Cinnamon Scones (with Cinnamon Chips)

The best Homemade Cinnamon Scones Recipe (with Cinnamon Chips)! These cinnamon chip scones are buttery & moist, easy to make for breakfast or brunch, and are even better than Starbucks & Panera! Perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning!

This Cinnamon Scones Recipe holds an extra special place in my heart. They are the best scones ever, they're easy to make, and are the perfect companion to a cup of warm coffee!

Plus, for me these cinnamon scones come with a side of nostalgia! If you didn't know, I swam my entire life, and when I got old enough, coached my summer team. One of the parents would regularly bring the coaches containers full of these warm, fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon chip scones.

Those were always the best mornings, and she was kind enough to share her recipe with me (oh so many years ago). And much like back then, these cinnamon scones are always devoured the second they come out of the oven, and my entire family absolutely adores them.

Cinnamon Scones: Ingredients & Substitutions  

While there are a few possible substitutions in this recipe, these truly are the best scones ever, and I do not recommend making changes!

• All-purpose flour. I honestly have not tried making these scones with any other flour besides unbleached all-purpose flour. If you try using an all-purpose gluten-free flour or another flour substitute, please report back and let me know how it goes.
• Granulated sugar. I always bake with organic cane sugar, but any granulated sugar works well.
• Ground Cinnamon. Not all ground cinnamon is created equally. Choose a quality variety of cinnamon for the best results!
• Butter. Again, I have not tried making these cinnamon scones with anything other than butter. Both salted and unsalted butter works well! I usually use salted, so if you opt for unsalted you may need to increase the amount of salt in the recipe by ¼ tsp.
• Half and Half. This is the only ingredient I have played around with. I have used whole milk and they turn out fabulous. I have also tried using heavy whipping cream, but I needed to add an extra 1 TBS of cream to get the dough to stick together (they still tasted perfect).
• Cinnamon Chips. These are optional, but not really! 😉 Cinnamon Chips are a baking staple in my house, but they can be hard to find. This year I had to resort to buying them online because I couldn't find them in any local stores. I have had luck at Walmart, Meyer, and Smith's in the past.
• Raw Turbinado sugar. I use organic raw turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top of the scones, I find it works the best!

How to make Cinnamon Scones 

Let's discuss how to make these cinnamon scones! They come together easily, but I will share a few tips and tricks with you that will ensure your success (plus you can watch the video)!

To make the best scones ever, start by making the scone dough.

Mix the dry ingredients. 

Simply add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until they're combined and the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).

Cut in cold butter

It's important that the butter is cold when added to the dry ingredients. I often cut up the butter and place it in the fridge before I gather the rest of the ingredients and finish step one. This ensures it is very cold when it's time to be added to the dough.

To cut the butter into the dry ingredients use a fork, a pastry cutter, or your hands. I opted for my hands this time around, but have used all three methods with success. Just be careful not to over-mix the ingredients (because that will cause the butter to melt)!

Add wet ingredients

Next, add the rest of the wet ingredients to the cinnamon scone dough. Be sure that the milk and eggs are cold so the butter doesn't melt when they are added. Use a spatula to mix the cinnamon scone dough until the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).

At this point the scone dough will look crumbly, that is normal. To know if it's the correct consistency, try to pinch a chunk with your fingers.

If you can pinch the dough together easily, it's good to go (as pictured below). If it doesn't hold together and remains powdery, add more half and half 1 tsp at a time until the correct consistency is achieved.

Add cinnamon chips

Once the dough is uniform throughout and the correct consistency has been achieved, add the cinnamon chips and mix until they are evenly distributed.

Shape the dough into a 10" Circle

Dump the cinnamon scone dough out onto a clean surface or pastry slab. Please note the texture in the photo below! The dough WILL be crumbly but moist!

Use your hands to shape the dough into a 10" circle. It should hold together very well as it's shaped, and be a solid circle when you're finished.

Try to minimize cracks in the cinnamon chip scone dough, because any cracks present at this stage will remain through baking! Check out that circle of dough, complete with beautiful chunks of butter throughout. YUM.

Transfer to a baking sheet & Sprinkle with sugar

Transfer the dough circle to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle the cinnamon scone dough circle with raw sugar. I recommend patting it down slightly so that the sugar sticks to the dough!

Cut and spread apart. 

After you've sprinkled the dough with sugar, cut the dough into eight equal pieces. Start by cutting the circle in half from top to bottom. Then cut it in half from side to side. Then cut the remaining two pieces in half diagonally Separate the scones and spread them out evenly on the baking sheet.

These scones will not rise or spread very much, but it's still important that there is plenty of space between the scones to ensure even baking.

Bake & Cool

Bake the cinnamon chip scones for 16-20 minutes or until they look set. You will notice that the tops don't really brown but the bottoms do!

Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool slightly, then serve warm!

Cinnamon Scones Serving Suggestions

I highly recommend serving these cinnamon chip scones warm. They are just irresistible fresh from the oven! Serve with a dollop of cinnamon butter, nut butter or add a drizzle of glaze for an extra special touch!

To store/freeze

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

To make ahead

You can make the dough the night before and bake in the morning! Make the scone dough according to the instructions, but do not cut it (leave it as a round 10" circle). Then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and put it in an airtight container.

Then, cut and bake the cinnamon scones in the morning! This is a great way to save time in the mornings when you're groggy before you've had your coffee!

Recipe FAQs

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More of our favorite breakfast recipes: 

We take breakfast seriously! Here are some of our most favorite breakfast recipes!

• Who doesn't love french toast?! Our recipe is the best ever!
• I could eat this banana bread all day long!
• These cinnamon rolls are to die for! Plus they can be made ahead!
• I love a good quiche, like this crustless quiche or this quiche with a hash brown crust!
• If you love baked oatmeal try our pumpkin baked oatmeal, apple cinnamon baked oatmeal, blueberry baked oatmeal, and everyone's favorite - peanut butter banana baked oatmeal. 
• These mocha chocolate scones are another favorite scone variety!
• Everyone needs to try this BEST green smoothie recipe! And this strawberry banana smoothie and this chocolate peanut butter green smoothie!

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