Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 2

Grate the cold butter using a cheese grater. This is an easy way to get it into small pieces to incorporate in the dry ingredients. If you do not have a cheese grater, you can just cut into small cubes. Blend the grated butter in with the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or 2 knives. The mixture should be clumpy and look like course crumbs. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Step 3

In a small measuring cup, mix together the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix into the flour mixture until JUST incorporated. DO NOT over mix, this will make the scones too dense.

Step 4

Put a small amount of flour onto a clean surface and knead the dough briefly. Shape the dough into a circle that is about 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut the circle in half and then each half into 4-5 wedges (depending on how big you want your scones).

Step 5

Put the wedges on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush the tops with a little bit of milk and then lightly sprinkle with sugar.

Step 6

Bake for 22-25 minutes until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.