These double chocolate scones might be healthier than traditional versions but I promise there is no sacrifice in taste. Rich, dark, chocolatey & delicious with a tender cocoa enhanced crumb studded with chocolate chunks, they will satisfy the worst chocolate cravings!
I enjoy all kinds of cooking but baking has to be the most satisfying. I love the transformation from dough or batter to finished product and can’t help but keep peeking through the glass of the oven door every few minutes to watch what’s happening! Scones are no exception and I was even more excited when working on this recipe as I hadn’t baked (or eaten) any scones at all since becoming vegan.
I was lucky enough to be gifted a small bucket (pail I guess for most of you) FULL of some very good quality fair trade and organic dark chocolate from my friend Roxanne at ViVi Therapy so I had the perfect excuse to use it in the creation and execution of this Double Chocolate Scone recipe. I love chocolate in (almost) anything and can never pass up an excuse to use it in my cooking. Plus, I knew that if I was going to be eating scones for the first time in years they needed to be doubly delicious.
Although healthier than traditional chocolate scone recipes there is no flavour sacrifice here. These Double Chocolate Scones are rich, dark and decadently delicious with just the right amount of sweetness.
Cocoa is used in the dough to give these scones their lovely dark brown colour and chunks of chocolate are studded throughout for extra texture and even more chocolatey flavour. Add to that a drizzle of chocolate across the top and you have a chocoholic’s dream!
The smell when these Double Chocolate Scones are baking is just amazing and straight from the oven they are just unbelievably good. It is hard to resist that chewy, dense crust with crunchy sugar crystals, soft cocoa enhanced crumb and melty, oozy pools of chocolate in every bite.
You must eat one straight from the oven. You just have to because I said so and once you have wiped your chocolate smeared mouth, I would love it if you could leave me some feedback in the comments below and share your pictures on my Facebook page, or on Instagram and Twitter (I am @avirtualvegan). Use the tag #avirtualvegan so I don’t miss them.
Double Chocolate Scones
Ingredients
- 125g | 1 cup all purpose flour
- 97g | 3/4 cup wholewheat flour
- 25g | 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 62g | 1/4 heaping cup natural cane sugar (you can sub this for any granulated sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 packed cup coconut oil (it needs to be hard)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 207mls | 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cup of non-dairy milk
- 130g | 3/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips or chunks (I like to use semi-sweet but you can use any kind you have to hand).
- A little sugar for sprinkling
For the drizzle (optional)
- 43g | 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Put the flour in a large bowl
- Add the coconut oil and combine with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles bread crumbs.
- Add all of the other dry ingredients including the chocolate and stir to combine
- Add vanilla to the the milk and stir, then add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir to combine everything.
- It's easier to get your hands in there now and form the dough into a ball. The less you handle it the better your scones will be so don't be too hard on it.
- Place on your prepared tray and press or roll into a circle shape about 1 inch thick.
- Cut into 8 equal wedges and separate them so they all have some space between them.
- Sprinkle with a little sugar then bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until cooked through (if you aren't sure you can insert a toothpick or skewer and it should come out mostly clean).
- Cool on a cooling rack.
For the optional chocolate drizzle
- Put the chocolate and milk into a small bowl and either melt very carefully and slowly in a microwave or over a bowl of simmering water.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate mixture over the cooled scones.
Recipe Notes
These scones will keep for a few days in a sealed container. If you do leave them a little too long and they go slightly stale you can refresh them by warming them through in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. If your family are anything like mine though this will definitely not be a problem!
Nele Decraecker says
Do this realy need sugar ? I don’t like sugar xD
A Virtual Vegan says
I have never tried them without the sugar. The sugar in baked goods isn’t just for sweetness. It also helps the structure so they might not turn out so well if you left it out. I would start by perhaps reducing it. You could probably do that by about ¼ or perhaps up to ⅓ without affecting the bake.
Renee says
Am I missing something? The recipe calls for vanilla exract but no where in the instructions does it say when to use it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Sorry I must have missed that when writing the instructions. Just put in in the milk then stir to distribute then carry on as directed. I will go back in and amend it tonight. Just heading off to work now so don’t have time! Enjoy the scones :0)
kd12 says
hi — just wondering, I am among those vegans who do not eat any processed oil for health reasons, including coconut oil. Can you recommend a sub for it? I’d love to make these… Thanks…
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi. For scones a hardish fat of some kind is needed to get a really good result. Organic virgin coconut oil is pretty minimally processed but if you really don’t want to use that then apple sauce would probably give an ok result. You could make your own apple sauce just by cooking down some apples with a drop of water then purée them. I think you would get a more cakey texture rather than a scone like texture though. Puréed banana would probably be ok too if you don’t mind a banana flavour coming through. I would use half a cup of apple or banana purée then just add the milk gradually as you will probably need less. Just add enough for the dough to come together well and not be too sticky. I am thinking silken tofu might even work too. I haven’t tried any of these options so I can’t guarantee the results but I think you have a good chance they would be ok. If you try any of these options come back and let me know how it worked out :0)