Easy Cinnamon Scones Recipe
These easy Cinnamon Scones are soft and buttery with sweet cinnamon chips tucked into every bite and a simple vanilla glaze drizzled over the top. They have all those cozy cinnamon roll flavors, but in an easy homemade scone that is perfect with a hot cup of coffee.
If you have ever thought homemade scones were difficult to make, I promise they don’t have to be. The trick is keeping your ingredients cold and not overworking the dough. From there, these come together surprisingly fast!
Make them big and bakery-style, cut them smaller for brunch, or turn them into easy drop scones. Either way, you really can’t go wrong.
Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Scones
There is something about a warm homemade scone and a cup of coffee that just makes a morning better. These are especially good because they are:
- Easy to make with simple baking ingredients
- Packed with cinnamon flavor thanks to cinnamon chips
- Soft and buttery on the inside with lightly crisp edges
- Freezer-friendly, so you can save some for later
- Easy to make gluten free
- Delicious plain or finished with a simple vanilla glaze
Basically, they are a cinnamon roll’s slightly more sophisticated cousin.
Ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy to make homemade cinnamon scones. You’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cold or frozen butter
- Heavy cream or buttermilk
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon chips
You’ll also need a little extra cream for brushing the tops before baking and coarse sugar if you want that pretty bakery-style finish.
Cinnamon Chips
Cinnamon chips are what really make these scones special. They melt into the dough while the scones bake, leaving little pockets of sweet cinnamon throughout.
You can use store-bought cinnamon chips, but I usually make my own homemade cinnamon chips. They are easy to make, great to keep around for baking, and ridiculously good in these scones.
How to make Cinnamon scones
1. Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the cold butter
Cold butter is one of the secrets to really good scones.
I like to start with frozen or very cold butter and grate it directly into the flour mixture. You can also cut it into small pieces with a knife.
Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until you have small, pea-sized crumbs.
3. Mix the wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, and vanilla.
Pour the cream mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir just until the dough starts to come together.
Don’t overmix it. We aren’t trying to beat this dough into submission. The less you mess with it, the happier your scones will be.
Now you are going to mix the egg/cream mix into the flour mix to create your dough. The colder your ingredients the better. It will just create a happier scone.
4. Add the cinnamon chips
Gently fold the cinnamon chips into the dough until they are evenly distributed.
Those little cinnamon chips will soften and melt as the scones bake, creating pockets of cinnamon throughout.
How to Shape Scones
You have a few options here depending on how big you want your scones.
Large Bakery-Style Scones
Shape the dough into one 8-inch circle and cut it into 8 wedges.
This is my favorite because apparently when given the choice between a normal-sized baked good and a giant one, I will choose giant every time.
Small Scones
Divide the dough into two balls and shape each into a 4- to 5-inch circle. Cut each circle into 8 wedges for a total of 16 smaller scones.
These are great for brunch, parties, or anytime you want a smaller treat.
Drop Scones
Don’t feel like shaping anything? Skip it.
Use an ice cream scoop to drop about ¼ cup of dough at a time onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Baking Cinnamon Scones
Place your shaped scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the tops lightly with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Bake at 400°F until the tops are lightly golden:
- Large scones: about 20–25 minutes
- Small scones: about 15–20 minutes
- Drop scones: about 20 minutes
Don’t worry if a little cinnamon melts out around the edges while they bake. That’s completely normal, and those crispy cinnamon bits aren’t exactly a hardship.
Let the scones cool for a few minutes before glazing.
Easy Vanilla Glaze
These cinnamon scones are delicious straight from the oven, but a simple vanilla glaze takes them right into cinnamon-roll territory.
Whisk together:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Add a little more cream if your glaze is too thick. If you accidentally get a little heavy-handed with the cream, just add more powdered sugar until it thickens back up.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and enjoy.
The cinnamon chips can “melt” a bit from your scone. That is totally normal. You can just pull off any melted cinnamon pieces.
Serve your cinnamon scones plain or add some glaze; either way, these are delicious and amazing.
Tips for the Best Homemade Scones
Keep everything cold. Cold butter and cold cream help create a better texture and those delicious flaky pockets inside the scones.
Don’t overmix the dough. Stir it only until everything comes together. Overworking scone dough can make the finished scones tough.
Grate the butter. This is one of my favorite shortcuts. Frozen grated butter is easy to distribute throughout the flour without warming it up too much.
Don’t worry about perfection. Scones are supposed to look homemade. A slightly wonky triangle still tastes fantastic.
Can I Make Cinnamon Scones Gluten Free?
Yes! This recipe works really well gluten free.
Replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend. I also recommend checking your baking powder, vanilla, and cinnamon chips to make sure they are gluten free.
Can I Make Scones Ahead of Time?
Absolutely.
You can prepare the scone dough, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking.
That makes these perfect when you want fresh scones for breakfast or brunch without doing all the work first thing in the morning.
How to Store Cinnamon Scones
Room temperature: Keep baked cinnamon scones in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze baked scones for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or warm them gently before serving.
I am a huge fan of doubling the recipe and freezing some. Future you gets a homemade cinnamon scone with coffee without having to actually bake anything that morning.
That’s basically a gift to yourself.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
If you love an easy homemade breakfast or something sweet to enjoy with your coffee, check out more of my favorite breakfast and brunch recipes while you’re here.
These Cinnamon Scones are one of those recipes that feels a little special without actually requiring a ton of work. They’re buttery, full of cinnamon, freezer-friendly, and absolutely perfect with coffee.
Add that vanilla glaze and you’ve basically got cinnamon roll flavor in scone form; which is never a bad way to start the day.
Easy Cinnamon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for hands and work surface
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup butter cold/frozen
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or buttermilk (plus additional for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Grate your cold butter or cut into small pieces with a knife. 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. Set aside.
- Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Pour this cream mixture over the flour mixture and stir together just until dough forms.
- Add in your cinnamon chips folding until they are distributed through the dough.
Triangle Scones
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Form the dough into a large 8 inch circle or 2 smaller 4-5 inch circles. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. You will get either 8 large scones or 16 small scones.
- Transfer your scones to the parchment lined baking sheet and brush scones with the heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes for large scones and 15- 20 minutes for the smaller scones. You want them to be lightly browned on top.
Drop Scones
- Use an ice cream scoop to drop your scone dough by rounded 1/4 cups onto parchment lined baking sheet. Leave 2-3 inches space between the scones. Brush with cream and top with sugar if desired.
- Bake for roughly 20 minutes or unitl golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before adding glaze if desired.
Glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla and whisk until it is the desired consistency. Add more cream if needed. Alternately if your glaze is too runny add a little bit more powdered sugar.
Gluten Free
- If you would like to make these gluten free substitue your favorite gluten free flour mix and double check your other ingredients to ensure that they are gluten free.
Ca you use ordinary cinamon powder. If so how much. Thanks.
Sorry Roni, You can make cinnamon chips (there is a recipe here on A Few Shortcuts). Think of these like chocolate chip cookies. You wouldn’t substitute cocoa powder for chocolate chips.