Posted Dec 16, 2018, Updated Sep 13, 2024 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. 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. These are optional, but not really! 😉 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)! 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. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
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.
