Cinnamon Scones Recipe

This cinnamon scones recipe is the best of the best! After 10 years of loving on my dear friend Byrdie’s scones, she has shared her recipe with me to share with you! She has made this recipe hundreds of times over the years and has perfected the ingredient ratios, method, and cook time for absolutely drool-worthy homemade scones that will wow your family, friends, and co-workers!

We’re so excited to add these scones to our library of breakfast and brunch recipes! And we know you’ll love pairing these with one of our easy coffee recipes like our maple cinnamon coffee or gingerbread coffee recipes!

Cinnamon Scone Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose flour holds it’s shape nicely has makes a higher rising scone than other flours. Plus, it’s likely the flour you have in your cabinet already!
• Granulated Sugar. Granulated sugar helps to sweeten our scones, as well as contribute to a scone that is soft and moist.
• Baking Powder. Used as our leavening agent, helping our scones achieve the perfect rise.
• Salt. Enhances the overall flavor of our cinnamon scones.
• Ground Cinnamon. This, along with the cinnamon chips, is what gives our scone their perfectly cinnamony flavor!
• Unsalted Butter. Using cold butter (you can also use frozen butter) is important for great scones. Cold butter helps with the scone’s rise.
• Cinnamon Chips. Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips are what you’ll most likely find in your baking aisle at your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart. If you’re not seeing them, you can order them online or try another brand of cinnamon chips on Amazon.
• Large Eggs. Eggs add moisture, structure, and richness to our scones. We use the full egg, so no need to separate out the yolk and whites for our recipe!
• Half-and-Half. Half-and-half adds moisture, helps to bind our dry ingredients together, and adds extra richness to our scones.
• Vanilla Extract. While adding a subtle vanilla flavor to our scone, vanilla extract also acts as an overall flavor enhancer for the other ingredients in our scones.

All ingredient measurements, along with directions, are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

How to Make Cinnamon Scones

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the COLD butter cubes to the dry ingredient mixture, and cut it in with a pastry cutter (or two forks) until the mixture comes together into pea-sized crumbs.

Stir the cinnamon chips into the dry mixture with butter and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until everything appears moistened.

Begin to use your hands to form a dough ball.

Split the dough ball in half.

On a lightly floured board, with floured hands, press each dough ball into about a 7″ diameter disc.

Cut each disc into 8 pieces (like you were cutting a pizza).

In a small bowl, mix together your extra cinnamon and sugar. Dip each scone’s top and sides into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place dipped scones onto a lined baking sheet, keeping the scones 2″-3″ apart.

Bake in a preheated oven for 17-23 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and the bottom edges are golden brown.

Cinnamon Scone Variations

Use sour cream or plain yogurt in place some of the half-and-half. You can substitute sour cream or yogurt 1-for-1 with half-and-half in most baking recipes. When baking scones, I often replace about half of the half-and-half called for with yogurt for more protein!

Add a glaze. We top our scones with additional cinnamon and sugar… but that doesn’t mean you can’t add a simple glaze on top too! Make a simple vanilla glaze with ½ Cup powdered sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons of milk or heavy cream, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix all ingredients together and drizzle over your scones!

How to Store & Reheat Cinnamon Chip Scones

Once fully cooled, store scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Reheat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds or in the oven preheated to 300°F for 5-10 minutes. Wrapping your scones in foil when warming in the oven can help them from getting dried out.

Can You Freeze Scones?

Yes! You can freeze scones either cooked or uncooked! Both cooked and uncooked scones can be frozen for up to 3 months.

How to Freeze Cooked Scones

Be sure to cool the baked scones completely. Then place the cooled scones into a freezer-safe zip top bag, or airtight container, with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper between layers.

When ready to enjoy simply thaw the frozen scones at room temperature for 1-3 hours or place them in the fridge to thaw overnight.

How to Freeze Uncooked Scones

Freeze uncooked scones after they are shaped (triangles, biscuit shaped, whatever you prefer!). Begin with a “flash freeze” by placing the shaped scones onto a lined baking sheet and placing the baking sheet into the freezer for about 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer the frozen scones into a freezer-friendly ziplock bag.

When ready to bake, simply pull out the amount you’d like to bake out while your oven preheats. Check your scones at the designated time on the recipe card for doneness. Because they are baking from frozen, they may need a few extra minutes (potentially an additional 5-10 minutes).

Helpful Equipment

A simple pastry cutter is very helpful when making scones for cutting in the cold butter. If using frozen butter, we recommend using a box grater to help get the extra cold butter into manageable sized pieces to cut into your dough.

Cinnamon Scone Recipe FAQs

How long do scones last? When stored properly, scones will last 1-2 days at room temperature and up to 1 week in the fridge.

Where do I find cinnamon chips? Check the baking aisle of your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart. You can also purchase cinnamon chips online.

How Long to Bake Scones? This scone recipe has the oven set to 375°F, which results in a baking time of 17-23 minutes. Baking time will be based on the size of your scones (larger scones will take longer).

How To Tell When Scones Are Done? Scones are done baking when they are lightly browned on top and golden browned on the bottom. You can check by gently pressing down on the scone. If it’s firm and “bounces back” it’s done, if it indents and stays that way it needs to bake longer. If you’re still unsure, cut one in half to check the interior for doneness. The interior should be moist, not doughy or wet.

What is the secret to making good scones? Our top tips for making good scones include using cold ingredients (especially the butter!) and not overmixing your dough.