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Tender cinnamon scones are made with cinnamon chips, a cinnamon-sugar filling, and a sweet glaze for the perfect scone for any cinnamon lover!
There is something about scones that makes me want to curl up on my couch with a cup of tea and spend hours watching old movies under a fuzzy blanket.
This is definitely not a luxury I have very often, but I still make scones and simply eat them while running out the door to chauffeur my kids around.
My scone recipes are some of my very favorites here on MBA. Whether it’s a bright lemon-raspberry scone in the spring, glazed apple scones in the fall, or classic vanilla bean scones, I love them all.
These cinnamon scones combine my love of scones with my love for cinnamon rolls. They’re super cozy and perfect for enjoying alongside a cup of tea under a fuzzy blanket.
Or while driving your kids around to their various activities.
Why you’ll love these cinnamon scones
I have made scones with cinnamon chips in them before, and they were delicious. But when I revisited the idea of cinnamon scones, I decided to take them up a notch.
I took some inspiration from King Arthur Flour and decided to add a cinnamon-sugar filling and a cinnamon glaze in addition to the cinnamon baking chips in the dough.
That’s right, I added the cinnamon in THREE different ways in this recipe. These beauties are tender, sweet, and super flavorful.
If you love snickerdoodle cookies, cinnamon swirl bread, or any other treat where cinnamon is the star, you’re gonna flip for these scones.
How to make my cinnamon scones
The cinnamon-sugar filling adds a couple extra steps to my usual scone-making process, but I promise it’s worth it in the end.
Ingredients you’ll need
For the scone dough, you will need:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (divided use)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup cinnamon chips
Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your scones turn out perfect every time!
If you don’t have sour cream on hand, plain yogurt will work just fine in this recipe. I prefer to use Greek yogurt.
Check in the baking aisle of most larger grocery stores for cinnamon chips. You can typically find them near the chocolate chips.
For the filling, you will need:
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Using brown sugar in the filling adds an extra richness to the scones. If you are out of brown sugar, you can quickly make a brown sugar substitute using just 2 ingredients.
Lastly, for the glaze you will need:
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
If you are out of powdered sugar, don’t stress! Learn how to make powdered sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
Making these scones
To make these cinnamon scones, start by making the dough.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and set it aside. Cut the rest of the butter into pieces and use a pastry cutter or 2 knifes to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, egg, milk, and vanilla. Use a fork to stir this mixture into the flour mixture until dough clumps start to form. Add the cinnamon chips and stir to combine – you should get some large dough clumps forming.
Now switch to your hands and press the dough against the sides of the bowl to form a ball. It’ll be sticky at first, but keep gently working it and it’ll come together as you press.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 7×14-inch rectangle. Brush the reserved tablespoon of melted butter over the top of the dough.
Stir together the filling ingredients until well combined, then sprinkle this mixture on top of the melted butter. Gently press it down with your hands to help it stick.
Now it’s time to fold the dough: starting from one of the short sides, fold one side of the dough over to meet the middle of the rectangle. Repeat with the other side so the two ends now meet in the middle.
Recipe Tip
Using a dough blade can help with the process of lifting up the sides of the dough and folding them over.
Use your hands to gently shape the edges of the dough into a circle – it’s ok if it looks more like a rounded square, though. Use a sharp knife or dough blade to cut the dough into 8 triangles.
Place the triangles 1 inch apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 15-17 minutes. Let the scones cool for about 10 minutes while you whisk together the glaze.
Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon scones, letting it set before serving.
Storage and freezing tips
Store your cinnamon scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
If you’d like to freeze the scones for longer-term storage, you can do that before OR after baking.
Before baking, place the cut triangles on a lined baking sheet. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the scones are frozen through. Place them in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, place as many cinnamon scones as you like on a lined baking sheet from frozen and bake according to the recipe instructions, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time if needed. Glaze as directed.
If freezing after baking, place the glazed and cooled scones in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to a month.
When ready to enjoy, remove a cinnamon scone from the freezer and microwave for 30-60 seconds on a microwave-safe plate to thaw and warm it through.
Cinnamon Scones
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, divided use
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup cinnamon chips
For the filling:
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
For the glaze:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Set aside.
- Cut the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter into pieces. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Using a fork, stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until dough clumps start to form. Add in the cinnamon chips and continue to mix until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the sides of the bowl to form a ball. The dough will be sticky at first, but will come together as you press.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 7×14 inches.
- In a small bowl, stir together the filling ingredients until well combined.
- Brush the reserved melted butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly on top, pressing it down gently with your hands to help it stick.
- Starting from one of the short sides, fold one short side of the dough over to meet in the middle of the rectangle. Use a dough blade to help with this. Repeat this fold on the other side, with the two ends meeting in the middle.
- Use your hands to gently shape the edges of the dough into a circle (it’s ok if it is more of a rounded square!). Using a sharp knife or dough blade, cut the circle into 8 triangles. Place them 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
- Make the glaze by whisking the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. If needed, add a bit more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach your desired consistency. Spoon or drizzle the glaze over the scones; allow the glaze to set before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe – I like how you mixed the sour cream with the baking soda and vanilla first, added great texture and lightness to the scones! My daughter loved the cream cheese frosting, like a cinnamon roll in a scone :). While not meant to be a health food I know, I have another similar recipe I make that uses 2% plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and the flavor profile is so similar I don’t think anyone would miss the flavor or the calories :). And subbing 1 cup of while flour for a whole grain flour adds interesting texture and a dash of health – and still doesn’t make it seem like a health food by any means. Sometimes the little things here and there can help without sacrificing any of the deliciousness!
Hi, Anna! I love your substitutions. Thank you for sharing!
I love your cream cheese drizzle!! I just made some cinnamon chip scones myself! And mmm!!! They were so GOOD! Finally a scone that’s buttery, soft, and tender! I’m so used to rock-hard chewy, tough, dry, BLAND scones. Bleh!
I used a slightly different recipe than yours with less flour – so the dough, and trust me when I say this, was not dry at all! I also didn’t use any eggs because I don’t like my scones too cakey; instead they were super flakey and butter and tender – almost like a biscuit. But a sweet, unique, and totally awesome biscuit! I hope to try yours soon and compare!
http://thekitchenkook.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-best-most-perfect-scone-recipe-ever.html
Making these for brunch tomorrow… I hope they turn out as well as yours!
I live in california and just recently ran across cinnamon chips at one of our grocery stores called albertsons. I grabbed a couple bags and now im very interested i making these. If anyone out there has an albertsons near by its the only store I know of that carries them. They are made by hersheys! enjoy!
I would love to make these but I can not for the life of me find cinnamon chips! I have looked in a few different places! grrrr