Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Scones (made with oat flour)

These beautiful gluten free chocolate chip scones are worthy of the neighborhood coffee shop! Their tender crumb, golden edges, and pockets of semisweet chocolate make them feel indulgent without being over the top.

I adapted my gluten free blueberry scones recipe here with a few thoughtul tweaks: I ditched the almond flour, traded ground cinnamon for lemon zest, and swapped chocolate chips for fruit. I also added a bit more butter (two tablespoons to be exact), which makes them extra rich and helps them keep beautifully for days - a rarity in a gluten-free baked good.

What You'll Love

Scones are such a homey, humble bake that always turn out to be more than the sum of their parts. These chocolate chip scones are particularly lovely and come together quickly. You'll love:

• Just one gluten-free flour is needed. I love my gum-free homemade gluten free flour blend, but most often I prefer to use one or 2 simple gluten-free flours. Here, oat flour stands in for wheat flour, adding sturdiness, whole grains, and flavor.
• Never dry. Now, I know that scones are supposed to be a tad dry - but they shouldn't be so dry that they crumble into pieces! Happily, the yogurt and butter keep these choco chip scones from drying out for days.
• So chocolatey. I love a fruit scone - see my gluten free cranberry scones or gluten free apple scones for a couple of recipes that lean into fresh produce - but who can resist chocolate?! I love these scones for times when I want a bit of a treat.

Ingredients Needed

Here's a look at what goes into these scones. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Oat flour - Pick up a package of oat flour at the store (certified gluten-free if needed) or learn how to make oat flour easily at home. If you don't eat oats, try brown rice flour or sorghum flour.
• Granulated sugar - Swap light brown sugar for a more chocolate chip cookie vibe, or try coconut sugar.
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Salt - I used fine sea salt, and table salt works too.
• Butter - Very cold, unsalted butter is best.
• Eggs - Use large eggs.
• Yogurt - I used whole-fat plain yogurt. You can use Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt if needed.
• Chocolate chips - My preference is for semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate!

Variation Ideas

• Nuts - For a bit of crunch, add ¼ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the dough along with the chocolate chips.
• Chocolate varieties - For a richer flavor, use milk chocolate chips. Or, try white chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips will disperse more easily throughout the dough and give smaller bites of chocolate flavor.
• Ginger - Add 1 teaspoon or more of grated fresh ginger.
• Coconut - I love adding ¼ cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to the dough!

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Start with cold butter.  Use butter straight from the fridge to make your scones, or even better, keep a few sticks of butter in the freezer so they'll be ready the next time you want to make scones.
• Make the dough ahead. You can prepare the scones, place them on a baking sheet, and store them, tightly covered, in the fridge or freezer for up to 24 hours.
• Don't overwork the dough. While there isn't any danger of over-activating the gluten in the flour through kneading because there's no all-purpose flour in the mix, it's still a good idea to lightly handle the dough. This will lead to more tender scones.
• Try gluten free all-purpose flour. Though I really love the oat flour here, you can substitute 2 ¾ cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour if needed.
• Add a glaze. Drizzle some maple syrup over the tops of the scones right when they come out of the oven for an easy glaze, or make my maple glaze for a more robust flavor.

Proper Storage

• Counter - Cover the plate of scones in plastic or place them in an airtight container and store on the counter at room temperature for up to several days.
• Freezer - Place the baked scones in a freezer-safe, sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat them from frozen, which will take longer, or thaw them in the fridge before reheating.
• To Reheat - Place the scones on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.