Cinnamon-Sugar Scones
Scones were one of the first baked goods that I mastered on my own, and the dark chocolate chip scones that I’ve been making for almost 10 years have long been one of my mom’s favorite treats. Each year, for her birthday, I make her dinner and dessert, throwing out tons of options. Without fail, she always chooses Italian Sausage, Red Pepper & Mushroom Risotto and those dark chocolate chip scones. It’s always her favorite meal of the year. These cinnamon-sugar scones are created in a very similar fashion to the rock star chocolate chip ones, with the addition of some butter, cinnamon, and swapping out chocolate chips for cinnamon chips. The result is a wonderfully tender texture and a big kick of cinnamon – perfect for a special breakfast treat. When my mom tried these, she said they rivaled the chocolate chip scones. Needless to say, with a lot of cinnamon-lovers clamoring for them, they didn’t last long at all.
The thing I love most about making scones are how unbelievably easy they are to pull together. You can go from raw ingredients to fresh-from-the-oven scones in about a half hour. You can’t beat that! It’s a simple process of mixing together the dry ingredients in a bowl, cutting in the butter, pouring in the cream, then quickly mixing it together. Dump it out, pat into a circle, cut, and bake! Simple and quick – my favorite kind of baking.
I usually find Hershey’s brand of cinnamon chips in the local grocery store, where the chocolate chips are stocked. If you can’t find them at your store, you could always order them online – King Arthur Flour carries a 16-ounce bag. I like to keep a bag on hand – I’ve thrown them into quite a few things, plus I might snag little handfuls here and there as a snack as well ;-)
Do you have a favorite scone recipe?
One year ago: Chocolate Mint Brownies
Cinnamon-Sugar Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ cup (1.75 g) cinnamon chips
- 1 cup (238 ml) heavy cream
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping:
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter, using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender. Mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with mostly pea-size lumps of butter. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Pour heavy cream over the ingredients and stir with a spatula until dough begins to form. Don't over mix.
- Transfer dough to a floured countertop and knead dough by hand just until it forms a ball. Form scones by patting the dough into a ¾-inch thick circle. Cut the scones into triangles or use a biscuit cutter for round scones.
- Place scones on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry brush, lightly the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle scones with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake scones for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown. Cool scones on a wire cooling rack and serve. Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe is excellent and makes a PERFECT cinnamon scone. Thank you so much for sharing!
Only thing I did differently was to shred the butter and then freeze it before mixing in, which I do whenever a recipe requires cutting in butter.
Found the Hershey’s cinnamon chips at Walmart, although not all locations stock them.
I made these!! I’ve never made scone before and these came out perfectly.
Couldn’t find the cinnamon chips (although I know I’ve seen them somewhere) so I used Kraft’s new Caramel Bits I found in Target. Cinnamon Caramel is a really good combo. Loved it!
These are absolutely, positively the BEST scones I’ve ever had. And so easy to make! Thank you!
Can I substitute buttermilk when I don’t have heavy cream or whole milk?
Hi Janine, You can, but baking powder does not neutralize acidic ingredients (such as buttermilk) like baking soda does. As a result, if you use buttermilk in this recipe, the sour/tangy flavor of buttermilk will be very prominent.
Could I use a gluten-free flour blend? I’m gluten-free and these look delicious!!
Hi Olivia, I am not familiar with gluten-free blends, so I can’t say definitively how well the scones will turn out. If you try it, please stop back and share your feedback!
What brand is your baking mat? And is it the best in the market? I wanna invest in a good one, so I can make scones as awesome as yours… Thanks!
Hi Moira, The pastry mat is from King Arthur Flour. I can’t say if it’s the best on the market, as I haven’t used many different ones, but I love this one!
I just now read through the comments on this thread, and I’m glad I did. I’ve made other scones before that specifically instruct to leave the scones together in a circle after cutting the circle into wedges. So, when I made these scones, I did the same thing as I’ve done with some other scones in the past. The outside of the scones appeared to be done, but when I separated the scones, they were still a little gooey on the inside. Now I know why–they have to be separated on the baking sheet! Mine still tasted good when I baked them all together, but they were just a little dense. Thank you for the clarification above!
Ermagawd. I. LOVE. THESE. SCONES! They’re literally the best scones I’ve ever tried. I have struggled and failed so long with baking scones. They were always too chewy, dry, and heavy. These, however, literally melt in your mouth. Mmm!
http://thekitchenkook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-best-most-perfect-scone-recipe-ever.html
Made these Cinnamon Chip Scones yesterday…forgot to add the chips…..really!?? Grrr…..
But they were still very good! If at first you don’t succeed….., right?
I have had these on my make-wish list since you posted them and had a hard time finding the chips. I live in Southern California and we’re not hurting for grocery stores – but I kept coming up empty. Until I went to WALMART!!! Beautiful cases filled with cinnamon chips. Off to bake…can’t wait to taste!
Hi Michelle!
I just love your blog, and have recently started my own. I just made your scones and included a post on them. Of course your photos are WAY better, but it’s a working progress right? These scones..absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Heather
Hi Michelle,
I’ve been a follower of your blog for a while now and I did try many recipes. All came out AMAZING. My husband, family and friends do not believe how my baking skills have improved since I found your blog. I tried the pigu, the Italian Easter Bread, Bacon Cheese Easter Bread, and Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls which turned out to be a HIT…I even taught it to one of my friends and she now LOVES me more than before :)))
I’m interested to try the Cinnamon-Sugar Scones, yet I believe I won’t find the cinnamon chips around where I live. Is there any substitute for it? Should I put some coarsely ground cinnamon and sugar instead?
Thanks for the inspiration :)
Hi Nehad, I would just omit them. There is already ample sugar and cinnamon in the scone dough, plus the extra sprinkled on top. Enjoy!
I love to bake but have never tried scones. After you cut them, do you bake them in a circle or seperate the pieces on the baking sheet? I
Hi Anne, Separate the pieces and place on a baking sheet.
Is there really a whole Tablespoon of baking powder in these? I just wanted to make sure before I waste a batch! :)
Hi Sarah, Yes, 1 tablespoon :)
I just made these this morning for breakfast, and they were wonderful!! Tender, moist, and just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar :) My husband loved them! (And he is very picky). Thanks for the new addition to my recipe box!
Oh wow, cinnamon & sugar!! These sound like the perfect scones. I must look for those cinnamon chips!
These scones look lovely. I’d never heard of cinnamon chips before now … I’m curious!
These look so amazing! Adding them to my to-do list!
These look very yummy, love cinnamon chips and cinnamon and sugar :)
I am so ordering a bag of cinnamon chips and making these! LOVE!
I still have yet to try to make scones. These look heavenly!
Nothing is easier or more satisfying than a well baked scone on a Sunday afternoon.
Love this recipe.
I’ve become completely obsessed with Cinnamon lately!! These will help!!
I feel myself buckling under the pressure… these scones are wonderful.. you had me at cinnamon chips…
These remind me of the scones at Starbucks which I am kind of obsessed with! These look sooo good!
Ooh! I’ve never heard of cinnamon chips before. They sound fun! My favorite scones are the nutella scones from Baked Explorations, but I’m excited to try out these too!
These look wonderful. No wonder your Mom said they rival her favourite dark chocolate chip ones. Next year you may have to treat her to a batch of each on her birthday.
This looks like a snickerdoodle version of a scone! Love it!
Those are some good looking scones! Even better than Starbucks!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/
Oh boy, scones have been on my hit list for a while now but I’ve not quite mustered up the mojo as I hear they are pretty tough. I had cinnamon sugar on the brain this week as well- they look great!
Michelle these look delish! I’d make this early in the morning for my family just to make the kitchen smell wonderful… but I bet they taste great too! A must try!
Scones are my favorite breakfast pastry, and I’d love to have cinnamon scones in the morning instead of cinnamon toast. These look very pretty!
These scones look amazing, another example of your awesome recipes! I think I’ve gotten half of Brussels hooked on your blog. I really enjoy reading it and I think others should too, so I’ve nominated you for a Kreativ Blogger award. You can pick it up here: http://doctoratehousewife.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/kreativ-blogger-award/
Congratulations =)
These look delish :) I love the cinnamon-sugar combo. I will add these to our breakfast menu some time in the coming weeks – looking forward to trying it!
This and the dark chocolate scones are both going to my pinterest!! Yum!!!
Jenn – Scones are meant to be a bit “bland” as they are designed as a vehicle for good jam and clotted cream. All this adding extras like chocolate or fresh fruit is a very North American way of making scones, very much like a biscuity muffin. Traditional scones are quite “plain” and flakey.
Hi Kris, curious American here: what is clotted cream?
These look delicious! My boyfriend is a HUGE fan of anything cinnamon and sugar, so I will definitely be making these for him! I actually just placed an order with KAF for some of their black cocoa recently…now I wish I’d added on cinnamon chips!
I love scones and I never make them because they need to be made in the morning. Do you have any suggestions on how I could make them the night before? I would love to bring some to work! Your scones sound wonderful! Love cinnamon and sugar together!
Hi Jennifer, I have prepared scones the night before, placed them on the baking sheets, and wrapped the sheets tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated. In the morning, just brush on the cream and sprinkle the topping on, and bake!
These look incredible and sound even better!!! I have never been a huge fan of scones (I have only eaten a couple in my entire life and they have been super dry, hard, crumbly, and BLAND!) but those look like a horse of a different color! :0) I put cinnamon chips in my coffee cake and pretty much decimate the entire thing on my own… So I will not hesitate to try making these babies!!
Ohmigosh. These are not those scones at all. I promise. All my life, I only had dry, chewy, tough, yucky rocks parading as scones, too. But these will change your life. So buttery, soft, and delicious! :)
http://thekitchenkook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-best-most-perfect-scone-recipe-ever.html
These look soooo yummy! I really want to make them today, but I unfortunately don’t have heavy cream… Would it be alright to use whole milk instead?
Definitely!
I’m glad that you said this because I’ve been wondering about this! I wanted to make these scones again, but I don’t want to go buy heavy cream (because it’s not an ingredient I usually use that much). And now, I’m glad that I can make these any time by just substituting with milk! :) Thanks!
YUM! I love cinnamon. I’ve not heard of cinnamon chips before. So glad you mentioned them and where to get them.
I’ve been in love with these scones (http://annies-eats.com/2010/04/08/bacon-cheddar-scones/) for quite a while now. But yours might just convince me over to the sweet side!
I love scones and this version looks delish!
This looks fantastic!! I love making scones! There’s a blood orange recipe from “Eat Live Run” that I’ve been wanting to try for a while.
I also love cinnamon scones! I have a recipe that is similar, however, it has a layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle, in addition to the cinnamon chips!
Beautiful! I love working with no-fuss thick doughs like this.
Yes, I agree! This is so easy and super quick, and yet, they have magical results. Definitely my favorite thing that I’ve baked!! :)
These look to die for!
These look delicious! I’ve been dying to try making scones…bookmarking these!
I have a weakness for anything that includes cinnamon chips, love these!
I’ve never heard of cinnamon chips before. Are they like chocolate chips, but cinnamon? Genius idea!
Yep! They’re exactly like chocolate chips, just cinnamon :)
These sound absolutely fabulous! Love this idea!
These look really good! (: Scones are one of my favourite things to have on a Sunday afternoon! Making me miss the ones my mum makes! heh
Cinnamon sugar is such a winner :) I love the “pie” before you cut scones.
It’s look delicious. I would like to try it on my coming weekend. Thanks for sharing such tasty & sweet recipe.
I love scones! Do you take requests? :) My favorite scone is Panera Bread’s orange scones. They are delicious!
My favorite scone recipe (so far in life…) is found in this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85jp13AN6LI
I’ve never tried making scones. Last Mother’s Day, I threw a tea party for my mom and made crumpets. I imagine they must be pretty similar. I love the cinnamon part of this recipe though.
There is something so comforting about a good scone – these look perfect for the job!
These look so good. I have a weakness for the cinnamon ‘n sugar combo..in just about anything :)