Chocolate Chip Scones

Requiring just six ingredients, this simple chocolate chip scone recipe is our back-pocket brunch hero. The plush, tender scone dough takes about five minutes to pull together—but the bakery-worthy results are bound to impress your guests. Unlike other scone recipes that rely on fiddly cold butter, this dough is enriched only with heavy cream. The recipe calls for a full cup of cream, but you might not need to use all of it—just ¾ cup goes in at first. Stir the dough gently, adding the remainder in tablespoon increments just until the dough is soft and malleable but not wet or sticky.

Because chocolate makes everything better, these scones are studded with melty pockets of bittersweet chips. Not in the mood for chocolate? Sub in raisins, dried apricots, or any other dried fruit, or a handful of chopped nuts. A final sprinkle of sugar on top (nothing fancy—just regular white sugar) gives the scones a sparkly sheen.

Enjoy these scones for breakfast or brunch, or slather with butter or jam for a midday pick-me-up. Preparing a proper teatime spread? Cut the scone dough into bite-sized rounds for cute-as-a-button mini chocolate chip scones. Whether you opt for full-sized or fun-sized, take a platter to any event and you’re guaranteed to make some friends.

This recipe was adapted for style from 'Bubby’s Brunch Cookbook' by Ron Silver and Rosemary Black. Buy the full book on Amazon.