These tender and buttery scones are the perfect morning treat! They’re bursting with citrus flavor, and pair perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.
Some scones can be dry, but not these Orange Scones with White Chocolate Chips! It’s the perfect scone recipe: rich, slightly crumbly, tender, sweet from the white chocolate, and bursting with citrus flavor.
Paired with a cup of coffee and a friend to chat with, they’re the perfect afternoon treat.
The base recipe came from a pastry chef who was one of my former co-workers. I had one bite of her scones during her interview and was hooked. I tweaked the recipe slightly, scaling it down for home use, and added orange zest and white chocolate chips.
I love the combo of orange and white chocolate. I also use it in these Chewy White Chocolate Cookies with Orange Zest, which I bake on repeat all winter long.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is best for this recipe—it creates a tender scone.
- There is some sugar in the recipe, but not tons, since the white chocolate chips add sweetness.
- A combination of heavy cream and butter make the scones rich and tender.
- Eggs also add richness to the scones.
- Baking powder gives the scones lots of lift in the oven.
- You’ll need the zest from 2 navel oranges to create the bright, citrus-y flavor.
How to make orange scones
The key to buttery, flaky scones is keeping the butter nice and cold. Start with butter straight from the refrigerator for this recipe.
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
2. Cut the butter into cubes and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture. You want there to be pea-sized pieces of butter.
3. Add the chocolate chips and orange zest, then add one egg and the heavy cream. Stir gently to combine.
4. Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a circle, about 5 inches in diameter.
5. Cut EACH circle into 8 wedges (16 wedges total). Place the scones on two baking sheets and freeze for 30 minutes. Then ensures that they will be flaky—when the cold butter meets the heat from the oven, the butter expands and creates flaky scones!
6. Brush the scones with a beaten egg and top with the rest of the white chocolate chips. Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until golden brown.
FAQs
Do scones need eggs?
Adding eggs to a scone recipe creates a richer, more tender scone. Making them without eggs creates a more dense, crumbly scone.
What should I serve with scones?
Clotted cream and jam are traditional accompaniments to scones. If the scones are sweet already, you can just enjoy them as-is, with a cup of coffee or tea, of course!
How do I make scones that are not dry?
There are several ways to ensure that your scones will not be dry. First, add enough cream for the dough to hold together. Next, adding an egg will create a richer, most moist scone. Also, handle the dough as little as possible—overmixing the dough can create a tough scone. And lastly, take care not to overbake scones, as that can make them dry and hard.
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below, or tag me on Instagram or Pinterest. I love hearing from you!
Orange Scones with White Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 6 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 eggs, divided
- 1¼ cups white chocolate chips, divided
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (from approximately 2 navel oranges)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Slice the cold butter into cubes. Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour until you have small lumps of butter throughout.
- Add 1 cup white chocolate chips and the orange zest. Stir to combine.
- Whisk one egg into the heavy cream. Pour liquid into the flour and butter mixture. Mix with a spatula to combine.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a circle, approximately 5 inches in diameter and ¾ inches tall.
- Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Place the 16 wedges on a baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes (this will ensure that the scones rise nicely).
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Beat the other egg in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.
- Press the remaining ¼ cup white chocolate chips into the tops of the scones.
- Sprinkle each scone with a half teaspoon of granulated sugar.
- Bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are golden brown. Serve with coffee or tea.
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