Cinnamon rolls, in scone form.
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cinnamon roll scones
Cinnamon rolls, but in scone form! These scones are light, tender, flaky, and rolled up with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon just like a cinnamon roll! They are *so* delicious, such a fun way to enjoy scones, and honestly taste like a better version of a brown sugar pop tart.
And here’s my little scone spiel: scones deserve more love! And if you’re here, I know you probably think the same. These scones are flaky but moist at the same time (as all scones should be). They’re the perfect little afternoon treat to have with coffee, are so easy to make and gift to others, and are just all-around delicious. Below you’ll find a bunch of tips and tricks on making scones that (I hope) are helpful. Happy baking!
why you’ll love these cinnamon roll scones:
- They’re moist and flaky. A lot of scones are sad and dry – and while scones need to be a little dry for their signature shape and rise, these are *way* more moist than you’d expect.
- The flavor. The brown sugar cinnamon filling has the perfect amount of spice and like I said above, I swear these taste like a (dare I say) more delicious version of a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart.
- They’re super easy to make. Scones are actually super easy to make, can easily be made ahead of time and baked off at a later date, and are *perfect* for sharing.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
keep the dough and ingredients cold:
The trick to getting those flaky layers and butter pockets is to keep the dough cold. If you notice the butter getting too warm at any point while making the scones, just pop the dough into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden it up again. You’ll also want to keep your egg & sour cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Mix the dough carefully:
Be careful to knead the dough just until it comes together. Over-kneading the dough can lead to a drier, tougher scone.
freeze the dough before baking it
This step is super important because it ensures that the scones will not spread much in the oven, and will bake up nice and tall! Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before slicing them and baking them off. If you’re freezing the dough overnight or longer, make sure you wrap the dough up tightly in plastic wrap to avoid it drying out. Also – you will probably need to let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before it’s soft enough to slice in to.
how to cut butter into the scones
There are multiple different ways that you can incorporate butter into your scones. I find it’s easiest to cube up the butter and then smush it into the flour with my fingers until the pieces are fairly tiny. You can also use a pastry blender, or two forks to kind of cut the butter up into the flour. If you wanted to prep the night before, you could use a cheese grater to grate the stick of butter and then freeze it until you’re ready to make the scones.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for cinnamon roll scones:
scones:
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the scones rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the scones.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and making those delicious flaky layers. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to remove the excess salt from the dough!
- Light brown sugar: for lightly sweetening and for moisture. You can easily substitute in granulated or dark brown sugar.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Sour cream: makes these scones nice and tender and keeps them from being dry. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
- Vanilla extract: for flavor.
cinnamon roll filling:
- Unsalted butter: for flavor! You can use salted, or your favorite non-dairy butter stick here.
- Light brown sugar: for sweetness and flavor.
- Ground cinnamon: for the cinnamon roll flavor of course!
glaze:
- Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.
- Vanilla extract & milk: for flavor, and for thinning out the glaze. Use your favorite milk here.
how to make cinnamon roll scones
Here are some photos of the process of making scones. The full recipe can be found at the end of this blog post.
- In a mixing bowl, cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg and vanilla. Mix the two mixtures together until you have a cohesive dough.
- Roll out the scone dough.
- Spread the butter/cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough, then roll it up and freeze it for 1 hour.
- Slice the scone dough into 8 pieces.
- Spread the scones out on a tray and brush them with heavy cream. Bake, frost, and enjoy!
cinnamon roll scones recipe q&a
can I make these scones ahead of time?
Yes, you can! There are two ways you could go about this.
- Prepping the night before: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave in the freezer overnight. In the morning you can bake these scones off as stated in the recipe.
- Prepping further in advance: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 1 month before baking. You can bake the scones right from frozen, they will just need a couple more minutes in the oven!
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe and divide the dough into even circles. I (even more) strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
how to store cinnamon roll scones
Like most baked goods, these scones will taste the best on the day that they are baked, but will keep well for 3-5 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.
american scones vs. british scones
These are very much American scones. British scones are more akin to American biscuits and likewise, do not contain any egg (while British biscuits are more like shortbread in America!) These scones contain one egg which helps make them light, fluffy, and moist.
My scones turned out super dry
The #1 reason for baked goods coming out super dry is not measuring the flour properly. I seriously can’t recommend using a scale enough for the best baking experience and outcome. They may also turn out dry if you over-knead the dough (only knead until it comes together.)
My scones spread a lot in the oven
There are three reasons this may have occurred –
- The dough was not chilled for long enough. Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This allows all the ingredients to get cold again, which leads to less spreading in the oven.
- Your oven temperature is wrong. I recommend getting an oven thermometer, you might be surprised to find out that your oven runs too hot or cold!
- Your baking powder might be expired. You can test if your baking powder is active by dropping some in a small amount of water. If it bubbles, it’s active, if not, it’s expired.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Cinnamon Roll Scones
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 egg
- 95 g sour cream (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 240 g all purpose flour (2 c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 35 g light brown sugar (3 tbsp.)
- 113 g unsalted butter cold, cubed (8 tbsp.)
Cinnamon Filling
- 28 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp.)
- 35 g light brown sugar (3 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- 60 g powdered sugar (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1-2 tsp. milk
Instructions
Scones
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream and vanilla until well combined. Set the mixture in the fridge.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cube up the cold butter stick and add it to the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are quite small.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients mixture. Lightly mix the ingredients together in the bowl until you have a shaggy dough.
- Use your hands to lightly knead the scone dough together just until it becomes a cohesive ball.
- Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface.
- Using a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 10" x 14" (25 x 35 cm) rectangle.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Then, mix in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Carefully spread the brown sugar cinnamon mixture over the scone dough into an even layer.
- From the longer side of the rectangle, carefully roll up the scones into a tight cylinder (the same way you would roll cinnamon rolls.)
- Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
- When you're ready to bake the scones. preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Slice a small sliver of dough off of both ends of the log to reveal the cinnamon swirl. Slice the log into 4 equally sized pieces, then slice each piece on a diagonal to create a triangle shaped piece.
- Evenly space the scones out on the baking sheet, leaving space between each for spreading.
- If desired, you can brush a little bit of heavy cream on top of the scones to encourage the tops to brown. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the scones start to turn golden brown on top and on the bottoms. Note that some of the scones may flatten and some may bake up straight – this is normal and both ways are delicious!
Vanilla Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tsp. of milk to a small mixing bowl. Whisk together, adding in more milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- Once the scones have cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze over them. Serve and enjoy!