Cinnamon Scones

A wooden plate with glazed scones topped with icing and accompanied by cinnamon sticks.

5 from 1 vote

🙌🏻🧡 If you've been looking for a scones recipe that's NOT DRY and full of rich buttery flavor, this is the recipe for you! Loaded with cinnamon chips to create bold cinnamon flavor and glazed to perfection, these EASY scones are perfect for breakfast, brunch, holiday mornings, or an afternoon treat! No food processor and no mixer needed.

Prep Time20

Cook Time16

Course: Bread, Rolls, Muffins & Breakfast, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: cinnamon chip scones, cinnamon scones

Servings:

Calories: 473cal

Equipment

pastry blender (or you can use two forks for cutting the butter)
Silpat baking mats (or parchment paper)

Ingredients

Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour plus about 2 to 4 tablespoons for work surface and hands
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon or to taste (use 2 tsp if you want extra cinnamon flavor)
½ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
½ cup butter cold (I used salted butter and did not add salt, unsalted butter is also fine and then omit the added salt)
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream use full-fat, Greek yogurt may be substituted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup cinnamon chips (start with 1/2 cup and add more, as desired; other flavors of baking chips may be substituted)
turbinado raw, or coarse sugar, optional for sprinkling before baking (granulated sugar may be substituted)

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon cream or milk or as necessary for glaze consistency

Instructions

Scones - Preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper; set aside. Tip - If you're making 8 scones, use 2 baking sheets. If you're making 6 scones, you can likely get them all on one baking sheet.
In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
Add the butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor, but I find not having to wash it is a big time-saver. I smoosh the butter with my pastry blender or forks and when it’s the size of large marbles, I use my hands and knead it in. It will feel like semi-wet, cool sand. Some larger pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a soft-tipped spatula; don’t overmix or scones will be tough. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
Add the cinnamon chips, starting with 1/2 cup, and depending on how "full" your dough looks, add more, up to 2/3 cup or so. Fold in with your spatula or hands, until just incorporated, taking care not to overwork the dough. Dough Tip - The dough should be wet and shaggy, however; you want it to be dry enough to work with. If it's simply just too wet, add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
Shaping - Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over a clean work surface and lightly coat your hands.
Turn dough out onto surface and knead it into approximately an 8-inch round OR a 9 inch long by 3 inch wide rectangle (shown in the photos). Tips - If I am making 8 scones, I use a round shape. If I am making 6, I use the rectangle, although you can also get 8 scones from the rectangle based on how you slice.
Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it’s being too stubborn or too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round or rectangle.
With a large knife or bench scraper, slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges (or 6 wedges).
Using a flat spatula or pie turner, transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2-inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Optionally, sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon each.
Baking - Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Baking Tips - Because they’re baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 13 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren’t getting too browned. I rotate my pans during baking. If you're making 6 rather than 8 scones, they'll bake for a few more minutes. If you're baking on two pans, make sure to rotate top and bottom pans since the pan underneath in the oven will always bake paler and lighter. Judge doneness by how your scones look, not what the time on the clock says. Bake until done in your oven, whatever that number is.
Cooling - Allow scones to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. While the scones cool, make the glaze (optional but recommended).
Glaze - To a small bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon cream, and whisk to combine. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
Evenly drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones before serving.

Notes

Storage: Scones are best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. I’m comfortable storing glazed items at room temperature, but if you’re not, glaze only the scones you plan to consume immediately. I don’t recommend refrigerating them because they will dry out. I've never frozen them. You can make them ahead of time such as the night before a brunch, but I wouldn't stretch it past that. They're one of those items that's truly better the fresher they are.

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