Cinnamon Scones (with Cinnamon Chips)
Posted Dec 16, 2018, Updated Dec 03, 2024
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The best cinnamon scones recipe ever! 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 is the absolute best scone I have ever eaten. Fresh from the oven, they will literally change your life.
They are moist and buttery with cinnamon chips in every bite. And they’re easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients.
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. to make them gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.
- Granulated sugar. white sugar and organic cane sugar are great choices.
- Salted Butter. unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Half and Half.ย Whole milk is the best substitute. Heavy cream is also delicious, you just need to add an extra 1 to 2 Tablespoons of cream to the dough to make it soft and not dry. Or, try buttermilk like in this buttermilk scones recipe.
- Cinnamon Chips. These are optional, but not really! ๐ They really are the secret ingredients that makes these the best cinnamon chip scones ever! Or try these chocolate chip scones.
- 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 cinnamon scones. They come together easily, but I will share a few tips and tricks with you that will ensure your success (don’t forget to watch the video)!
Begin by adding all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until they’re combined and the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).
Next, cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork, a pastry cutter, or your hands. Be careful not to over-mix the ingredients (because that will cause the butter to melt)!
Cold Butter is Key!
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 freezer 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.
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.
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.
Bake
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!
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 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!
Cool
Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool slightly, then serve warm!
Serve
I highly recommend serving these cinnamon chip scones warm. They are just irresistible fresh from the oven! Serve with a slather of homemade apple butter, cinnamon honey butter, the best pumpkin butter, nut butter or add a drizzle of glaze for an extra special touch!
Store/Freeze
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Reheat in the oven set to warm for about 5 minutes in a covered baking dish.
Prepare in Advance
Make the scone dough according ot the recipe instructions, but do not cut it. Instead, leave it as a 10″ round circle, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
In the morning, cut and bake the cinnamon scones according to the recipe instructions.
Cinnamon Scones Recipe FAQs
Stored at room temperature, scones last 1-2 days without drying out. They can be frozen for up to two months.
There are two ways to reheat these cinnamon chip scones:
In the microwave.ย Simply warm scones in the microwave for 15-30 seconds (depending on the power of your microwave and the number of scones you are heating up). Then enjoy!
In the oven.ย Wrap scones in foil (to prevent drying out) and warm in the oven preheated to 300 degrees F for 10-15 minutes!
In this recipe the answer is yes! Using egg in this scone recipe makes them have a richer taste and an amazing texture. It also adds to the rise of the scone.
It is important that theย butterย and the rest of the ingredients are cold in the cinnamon scone dough because then you end up with little “chunks” of cold butter throughout the dough.
The cold butter chunks begin to meltย when baking in the oven the oven, which creates flaky layers and pockets in the cinnamon chip scones…leading to the perfect homemade scone!
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Best Cinnamon Scones (with Cinnamon Chips)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter (cold)
- ยฝ cup half and half
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
- 1-2 Tablespoons raw turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder cinnamon and sea salt. Stir to combine.
- Add butter and using a fork, pastry cutter or your hands, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until there are coarse crumbs. (You want little chunks of butter)!
- Add half and half, egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined. The dough will look crumbly, but should clump together when squeezed between your fingers.
- Add cinnamon chips and stir until evenly distributed.
- Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface (or pastry slab) and form into a round circle about 10โ in diameter.
- Transfer the circle of scone dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Cut 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. (see video)
- Sprinkle the top with raw sugar and gently press it into the top of the scones.
- Carefully separate the scones and spread them out evenly on your baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16-20 minutes, or until the scones look set.
- Remove from the oven and transfer scones to a baking sheet to cool, or serve warm (which I highly recommend).
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour.ย to make them gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.
- Granulated sugar.ย white sugar and organic cane sugar are great choices.
- Salted Butter.ย unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes.
- Half and Half.ย Whole milk is the best substitute. Heavy cream is also delicious, you just need to add an extra 1 to 2 Tablespoons of cream to the dough to make it soft and not dry.
- Cinnamon Chips.ย These are optional, but not really! ๐ They really are the secret ingredients that makes these the best cinnamon chip scones ever! Or try these chocolate chip scones.
- Raw Turbinado sugar.ย I use organic raw turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top of the scones, I find it works the best.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cinnamon Scones: A Special Recipe
This Cinnamon Scones Recipe holds an extra special place in my heart.
I swam my entire life, and when I got old enough, I coached a 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, they are always devoured the second they come out of the oven, and my entire family absolutely adores them.
I like a mildly sweet scone, and this did not disappoint. I think I needed work the dough a little more because they didn’t hold together well. Another thing I will change is to use aluminum-free baking powder. I can taste the difference.
Oh, one last thing, I brushed with the half and half instead of putting turbinado sugar on top. Mainly because I like less sweet scones.
Thank you Jeremy!!
So easy to make and they turned out great! These are going to be my new party trick ๐
The BEST party trick! ๐
Hi, now that cinnamon chips are not so hard to find I made this recipe. They are so good. They are very soft and almost look like pillows when you break them in 1/2. I will be bringing them to work tomorrow and will make again on Friday for my Bible study; I just know the ladies will love them! Thank you so much for sharing. ๐
I’m so glad you are sharing them with the people you love, Dee! This is such a special recipe!
Excellent recipe! I made a double batch to share with colleagues tomorrow to celebrate a team member’s birthday. I tested one this evening (for quality control purposes, of course. *smirk*). It was absolutely delicious. I made a basic vanilla glaze just an added touch, but it was absolutely fine without too. Next time I make these I’ll probably do my glaze using orange juice. I love the combination of cinnamon and orange flavors together.
Anyway, thank you for sharing this absolutely fabulous recipe. I know it will be a hit at the office. It already is at our house! ๐
Thank you so much Judy!
These are SO good! i used 2% milk in place of half and half (had some leftover) and then put a layer of white chocolate chips on top (instead of cinnamon chips which i didnt have on hand). The flavor is amazing, the white chocolate chips caramelized a bit and these are now my new favorites!
Thank you Danielle!
I never comment on recipe websites, but I just HAVE to tell you. I have been consistently making this recipe for a couple years now, and it is mine and my husband’s most favorite recipe of all time. Thank you so much for sharing!!
My first attempt at scones! I did not have cinnamon chips so chose to use no chips. I always have heavy whipping creme so halved it with vanilla almond milk. Also I cut them into smaller serving sizes and they look and taste awesome! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe!! Perfection
I made these today, and they are delicious! My grandchildren couldnโt get enough of them.
I made the Cinnamon scones but couldn’t find Cinnamon chips so I used 1-1/2 tsp. of ground Cinnamon and I added two ripe mashed banana ๐ so they can be Cinnamon & Banana scones. Kinda sticky but I just put extra flour on the counter. Cut them and baked them as the the directions posted. Put them on a cooling Crack and after cooled I sprinkled some powder sugar on them, Awesome. But if your gonna put them in air tight container don’t sprinkle them with the powder sugar until serving. I give this recipe ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐. Thank for your recipe. ๐