Easy Cinnamon Chip Scones

These cinnamon chip scones are buttery, tender, and filled with little bursts of sweet cinnamon flavor. You can make them with my easy Homemade Cinnamon Baking Chips or buy the Hershey's cinnamon chips. Either way, these are easy to make and taste better than anything you'll find in a cafe. 

Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Chip Scones

Tender and buttery. Cold butter creates flaky layers and crumbly edges while sour cream and heavy cream keep the center soft.

Easy to shape. Pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan makes it much easier to get six evenly sized bakery-style scones.

Big cinnamon flavor. Sweet cinnamon chips add little pockets of cinnamon throughout every bite, while turbinado sugar gives the tops a crunchy finish.

About This Recipe

I first started making cinnamon scones when I had them on my bakery menu and customers loved them. Then one day, I went to buy my usual Hershey’s cinnamon chips and couldn’t find them anywhere. The store was completely out, and so was every other grocery store I checked.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is the way I shape the scones. Instead of trying to form a perfect round circle on the counter, I press the scone dough into an 8-inch cake pan lined with plastic wrap. After the dough chills, it lifts right out and cuts cleanly into six evenly sized scones.

If you make scones often, you’ll also want to read my Guide to Freezing Scones. Freezing shaped scones before baking is something professional bakeries do all the time, and it can actually help give you a better finished scone.

How to Make Cinnamon Chip Scones

1. Mix the dry ingredients

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

2. Grate The cold butter

Grate the cold butter with a box grater or cheese grater. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture.

Use a pastry cutter or pastry blender to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture with some small pieces of butter still visible.

A food processor can also be used, but pulse carefully so you don’t overwork the butter mixture.

3. Add the cinnamon chips

Fold the cinnamon chips into the flour and butter mixture so they’re evenly distributed.

4. Mix the wet ingredients

In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix just until a shaggy scone dough forms.

The dough may look slightly crumbly at first. Resist the urge to keep stirring.

5. Press the dough into a cake pan

Line an 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving enough hanging over the edges that you can easily lift the dough out later.

Transfer the dough to the pan.

Use your hands to gently press the dough into an even layer all the way to the edges of the pan.

This is my favorite way to shape scones because every scone comes out nearly the same size.

Cover the top and refrigerate the dough until it is firm and well chilled.

6. Cut the scones

Use the plastic wrap to lift the chilled round of dough out of the pan.

Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough on a cutting board or lightly floured surface.

Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the circle into six equal wedges.

7. Chill or freeze the shaped scones

Place the shaped scones on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

At this point, I like to chill or freeze them before baking.

Cold scones hold their shape better in the oven, and freezing shaped scones is also one of the easiest ways to prep ahead for fresh bakery-style scones whenever you need them.

Read my Guide to Freezing Scones for the method I use in my bakery.

8. Add the topping

When you’re ready to bake, lightly brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream.

Sprinkle each scone with turbinado sugar.

If you’re using individual Sugar in the Raw packets, plan on about half of one packet per scone.

9. Bake until golden brown

Pre-heat the over to 400 degrees F. Arrange the scones on a lined baking sheet or cookie sheet with room between each one.

Bake until the tops and edges are golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool.

The Easiest Way to Shape Scones

There are plenty of ways to shape scone dough, but the 8-inch cake pan method is the one I keep coming back to.

A lot of recipes tell you to turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it, and pat it into a round circle.

That works, but every extra bit of handling warms the butter and develops the gluten in the flour.

Instead, line an 8-inch cake pan with plastic wrap and press the dough directly into the pan.

You get an even circle without a rolling pin, and once the dough is chilled, it’s easy to lift out and cut into six equal pieces.

Can You Make Your Own Cinnamon Chips?

Yes, and that’s actually how my homemade cinnamon chips recipe came about.

I had cinnamon chip scones on my bakery menu, but suddenly I couldn’t find cinnamon chips at my local grocery store.

My customers were already expecting their cinnamon scones, so simply taking them off the menu wasn’t my first choice.

I started testing homemade cinnamon baking chips instead.

The result was my Homemade Cinnamon Baking Chips, and they work perfectly in this recipe.

They’re a great option when store-bought cinnamon chips are unavailable, and they give you that same warm cinnamon flavor and little bursts of cinnamon throughout the scones.

Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips vs. Homemade Cinnamon Chips

Either works in this cinnamon chip scone recipe.

If you can find Hershey’s cinnamon chips, they’re convenient and give the scones a familiar flavor.

If the store is out, homemade cinnamon chips are an easy backup and mean you don’t have to wait for a particular brand of cinnamon chips to come back in stock.

For cinnamon lovers, having the homemade version in your recipe collection is especially handy around fall and holiday baking season, when cinnamon chips can be harder to find.

Why Cold Butter Makes Better Scones

Cold butter is one of the secrets to a perfect scone.

As the scones bake, those small pieces of cold butter melt and release steam. That steam helps create pockets inside the dough and gives you a tender, slightly flaky texture.

If the butter becomes too warm before the scones go into the oven, it can blend completely into the flour. The finished scones may spread more and have a heavier texture.

That’s also why chilling the shaped scones before baking makes such a difference.

Can You Freeze Cinnamon Chip Scones?

Yes, freezing shaped scones is something professional bakeries do all the time.

You can make a batch of scone dough, shape the scones, and freeze them before baking. Then you can bake only as many as you need.

This is especially helpful for a home bakery because you can do the prep work ahead of time while still giving customers freshly baked scones.

And freezing isn’t only about convenience. Starting with very cold dough can help the butter stay solid longer during the beginning of the baking time, which can improve the texture and shape of the finished scones.

I explain the whole process in my How to Freeze Scones tutorial.

How to Store Cinnamon Chip Scones

Freshly baked scones are best the day they’re made.

Once completely cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

For longer storage, I prefer freezing unbaked shaped scones and baking them fresh rather than storing baked scones for several days.

If you do freeze baked scones, wrap them well in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight freezer container.

Tips for the Best Cinnamon Chip Scones