If you love baking scones, check out my Top Tips for Baking Scones and browse all my favorite scone recipes. You’ll find helpful tips, flavor ideas, and more delicious recipes to try next!
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🔥 Bake Time: 12 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 32 minutes
- 🍽️ Makes: 12 scones
- ⚡ Calories: about 352kcal per scone
- 🥞 Flavor Profile: Buttery and tender with sweet, spicy cinnamon chips
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no eggs needed
Quick Answer
To make cinnamon chip scones, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then cut in cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and fold in cinnamon chips. Press the dough into two rounds about 3/4 inch thick, cut each into 6 triangles, and bake at 425 degrees F for about 11 to 14 minutes, until just slightly golden.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique
- Cold butter in chunks. You want pieces of butter in the scone, not melted into it, kind of like pie dough.
- Two leaveners. Baking powder and baking soda give the right rise without eggs.
- Buttermilk for tenderness. It helps with the texture and works with the baking soda.
- Cinnamon chips, not ground cinnamon. They give a burst of sweet spice in every bite.
- Don’t overwork or overbake. Mix just until the dough comes together, and pull them when they are just slightly golden.
Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Chip Scones
- The perfect balance. They are a little bit spicy and a bit sweet, with just the right amount of buttery flavor.
- Grocery store ingredients. No elaborate flour or special ingredients needed.
- Eggless. The leavening and buttermilk do all the work.
- Make ahead. Bake them ahead and warm them up, or freeze the dough and bake later.
- Uniform scones. Use a scone pan if you want them all the same size.
Key Ingredients
- All purpose flour: Regular all purpose flour is all you need for the best scones.
- White sugar: Granulated sugar for the perfect sweetness.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Two leavening agents give the right texture and make this an eggless scone. Always use the freshest baking powder and baking soda so the scones rise properly.
- Salt: Enhances the sweetness and cinnamon flavor.
- Cold butter: Use cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes. You can use frozen butter to keep it extra cold.
- Buttermilk: Helps with the texture. To substitute, mix 1 scant cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cinnamon baking chips: I use Hershey Cinnamon Chips instead of ground cinnamon for a delightful burst of flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Pumpkin version: For more fall flavor, try my pumpkin scones.
- Glaze them: Drizzle with a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze, with a pinch of cinnamon.
- Classic and plain: Skip the chips and make my cream scones with clotted cream.
- Scone pan: Fill each section of a scone pan halfway with dough instead of cutting triangles.
- Savory scones: Prefer savory? Browse my savory scone recipes.
How to Make Cinnamon Chip Scones
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the buttermilk just until moistened, then fold in the cinnamon chips. Turn onto a floured surface, knead into a ball, split in half, and press each half into a round about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.
- Cut each round into 6 triangles with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, for 12 scones, and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake for about 11 to 14 minutes, until just slightly golden brown. Baking time will depend on your oven.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Scones are not hard to make. The key is not to overwork the dough and not to overbake.
- Keep everything cold. You want chunks of butter in the scone, not melted into it.
- Fresh leaveners. Old baking powder means flat scones.
- You may need a splash more buttermilk at the end to bring the dough together.
- Storage: Keep baked scones in a zip top bag in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them and warm one at a time on the counter or in the microwave in 10 second intervals.
- Helpful tools: Pastry Blender, Scone Pan , and Parchment Paper.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve them warm, right out of the oven, with clotted cream, a little jam, butter, or my lemon curd. The sweetness pairs perfectly with coffee or tea, especially my iced chai tea latte. For a late breakfast, serve them alongside cucumber tea sandwiches, and find more ideas in these 15 breakfast scone recipes.
A great way to enjoy them is by hosting an afternoon tea. Serve tea sandwiches, delicious tea cookies and tea desserts, and tell the Teacup Story. You can also share the origin of scones or the history of afternoon tea. More in my tea time recipes and 50 scone recipes.
Cinnamon Chip Scones FAQs
Not at all. The key is not to overwork the dough and not to overbake. You want chunks of butter in the scone instead of melted into it, kind of like pie dough.
Place them in a zip top bag and refrigerate for up to a week. You can also freeze them and warm them one at a time.
A scone pan keeps the scones uniform in size and is easy to use when you’re starting out. Fill each section about halfway and they bake beautifully.
Balance baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk for the perfect texture. These scones and many others on my site are made without eggs.
Cinnamon chips give the sweet bursts of flavor in this recipe. You can add a little ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients, but the result will be different.
Yes. Make the scone dough and freeze it, then bake it at a later time.
Cinnamon Chip Scones
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup Butter , Cubed and Chilled
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 10 ounces Hershey's cinnamon baking chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with Parchment Paper or use a scone pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using a pastry blender, blend together butter with dry ingredients until mixture resembles corn meal.
- Add Buttermilk and cinnamon chips to the mixture. Mix together until dough forms.
- Split dough into 2 discs aproximately 3/4" thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut both discs into 6 triangles. If using a scone pan, fill each section 1/2 full with dough.
- Bake 10-13 minutes until edges start browning. Serve with clotted cream.
Charleen Crawford says
Thank you Going to try these.
Brenda says
I made these yesterday and they are the absolute best! I made little patties out of a 1/4th cup dough and they turned out to be the perfect size for us. I did have trouble finding the cinnamon chips. I’ve shared this recipe with friends so they can enjoy also.
Annette Houston says
Thank you for this recipe, Ill be trying it soon and sharing it with others.
Katie says
I’m having my first tea this Saturday. I can’t wait to make these!
Gina Futrell says
This was my first attempt at scones. I dearly love cinnamon and thought I really have to try these. I absolutely love them! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
I also found that the cinnamon chips were not found in my stores. I ordered mine from Amazon.