Cinnamon Chip Scones

Name: Cinnamon Chip Scones
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 46 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: British-American
Ingredients: 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder, fresh (less than 6 months old); ½ teaspoon (1½ g) ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt; ½ cup (1 stick) (115 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes, then frozen 15 minutes; 1 cup (170 g) cinnamon baking chips, cold from the fridge or pantry; ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream, cold; 1 large (50 g) large egg, cold, lightly beaten; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream, cold, for brushing; 1 tablespoon (12 g) coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, buttery wedge scones with a crisp sugared top and pockets of melty cinnamon chips in every bite. Cream keeps the crumb rich and soft, and a short chill guarantees tall, flaky layers.

Prep: 24 min
Cook: 22 min
Wait: 40 min
Total: 1 hr 26 min
Makes: 8 scones

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the scones
2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (14 g) baking powder, fresh (less than 6 months old)
½ teaspoon (1.5 g) ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) (115 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes, then frozen 15 minutes
1 cup (170 g) cinnamon baking chips, cold from the fridge or pantry
⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy cream, cold
1 large (50 g) large egg, cold, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
For the topping
1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream, cold, for brushing
1 tablespoon (12 g) coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar

Equipment (8)

Large rimmed baking sheet (about 13×18-inch / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup
Whisk
Bench scraper or sharp chef's knife
Pastry brush
Kitchen scale (optional but recommended)

Steps

Before you start

Cut the butter into cubes and freeze it for 15 minutes; very cold butter is what makes scones flaky.
Measure flour by weight if you can (300 g). Scooping with a cup can pack in extra flour and make scones dry.
Keep the cream and egg in the fridge until you need them; everything should be cold.
Use a 400°F (200°C) oven with the rack in the center.

1
Prep oven and butterOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line the baking sheet with parchment.
- Cut the cold butter into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes, spread them on a plate, and freeze for 15 minutes.
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Ready when: Butter cubes feel hard and very cold to the touch
Tip: Don't skip the freezer; solid butter bits melt in the oven and create steam pockets for flaky layers.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In the large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt for 30 seconds until evenly combined with no clumps of baking powder.
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Ready when: Mixture is uniform in color
3
Cut in butter
- Add the frozen butter cubes and toss to coat.
- Using your fingertips, press each cube flat into a thin flake, working quickly.
- Continue until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized and some almond-sized pieces of butter remaining.
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Ready when: Mixture looks shaggy with visible flat butter pieces, not sandy or greasy
Tip: If the butter starts to feel soft or greasy, put the whole bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes.
4
Add cinnamon chips
- Add the cinnamon chips and stir gently with a spoon or spatula to distribute them throughout the flour mixture.
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Ready when: Chips are evenly scattered
5
Mix wet ingredients
- In the medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the ⅔ cup (160 ml) cold cream, beaten egg, and vanilla until smooth and uniform in color.
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Ready when: No streaks of egg white remain
6
Form the dough
- Pour the wet mixture into a well in the dry ingredients.
- Stir with a fork or spatula just until a shaggy dough forms, about 15 strokes.
- Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and gently press and fold it 3 or 4 times, just until it holds together with a few dry spots.
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Ready when: Dough holds together when squeezed, but still looks slightly rough
Tip: Overworking develops gluten and gives tough, dense scones. Stop as soon as the dough comes together.
7
Shape and cut
- Pat the dough into a 7-inch (18 cm) round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
- Use a floured bench scraper or knife to cut straight down into 8 equal wedges, without sawing.
- Transfer the wedges to the lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
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Ready when: Wedges have clean, straight sides
Tip: Press the blade straight down rather than dragging it; sealed, squished edges won't rise as tall.
8
Chill the wedges
- Refrigerate the baking sheet, uncovered, for 15 minutes while the oven finishes heating.
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Ready when: Dough feels firm to a light touch
9
Brush and sprinkle
- Brush the tops (not the cut sides) of the scones with the 1 tablespoon cold cream, then sprinkle evenly with the coarse sugar.
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Ready when: Tops look glossy and evenly sugared
Tip: Keep cream off the cut sides, which can glue the layers together and limit the rise.
10
BakeOven 400°F / 205°C
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 12 minutes, until the scones are risen and deep golden brown on top and bottom edges.
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Ready when: Tops and edges are deep golden brown, and a scone feels light and firm when gently pressed
Tip: Melted cinnamon chips may leak and darken on the parchment; that's normal.
11
Cool and serve
- Let the scones cool on the pan for 10 minutes so the chips set and the crumb finishes cooking.
- Move them to a wire rack, or serve warm.
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Ready when: Scones are firm enough to lift without breaking and the chips are no longer runny

Good to know

Tips

Keep everything cold. Cold butter, cream, and egg are the key to a tall, flaky scone.
Cut straight down with the scraper or knife and don't twist, so the edges stay open and the scones rise evenly.
Cinnamon chips can scorch, so check the bottoms at 18 minutes and slide a second baking sheet underneath if they brown too fast.
For a simple finish, whisk 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon cream and drizzle over fully cooled scones.

Make ahead

Shape and cut the scones, then freeze the wedges on the baking sheet until solid (about 1 hour). Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Brush with cream, sprinkle with sugar, and bake straight from frozen at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 28 minutes. You can also refrigerate the cut, unbaked wedges, covered, for up to 12 hours.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze baked scones, wrapped well, for up to 3 months. Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes (12 to 15 minutes from frozen) until warmed through and the exterior is crisp again.

Substitutions

cinnamon baking chips → Mini semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or chopped toasted pecans. Use the same 170 g (1 cup). Cinnamon chips are the classic, but others work well; add an extra ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to the flour to keep the flavor.
heavy cream → Cold whole milk or buttermilk. Use the same volume. The scones will be slightly less rich and a bit less tender; buttermilk adds gentle tang.
unsalted butter → Cold salted butter. Reduce the fine sea salt to ¼ teaspoon.
coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar → Granulated sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Gives a softer sugar crust with more cinnamon flavor.