This easy recipe for Cinnamon Scones instantly fills the kitchen with warm, inviting aromas. Topped with a sweet streusel topping, these tender scones are family approved and perfect for serving at breakfast or brunch. They’ll quickly become a recipe you’ll want to bake again and again.
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Why We Love These Cinnamon Scones
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and easy steps that anyone can follow.
- Warm Cinnamon Flavor: Every bite feels comforting and cozy with all the cinnamon flavor.
- Streusel Topping: Adds a sweet crunch that makes them irresistible.
- Family Approved: You know they’ll be a hit with kids and adults.
- Enjoy Anytime: Perfect for breakfast or brunch alongside coffee, tea, or juice. Great as a snack or packed in lunches too.
- Make Ahead: Prepare them ahead of time and bake them fresh in the morning or before you need them.
Cinnamon Scones Recipe Ingredients
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Salted Butter
- Milk
- Pure Vanilla Extract
Substitution Suggestions
- All Purpose Flour: If you like you can use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour. You can also use a blend of flours, for example: half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter, but I suggest adding an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dough.
- Milk: Use the milk you drink. I use 2% cows milk because I have it on hand and it's what my family drinks. You could also use heavy cream or half and half for a richer scone.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: I say this all the time.... Use pure extracts, they add the best flavor in your goodies. Imitation extracts can leave an unpleasant aftertaste in your baked goods.
How to Make Cinnamon Scones with Streusel Topping
- First, preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Next, make the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, combine the all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter. Using a fork blend it all together until it reaches large crumbs that stick together when you squeeze them in your palm.
- Now, in a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Give it a good stir.
- Then, add the diced cold butter and cut it into the dough with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
Expert Tip: You can also use the new pastry beater attachment for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Or you can use the dough blade in a food processor. It makes the scones even easier to make!
- Add the cold milk and vanilla extract and using a rubber spatula or your hands, fold together until everything is combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Now, turn the dough out onto prepared baking sheet. Fold the dough and shape into a 8 to 9 inch circle.
- Top the dough with the streusel topping and lightly press it down so it adheres to the dough.
- Using a dough cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into 8 triangles and arrange 2 inches apart on pan. If some of the streusel falls off, just squeeze it together and place it back on top of the scones.
- Bake the scones in preheated oven on center rack for 15-18 minutes until golden brown on edges and sides look set and not glossy.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Do you love scones? Me too!!! Don't miss my other delicious scone recipes:
Storing Cinnamon Scones
Make a double batch and freeze them! They freeze very well and can be pulled out for an easy breakfast or snack. They also are great packed in lunches. I pack lunches the night before and just add the frozen scones to the lunch box and place in fridge until it is on the way to school with the kids.
Storing: Store the cooled cinnamon scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Once the scones are completely cooled, place them in a freezer safe air tight container or zip top bag. Label, date and freeze. These scones will last in the freezer for 3 months.
Thawing: To thaw the scones, take out 15 minutes before needing them or take out the night before and let thaw covered on counter.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- My KitchenAid Stand Mixer is my most favorite kitchen tool! It's the best tool ever and now it has a new pastry beater attachment for cutting in butter. You can make loads of scones and your arm won't get sore!!!
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their baking sheets are the ones I prefer to use. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set. These aluminum sheet pans from Nordic Ware are a great option too.
- A dough cutter works the best for cutting scones into triangles.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- You can package these scones up for a bake sale in these Self Sealing Cellophane Bags. They are the best!
Tips for Cinnamon Scones
- Gather all the ingredients before you start preparing the recipe. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready.
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start baking. I am speaking from experience.
- Fluff your flour before measuring. Flour can become packed and won't measure accurately which can make the scone dry and the dough hard to work with. Fluff it a few times with the measuring cup or use a whisk right in your flour container. Then measure and level off the flour.
- Use cold ingredients. Cold or even grated frozen butter using the large holes of a box grater and cold milk helps create the flaky tender crumb scones are known for.
- Use your hands, pastry blender or the new pastry beater for the kitchen aid stand mixer to cut the butter into the flour, leaving sheets or clumps of butter. You should still be able to see pea sized or sheets of butter.
- Work quickly once the butter has been cut in. The butter needs to be as cold as possible when it goes into the oven, that is what creates the flakiness of the scone.
- Do not over work the dough. Fold the dough until it comes together. This will create layers helping the scone to stay tender and flakey and prevent it from becoming too dry.
- Do not saw the scones when slicing. Use one smooth cut to slice the scones into 8 triangles. Using a sawing motion can make the scones fall apart.
- Make these scones ahead of time and keep them covered with plastic wrap and chilled in the fridge until ready to bake. Prepared scones will last 1-2 days in the fridge.
FAQs About Scones
First, measure the flour properly. Fluff it, scoop it in measuring cup and then level it off. Next, use cold butter and cold milk. The cold butter is what helps the scones become flakey. Lastly, don't over mix the dough. Fold it instead of mixing or stirring. The less you work the dough, the lighter and fluffier the scones will be.
Avoid using warm butter and milk, and overworking the dough. Warm or room temperature butter and milk will create flat and dense scones. The less the dough is worked, the better. The scones will turn out lighter and fluffier.
Scones are typically a bit more denser than biscuits and usually made with eggs. I've omitted the egg in this recipe so the scones are still light and flakey. Scones will likely have sugar in the dough and most biscuits don't.
Most scones are done when the edges and bottom are golden brown and the sides no longer look glossy. They should also feel firm to the touch.
Other Bread and Muffin Recipes:
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Classic Zucchini Bread
- Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits
- Cheesy Corn Muffins
- Crumb Topped Banana Bread
- Baked Cake Donuts
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Garlic Parmesan Focaccia Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
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Cinnamon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
Scones
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter, cold and diced
- ½ cup cold milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, combine the all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter. Using a fork blend it all together until it reaches large crumbs that stick together when you squeeze them in your palm. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Give it a good stir.
- Add the diced cold butter and cut it into the dough with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Add the cold milk and vanilla extract and using a rubber spatula or your hands, fold together until everything is combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Turn the dough out onto prepared baking sheet. Fold the dough and shape into a 8 to 9 inch circle.
- Top the dough with the streusel topping and lightly press it down so it adheres to the dough.
- Using a dough cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into 8 triangles and arrange 2 inches apart on pan. If some of the streusel falls off, just squeeze it together and place it back on top of the scones.
- Bake the scones in preheated oven on center rack for 15-18 minutes until golden brown on edges and sides look set and not glossy.
- Let cool and enjoy!
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