These cinnamon scones are overflowing with sweet cinnamon spice and cinnamon chips. They’re buttery and moist with crisp crumbly edges and soft flaky centers. Crunchy coarse sugar and coffee icing are the perfect finishing touches!
Cinnamon Scones: also known as the best coffee pairing in the entire world. 🙂
Until recently, I was never a fan of scones. I’d much rather pair my coffee with a jumbo muffin or cinnamon roll. The truth is, scones can taste pretty lackluster and boring.
But my opinion took a total 180 a few years ago when I attended a cooking event in the Panera Bread test kitchen. We made deliciously moist yet crisp scones with cream, butter, and crunchy sugar on top. The flavor and texture were on point– and the scone recipe was pretty easy, too! If you’re not a fan of scones, you may just be eating the wrong ones because when done right, they are pure pastry perfection.
You’ll be singing all the praises for these cinnamon scones. Promise.
Since then, I’ve mastered chocolate chip scones, blueberry scones, and pumpkin scones. I use the same master recipe for scones for each flavor, a careful formula promising the BEST flavor and texture. Here are all of my scone recipes!
These Cinnamon Scones Have:
- Sweet crumbly edges
- Crunchy golden brown exterior
- Delicious brown sugar flavor
- Soft, moist, cinnamon-spiced centers
- Sweet cinnamon chips
- Lots of coffee icing
Cinnamon Chips
I use Hershey’s brand cinnamon chips in these scones. Keep your eyes peeled and when you see them, stock up. They’re wonderful in scones, muffins, snickerdoodles, and even banana bread. I usually find them in Target, Walmart, and grocery stores during the fall and winter months.
If you can’t find them in stores, they’re sold on Amazon too.
How to Make Cinnamon Scones
These cinnamon scones are relatively easy. First, mix the dry ingredients together. You need flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Second, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands. A food processor works too, but it often overworks the scone dough. To avoid overly dense scones, work the dough as little as possible.
Next, whisk the wet ingredients together. You need heavy cream, brown sugar, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the cinnamon chips, then gently mix together. Form the dough into a disc on the counter, then cut into 8 wedges. Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These extras add a bakery-style crunch and beautiful golden sheen. (The best parts!)
One of my tricks: To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, keep scone dough as cold as possible. I highly recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes prior to baking. You can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning!
After that, bake the scones until golden brown.
Video Tutorial
If you’re interested, I have a 5 minute video demonstrating the scone recipe. I’m making blueberry scones in this video, but the base recipe and process is exactly the same.
Frozen Grated Butter
Frozen grated butter is key to scone success. Like with pie crust, you will work cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour, which creates tons of flour coated butter crumbs. When the butter/flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam which creates all the delicious flakiness we love. The exterior becomes crumbly, crunchy, and crisp.
Why FROZEN butter? Refrigerated butter might melt in the dough as you work with it, but frozen butter will hold out until the oven. And the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater.
Let’s Talk About the Coffee Icing
Finish the cinnamon chip scones with a simple coffee icing made from a couple Tablespoons of strong coffee, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. If desired, make vanilla icing by substituting the coffee for milk or heavy cream. I found the coffee glaze really gives them something special.
These cinnamon scones are a cross between an iced cinnamon roll and a buttery brown sugar scone. I have a ton of self control around baked goods but I couldn’t keep my hands off these. And they are 1000% worth it in all their cinnamon sugared, coffee glazed, crumbly, buttery, creamy glory!
More Cinnamon Recipes You’ll Love
Because we all can’t get enough of this perfect spice. 🙂
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Chai Spiced Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Banana Scones
- Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
Cinnamon Chip Scones
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 large scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These sweet cinnamon scones are buttery and moist with crisp crumbly edges and soft flaky centers. Read through the recipe before beginning. You can skip the chilling for 15 minutes prior to baking, but I highly recommend it to prevent the scones from over-spreading. Feel free to replace the coffee icing with vanilla icing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) cinnamon chips
- for topping: coarse sugar
Coffee Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons strong black coffee
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. See video above for a closer look at the texture. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the cinnamon chips, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
- Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
- Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your fridge has space!) and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes as you prepare the icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over warm scones.
- Leftover iced or un-iced scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
- Special Tools: Glass Mixing Bowls, Box Grater, Pastry Cutter, Baking Sheet, Silpat Baking Mat, Pastry Brush
- Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
- Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, top with lemon icing.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
- Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a rubber spatula.
Keywords: scones, cinnamon scones
LOVE this recipe. I was just wondering if there is anything to be done about them coming out dark (almost burnt looking)?? The flavor is great and not burnt at all, but the appearance of them look burnt. I have already tried to switch out brown sugar with white sugar. Just wondering if you had any ideas what I am doing wrong.
★★★★★
Hi Bridget! I wonder if it’s the heavy cream brushed on top. You can certainly skip that if desired. I’m glad you love how they taste. Thank you so much for reporting back!
Ab-solutely fantastic!!!! We are not super-sweet eating people, so I used 2/3 cup of the cinnamon chips I ordered from nuts.com and it was PLENTY!! My oven only goes to 350 degrees (don’t ask!), so I cooked them extra long and they were still tender! Also used food processor and stopped after VERY few pulses when the dough JUST came together. Didn’t glaze after baking– just painted with cream and granulated sugar before baking.
EXCELLENT!!!
★★★★★
I made these scones exactly as directed except really wanted to make these while stuck in the house and cinnamon chips were on back order in April,so made my own (with a google recipe and turned out great). Even frozen the chips overnight so they were ice cold when adding to the mixture next morning. My scones tasted wonderful and smelled even better. However the shape did not hold! They flattened out a bit I only had 3 hold their shape. Any suggestions on what went wrong???? I’m thinking it was the homemade chips. Used sugar, light corn syrup, and Cinnamon powder, pure vanilla extract to make chips. Would love to make these again and will try with store bought chips but curious if I did something else wrong.
★★★★
Hi Trisha, How fun to make your own cinnamon chips! I’ve never tried it. Did they liquify inside the baked scones? If they stayed intact it likely wasn’t the chips. Start with very cold scone dough going into the oven, refrigerate the shaped dough for a minimum of 15 minutes (up to overnight). Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into its triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a rubber spatula.
These are seriously the BEST scones! Will definitely be making these again!
★★★★★
For everyone recommending the change in the baking time – in any recipe the baking time provided is just an overall guideline. Baking time will vary depending on individual oven, humidity of your kitchen, season!!! So yes, you might find that the recipe is good to take out of the oven a little sooner, or needs a few extra minutes. So please hold off your criticism for the creator of the recipe, as they are generous in providing it for you in the first place!!!
Hi Sally.
I made these a few days ago but with Namaste GF flour as I have celiac disease. They were delicious! My family said they were the best scones they ever had! Thank you, thank you for the delicious recipe. I make your recipes all the time substituting the GF flour and I have never been disappointed. I love all your tips and easy to follow instructions.
★★★★★
Holy moly!! These scones were amazing. I’ve never successfully made scones before, but thanks to your detailed instructions and the video to see what it should look like, I succeeded 100%, and I couldn’t stop eating them. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to make them again! (And I definitely will because I had to order the cinnamon chips online and it came as a three-pack….which I now realize was a blessing!)
★★★★★
These are perfection every time I make them! This recipe has turned scone “haters” into lovers! Followed the recipe exactly and they have turned out amazing every time! I recommend baking them for 20-22 minutes (no longer as they will be dry). I had to order the cinnamon chips because none of my local stores carry them. Totally worth the online price! These are a regular in my home.
★★★★★
Awesome recipe. I have baked a couple and sampled….YUM! I have a quick question. I will be freezing the remainder of the scones unbaked. Do I brush with the heavy cream & sprinkles prior to freezing.
★★★★★
Is there an adjusted baking time if you want to make the scones mini?
Hi Hannah, If you made 16 smaller scones, bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Enjoy!
I made these this morning after having tried the blueberry version a friend made for book club – devine, btw. The texture of the cinnamon didn’t disappoint. Even though I left in the oven for only the 22 mins, I’ll take a peek and probably take out at 20 if I make them again during the heat of summer. This is not a criticism of the recipe, but of my palate… I only put in 200 g (1.11 cups) of chips and that’s probably still too much for me since I don’t eat a lot of sweets. I think I’ll also up the amount of cinnamon the next time I make them since I like bold flavors. This is recipe is a keeper, for sure.
★★★★
I swapped the black coffee for homemade cold brew coffee– super rich and yummy with this scone recipe!
These turned out great! I opted not to add the glaze as I didn’t think the scones needed them. Thanks for the recipe!
Can you use half and half instead of heavy cream? I always have that in my fridge. Thanks!
Half-and-half is a fine substitute for heavy cream in this recipe.
Would like to bake these in a scone pan. Do I need to change anything in the recipe ? Am going to add raisins how much should I add?
Nothing to change– are you still using the cinnamon chips? If so, I’d add 2/3 cup raisins. If not, I’d simply replace all the chips with raisins.
Hi Sally, I LOVE your website!
I have a similar obsession with baking, so it was a nice surprise to find you ; )
i do have a question on the cinnamon chip scones. I’ve been making a similar recipe, but would love to add walnuts or pecans.
Would you advise a change in ingredient ratios, to accommodate for the extra “dry” ingredient, like nuts?
Thanks Sally, and I look forward to more recipes from you ; )
Hi Nancy! Thank you so much! I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe if you add any nuts.
My 13 yr old daughter and I made these today but substituted the Cinn. Chips with Heath Butter Toffee Chips and added and extra spoon of Cinnamon. They came out great!
Thanks for such a great recipe to teach her with!
Hi! My family loves these scones! In fact my son requested them for his birthday today. Everytime I make them though the bottoms almost burn. Any tips on how to prevent that? I’m using a dollar and the rack is in the right place.
These are in the oven right now. They are puffing up beautifully and I can tell they will be amazing! My previous attempt at scones was ugly. Thanks for a great recipe!
Wow, great. I just read this post and now I’m stuck between choosing the caramel apple scones and these…it’s going to be a TOUGH decision!
I have been sticking with one of your other recipes as a base for scones and have been playing with the add-ins so that has been fun (orange being my favorite so far). Quick question that has me curious: in this recipe you use brown sugar. How do you know/decide when to use brown vs. regular granulated sugar?
That’s a tough choice!
I use brown sugar when I feel the scone add-ins will taste good with brown sugar– like apples, cinnamon, caramel etc are all complemented by brown sugar. I prefer regular granulated sugar when I make fruity scones.
Made these today with white chocolate chips instead of the cinnamon chips and they were very tasty! They paired nicely with Chai tea. Thanks!
Sally, these scones are ah-mazing! I was a bit worried when I was combining the ingredients because they were definitely on the drier side, so I really had to use my hands to get it all into the ball. But they came out so delicious and tender on the inside! My husband was thrilled and I caught him licking glaze off his plate. 😉 thank you for your wonderful recipes! You are my go-to and can’t wait for your new cookbook (already pre-ordered)!
Surprised my girls with an impromptu tea party when they woke up from naps today featuring these delicious beauties. After a year of searching my grocery stores for the chips (because cinnamon chip scones are my favorite!), I finally thought to check Amazon and found them! So glad I stumbled across your recipe. They turned out perfect and the whole family was raving! Already thinking about who to share them with next 🙂
just made these for our “snack-thirty” time and they are A-MAZ-ING!!! We doubled the recipe and made drop scones. They freeze well and 30 seconds later fresh, warm scones were ready. You weren’t joking about those cinnamon chips. They really should come with some sort of warning label as well as this scone recipe! Definitely a keeper!
Sally, I made these yesterday and OH MY GOODNESS……. They were heaven!!! I can’t wait to make them again!!!!! I am thinking about trying raisins in them but am a little scared hard to mess with perfection!!!! My hubby is pickiy and he loved them!!! Thanks for a great recipe!! I can’t wait to get your cookbook!! 🙂
Totally fabulous! I made these this morning and they were wonderful. These cinnamon chips rock! And I’ve never made scones before, but your recipe and instruction made it so easy. Thank you for all the tips and effort to making the tastiest baked goods – you make me a hero at my house!!
I made these yesterday while a group of painter/drywall guys were working on my house. Had some very happy dudes running around here…Thank you Sally for a great recipe! I always try your scone recipes even if I have made something similar such as these cinnamon scones. I loved the recipe I made before (in fact it was my first attempt at scones) just fine but had to see how yours came together. Like a commenter above I too had a lot of dry flour after using my liquid but I ALWAYS for whatever reason have to add more liquid to a scone recipe to get the flour worked into a dough. No big deal. What I loved about this recipe was the coffee drizzle. Other recipe I made used turbinado raw sugar on top and that was it…and it was great. I simply adored this drizzle. My husband and son are not coffee lovers…at all…so I made most with a vanilla glaze and a couple with the coffee ….YUM! My VERY favorite scone is a maple oat with finely chopped pecans sprinkled over the maple glaze. They freeze beautifully baked (which most scones I freeze the dough and bake fresh when I am in the mood for a sweet with my coffee.) I would LOVE to see a “Sally-ized” :o) recipe of that in the future!
I made this recipe today and we loved it. This is the first scone recipe that wasn’t dry as dust. I had previously given up making scones because I was never satisfied with the texture. Having faith in you since your other recipes have all turned out I decided to try making scones.
I weigh my flour but my dough wasn’t “wet” as you described in your post. In fact my dough was so dry I still had flour sitting in the bottom of the mixing bowl. So I started adding cream one tablespoon at a time just until I got everything incorporated. Next time I will also separate my slices a little wider since they baked together again. Otherwise the scones came out perfect and I will definitely be making these again. Thanks for a great recipe.
Made these yesterday and my husband said they tasted better than Panera Bread’s Cinnamon Crunch Scone! I would have to agree as well! Nice work! I did get a little nervous making them because the dough was very hard to mix together and it wasn’t mixing very well and I was nervous to mix it too much. So since the spatula wasn’t helping just used my hands to mix it and it turned out great 🙂
Saw your recipe this morning and had to make them for breakfast. But, because I love chocolate, I did half chocolate and half cinnamon chips. The house smells amazing and the scones are delicious! I used soy creamer because I didn’t have any cream. It worked just fine.