These Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Scones are the perfect treat to sink your teeth into! This popular breakfast or afternoon treat can be made using dried or fresh cranberries.
Scones are one of my favorite treats to pair with coffee! They’re delicious, easy to make, and there are so many flavor options to experiment with!
I haven’t met a scone I didn’t like, though I have my favorites (pretty much all the scones I publish on my site are my top picks, with my Chocolate Chip Scones topping that list). A scone that includes chocolate is the ultimate scone, in my books. So it’s no surprise that I had to share another favorite scone recipe that features, you guessed it, chocolate!
And not just any chocolate. I gave these scones a healthier twist by making them with dark chocolate and pairing them with delicious cranberries!
You can make this recipe with fresh cranberries or dried ones too. I love the burst of fresh cranberries but since they aren’t always readily available in grocery stores when they aren’t in season, I use dried cranberries instead. Both options are delicious and you really can’t go wrong either way.
I use my favorite base recipe for scones to make this -the same base recipe as my Chocolate Chip Scones, Strawberry Scones and so many others. Its perfectly tender and flaky and has not failed me yet. It also comes together in my food processor which is awesome. No need to break out a sweat at all!
If you have a food processor, I highly recommend that you use one to make scones. No worries if you do not though. I have included instructions to make these without one.
Ingredients in Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Scones
- Flour: all purpose flour.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar.
- Baking powder: use as a leavener.
- Salt: a little salt is added to enhance the flavor of these baked goods.
- Butter: cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes. The butter in this recipe must be cold throughout all of the steps before baking to ensure the scones bake up fluffy and tender. If you feel like the butter is getting warm during the process, cover the dough and pop it in the fridge before proceeding.
- Egg
- Milk: You can use any type of milk. 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk, or even skim milk.
- Greek Yogurt: I use vanilla flavored Greek yogurt but you can also use plain yogurt. If you opt to use a plain, unsweetened yogurt, add another tablespoon of sugar to the recipe instead.
- Vanilla extract: adds another dimension of flavor.
- Cranberries: dried cranberries or fresh cranberries
- Dark chocolate: roughly chopped or use dark chocolate chips.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post**
How to make Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Scones
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse a few time to mix it thoroughly.
- Cut in the butter. Add the butter and pulse until it forms a coarse meal. (If you do not have a food processor, simply stir the dry ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to work the butter in until it forms a coarse meal.)
- Mix with the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and yogurt together. Add it to the flour mixture and pulse until it combines into a wet but crumbly dough.
- Form into discs. Transfer everything onto a clean, floured surface. It will be clumpy at this point. Sprinkle the dark chocolate and cranberries over the crumbled dough. Using your hands, work the dough to help bring it together and shape it into a 8 inch disc.
- Slice and bake. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and transfer onto the baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between wedges. Brush each scone with milk and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until the scones begin to turn a nice golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Storage instructions
Once the scones are completely cooled, they can be placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for a couple of days.
Freezing scones
I love baking up batches of scones and freezing them for future breakfasts or snacks. If you wish to freeze your scones too, once they are cooled, you can pop them into a freezer safe bag or container and freeze them for up to 2 months.
When you want to enjoy the scones again, simply defrost them at room temperature. You can also warm them up in the oven for a bit if you like.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think in the recipe below!
Happy baking!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Blackberry Scones
Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze
Cranberry and Dark Chocolate Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter cold, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt vanilla flavored
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate (roughly chopped or 1/3 cup chocolate chips)
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse a few time to mix it thoroughly. Add the butter and pulse until it forms a coarse meal. (If you do not have a food processor, simply stir the dry ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to work the butter in until it forms a coarse meal.)
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, milk and yogurt together. Add it to the flour mixture and pulse until it combines into a wet but crumbly dough.
- Transfer everything onto a clean, floured surface. It will be clumpy at this point. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate and dried cranberries over the crumbled dough. Using your hands, work the dough to help bring it together and shape it into a 8 inch disc.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges and transfer onto the baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between wedges. Brush each scone with milk and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until the scones begin to turn a nice golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
