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Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The perfect balance of chocolate and coffee flavors.
Texture: Tender, slightly flaky layers with lightly crisp edges, all studded with mini chocolate chips.
Ease: Simple mixing method with no mixer or food processor required.
Why you’ll love this recipe: Turn your kitchen into a chic coffee shop or bakery with little effort!
- Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Mocha Scones (Step by Step)
I wanted these Mocha Scones to taste like a really good coffee shop mocha. Not overly sweet, not too bitter, and definitely not dry.
In testing, the combination of Dutch-process cocoa, espresso powder, and mini chocolate chips delivered exactly that. The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor while the chocolate keeps the espresso from becoming bitter or harsh.
One detail that makes a huge difference is the dough layering step before shaping. It helps ensure tall, flaky, and tender scones. Learn more about baking tall scones (& biscuits) here.
Recipe Ingredients
Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: I just love the color and smooth chocolate flavor Dutch process provides in this particular recipe. You can use natural unsweetened cocoa instead, just note the appearance and final flavor will be a little different.
Instant Espresso Powder: This is the easiest way to pack a punch of coffee flavor. Find it next to coffee grounds or with the baking ingredients at many grocery stores (Whole Foods and Walmart are where I find it most consistently).
- Swap: Instant coffee at a 1.5:1 ratio.
Mini Chocolate Chips: These distribute more evenly throughout the dough for easier mixing and a better final texture. I prefer semisweet chocolate chips.
Butter (COLD!): It’s essential your butter be nice and cold (but not frozen!) to create those tender, flaky layers. If using salted butter, reduce the salt added to just ½ teaspoon.
Buttermilk: I’ve had many people tell me they never liked scones before trying one of my recipes, and I believe this one ingredient is why! It tenderizes the dough and adds a subtle tangy flavor. Psst: You can freeze leftover buttermilk!
- Swap: Plain Kefir in place of buttermilk.
Egg: This differentiates scones from biscuits. An egg provides richness, structure, and a more cohesive dough.
Tessa’s Tips
- A bench scraper makes easy work of handling the dough and cutting clean shapes.
- Feel free to use a round cookie cutter instead, but just note your bake time may need to be adjusted depending on size. You’ll also likely need to re-roll scraps.
- Freeze the shaped but unbaked scones before baking for maximum height and clean edges.
- In testing, drizzling the glaze instead of dipping worked much better for both ease and appearance.
Storage & Make ahead
Room Temperature: Scones are best served the day they’re made, but may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Freezer (Unbaked): Freeze shaped scones for up to 1 month. Bake directly from frozen, adding about 2 minutes to the baking time.
Freezer (Baked): Freeze fully cooled, unglazed scones in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost to room temperature and re-fresh in a 350°F oven for a few minutes before cooling and glazing.
Make Ahead: Refrigerate shaped scone dough overnight and bake the next morning.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Freeze Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 53 minutes
Review Recipe
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These Mocha Scones are tender, buttery, and packed with chocolate and espresso flavor. Finished with a quick coffee glaze for bakery-style results!
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Make the scones:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugars, baking powder, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.
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Add the butter and cut with a pastry cutter or fork until the butter is the size of large peas.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, 1 egg, and vanilla extract.
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Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and add the liquid mixture. Mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix.
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Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Shape dough into a rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half like a piece of paper. Flatten it out into a rectangle again. Fold in half once more, but in the opposite direction. This gently kneads the dough and stacks layers, making it cohesive and tall without overmixing.
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Divide into 2 equal parts. Gently press each dough into a 1 ½-inch tall round. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut each round into 8 wedges and place onto parchment lined baking pans. Space them out about 2 inches apart.
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Freeze for 1 hour before baking.
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Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat to 400°F.
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In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush over the chilled scones.
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Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are set and firm. Let cool.
MAKE-AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: At this point, the unbaked scones can be refrigerated overnight, or sealed and frozen for up to 1 month. If baking from frozen, add about 2 minutes to the baking time.
Make the glaze:
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In a small bowl, combine the water and espresso powder until thoroughly dissolved. In a medium bowl, add the sugar. Pour the espresso mixture and cream/milk over the sugar and whisk until a thick glaze forms.
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Drizzle each scone with glaze. Let set before serving.
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The scones are best served the day they’re baked.
* You may also use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. Just note that the final appearance and taste will be slightly different.
** Instant coffee may be used in place of espresso powder at a 1.5:1 ratio.
*** Plain Kefir can be substituted for the buttermilk. You can freeze leftover buttermilk in an ice cube tray or in ziptop bags for future baking. Defrost to room temperature then shake or stir to re-emulsify before using.
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Photos by Joanie Simon.