Used as a topping on our scones, it adds a crispiness and crunch once baked, making this scone recipe extra special.
Serve these Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones as part of a larger Brunch Menu with our Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche, Breakfast Strata with Mushroom, or Coddled Eggs with Mushroom and Kale.
Ingredient List
- Butter: We use salted butter, always have, and always will. Use the best quality available.
- All-purpose flour: The most versatile flour to use in most baking applications, but pastry flour is a great choice also. Use organic if you would like.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar for sweetness.
- Baking powder: Helps provide lift and lightness to the crumb of the scones.
- Salt: Sea salt or kosher salt.
- Egg: Farm fresh, if available.
- Cream: Heavy cream/whipping cream, 35% milk-fat or higher.
- Strawberries: Fresh is best, but frozen works too.
- Dark chocolate: We enjoy 85% dark chocolate, however, use whatever dark chocolate you prefer. Milk chocolate and white chocolate work as well.
- Demerara Sugar: Provides a sweet, crunchy bite to the top of the scones. It’s optional, but we think it’s the unsung hero of many baked goods.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
There are endless possibilities for additions to the base of this scone recipe, but a couple of our favorites we have made include our Cacio e Pepe Scones we developed for Food Network Canada and our Strawberry Balsamic Scones we developed for California Strawberries.
Recipe Steps: How to Make Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones
Chef's Tip: Having cold ingredients is extremely important when baking scones. For best results, and to prevent the scones from becoming cakes or cookies, use eggs and cream directly from the fridge, and place chocolate and strawberries in the fridge or freezer to chill after chopping. Additionally, ensure you work quickly, and if the pastry isn’t cold after cutting into circles, then transfer them to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before baking.
1. Grate and freeze the butter.
Grate the butter over a plate or small baking sheet using a box grater. Place the butter in the freezer for at least 10 minutes, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Combine the butter.
Once the oven is preheated, scrape the grated butter into the dry ingredients. Toss quickly and gently just a couple of times to coat the butter in the flour.
4. Add dark chocolate and strawberries.
Add the chocolate and strawberries, and toss quickly to coat them in the flour again.
5. Prepare the wet ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and cream until completely combined.
6. Make the dough.
Pour the cream mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients until just combined. The dough will be quite dry and the grated butter should be intact.
7. Form the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Form it into a disc, about ¾” thick and 10” across. The dough may be dry in spots and a little crumbly.
8. Cut the dough.
Use a cookie cutter, or thin-rimmed glass to cut rounds out of the dough and transfer the rounds to a large baking sheet. Re-form the dough in a disc, without over-working it, and cut additional rounds until all the dough is used.
9. Brush and bake.
Brush the top of the scones with a light coating of cream then sprinkle with demerara sugar. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the scones for 17-20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage: We keep our scones out on a plate at room temperature for 24 hours, then transfer to an airtight container or cloche for up to 3 days. Freeze any additional scones in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 6 months.
If you tried this Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scone Recipe or any other recipe on our website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe Card
Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter cold
- 1 ¼ cups strawberries fresh chopped
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chopped
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon demerara sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grate the butter onto a plate and place in the freezer.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the butter from the freezer and transfer it to the large mixing bowl of dry ingredients. Quickly toss with your hands to coat the butter with the flour.
- Add the chocolate and strawberries and toss again to coat them in the flour.
- In a small bowl, beat together the heavy cream and egg.
- Add to the dry ingredients and gently mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together.
- Turn the contents of the bowl onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a disc about ¾ inches thick.
- Cut 2 ½ inch rounds out of the dough and place them on a large baking sheet, ensuring there is at least an inch between scones. Reform the remaining dough and cut additional rounds until all the dough is used up.
- Brush the top of the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
- Place in the oven and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden and puffy. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Use eggs and cream directly from the fridge.
- Place chocolate and strawberries in the fridge or freezer to chill after chopping.
- Work quickly; if the pastry isn’t cold after cutting into circles, then transfer them to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before baking.
Sabrina Graffy says
Made these after seeing it on your Instagram account. They were so delicious and I loved the chocolate chunks. I never thought to gift a baked good for Mother’s Day but will definittely be making them for my mom.
Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai says
Thanks Sabrina! I'm sure your mom will love them 😉