These chocolate chip biscuits are so buttery and flaky. They're crisp on the outside with a tender, fluffy interior. Loaded with mini chocolate chips and sprinkled with sugar, they make a great sweet, Southern-style addition to your breakfast table!
There's something so incredibly delicious about a classic, Southern buttermilk biscuit. The buttery layers, the crispy interior, the soft and tender texture inside. All of it is just incredible. These chocolate chip biscuits are a sweet twist on the traditional breakfast biscuit with mini chocolate chips in each bite!
Most classic biscuit recipes involve grating the butter, cutting it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, or chopping it in using a food processor. This recipe is unique because the butter is combined with a stand mixer! The process is similar to the reverse creaming method, which I use in lots of my cupcake recipes. However, the butter chunks are pea-sized or larger instead of sandy. Larger chunks of butter = flaky, tender biscuits!
These are perfect to serve at a breakfast or brunch gathering! If you need more treats for your brunch spread, make honey banana bread, blueberry muffins, lemon pancakes, or caramelized banana French toast.
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Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For quantities and the full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- All purpose flour- This makes up the structure of the biscuits. No need to use anything fancy.
- Baking powder and baking soda- Baking powder reacts with heat and baking soda reacts the with acid in buttermilk. Both help the biscuits rise.
- Granulated sugar- This sweetens the biscuits. You can use cane sugar or coconut sugar instead for a less processed option.
- Salt- Don't forget the salt! It really helps to enhances all the other flavors.
- Cold butter- Using COLD unsalted butter makes the best biscuits! While the biscuits bake, the butter melts and stream is released between the laminated layers, making them flaky. I cut my butter into cubes and put it in the freezer while I measure the other ingredients to keep it super cold.
- Mini chocolate chips- The size of mini chocolate chips makes cutting the biscuits easier. You can use normal sized chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar. I prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but any kind of chocolate works.
- Buttermilk- What's a classic biscuit without buttermilk? This adds a slightly tangy flavor, but its most important role is tenderizing the gluten to keep the biscuits ultra tender. Make sure this is cold too!
Substitutions
- Flour: Try using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour to make these gluten free. I have not tested this, so let me know how it goes if you try!
Helpful Equipment and Tools
- These biscuits are made using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment instead of a traditional food processor. You can definitely make them with a food processor instead, and I've included a few tips for how to do so in the instructions below.
- A bench scraper is helpful for cutting the biscuits while laminating the dough. Use a rolling pin during this process too.
- You'll need a 2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter or a glass with a sharp edge to cut out the biscuits. Only use a glass if the edge is sharp so the biscuits rise properly! A rounded or dull edge is a no!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Before you start, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cube your cold butter and place it in the freezer.
STEP 1: First, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low, spinning 5 times until combined.
STEP 2: Add the cold butter cut into cubes. Mix on low for 1-2 minutes until the butter is coated in flour and the smallest pieces are pea-sized. Larger chunks are ok! Stir in the chocolate chips until just combined.
If you're using a food processor, pulse a few times until the butter is broken up. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.
STEP 3: Pour in the cold buttermilk and mix for about 10 seconds until just combined. The dough will be shaggy and dry with floury bits at the bottom of the bowl.
STEP 4: Next, transfer the shaggy dough to a lightly floured surface. Then, shape it into a rectangle with your hands.
STEP 5: Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 rectangle pieces.
STEP 6: Next, stack the rectangle pieces on top of each other and squish them down with your hands. Dust with flour, roll out the dough, cut into rectangles, stack, and repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 stacks. This process is called lamination and creates those flaky layers!
STEP 7: Form the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or sharp edged glass to cut out 8 circle biscuits or a bench scraper to cut out 8 rectangle biscuits. Re-roll out the dough as needed.
Make sure to press the cutter down and lift up without twisting. Twisting creates a seal and keeps the biscuits from rising properly.
STEP 8: After the biscuits are cut out, chill in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. This ensures that the butter is cold. While they chill, preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
STEP 9: Once chilled, brush each biscuit with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar. This gives them golden brown tops!
STEP 10: Bake the chocolate chip biscuits for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a few minutes before warm serving with butter, cream cheese, or jam.
Expert Baking Tips
- Don't overmix. Gluten formation is a biscuit's mortal enemy! When you overmix the dough, too much gluten forms and makes biscuits dense, tough, and gummy. The dough will look dry and shaggy after mixing in the buttermilk. THIS IS NORMAL. It shouldn't look like bread dough. It's tempting to overmix at this stage, but you have to resist!
- Don't twist the biscuit cutter. Twisting seals the edges and keeps the biscuits from rising properly. Just press straight down and straight lift up.
- Make drop biscuits. Instead of doing the whole lamination process, you can "drop" spoonfuls of batter on to your baking sheet and bake.
Additions and Variations
Here are a few different ingredients you can add in. Note that I have not tested these ideas, so let me know how it goes in the comments if you try one.
- Coconut flakes- Adding shredded coconut brings a tropical twist and more texture to your biscuits.
- Chopped nuts- Walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts add a nice crunch and nutty flavor.
- Spices- A pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or even a dash of cayenne add depth to the chocolate flavor.
- Coffee or espresso powder- Adding a little coffee or espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Citrus zest- A bit of orange or lemon zest add a bright, zesty note that cuts through the richness of the chocolate.
Storage and Freezing
Let the biscuits cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They'll keep at room temperature for 3-4 days. Unfortunately, they'll lose some of their crispness and feel dry since butter is solid at room temperature.
To reheat, wrap your biscuits in aluminum foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F/180°C for 10 minutes. You can also microwave them for 15 seconds or so.
Freezing
You can freeze the biscuit dough after it's cut out to make them ahead of time. I recommend wrapping in plastic wrap and freezing in an airtight container. Bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or 2 onto the bake time.
Freeze completely cool biscuits in an airtight container and follow the same steps to reheat, adding on a few more minutes if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can't. The acid in buttermilk is crucial for making the interior soft and fluffy.
I tested this recipe 3 times, and I struggled with this the first 2 times! The main reason for this is that you overworked the dough. The butter and buttermilk need to be just combined. Larger pieces of butter with pea-sized pieces is totally ok. The butter also needs to be COLD so it releases steam and causes the biscuits to rise. This is why chilling them before you bake is important!
Make sure to brush them with butter so they brown nicely! You can brush them with egg wash instead if you want. Also make sure you're baking them at 450°F. They won't brown at a lower temperature.
More Breakfast Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Equipment
- 1 bench scraper
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 113 grams unsalted butter cold and cubed, add extra 1 tablespoon to brush on top
- 100 grams mini chocolate chips
- 170 grams buttermilk cold
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Pour flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir on low until combined.255 grams all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the cubed cold butter to the mixer. Mix on low until the butter is coated in flour and the smallest chunks are pea-sized. Then mix in the chocolate chips.113 grams unsalted butter, 100 grams mini chocolate chips
- Pour in buttermilk and stir until just combined (4-5 spins). The mixture will look dry but will come together as you shape it.170 grams buttermilk
- Dump the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
- Using your bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 rectangle pieces. Stack the pieces on top of each other and squish them down.
- Lightly flour the dough and roll out into a rectangle, cut into 4 pieces, and squish them down. Repeat this process 1 more time (total of 3 times).
- Form the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut out 8 circle biscuits or the bench scraper to cut out 8 rectangle biscuits. Re-roll out the dough as needed.
- Place each cut out biscuit on your baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 40 minutes. As they chill, preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C.
- Remove the biscuits from the freezer and lightly brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse turbinado sugar if desired.1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- Bake at 450°F/230°C for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.
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