Cinnamon Swirl Scones
Every good scone has a story, and this one starts at a long table in Edinburgh. The recipe comes from Melissa of Savored Grace, who shared it as a guest post with Mary at The Goodie Godmother.
Melissa’s inspiration was an afternoon tea with her family at Edinburgh Castle, where the scones stood out even among the sandwiches and petits fours, and even with small children to keep happy while the tea went around.
That afternoon turned into a habit at home. Scones became a frequent request, and cinnamon became the family favorite. Since a trip to Edinburgh for tea is not something you can do on a Tuesday, Melissa began a weekly afternoon dessert tradition instead, serving a treat while the children drink milk from teacups.
It is a small ritual, and a good one, which is exactly why these scones taste like they belong at four o’clock.
They belong at breakfast and brunch just as comfortably. The scones are flaky and sweet, moist and buttery, with a cinnamon swirl that runs through the layers instead of sitting on top. Warm from the oven they need nothing more than butter and a cup of tea, though jam is never a bad idea.
The swirl is the part people notice first. Because it is crumbled and folded rather than stirred in, it stays in pockets and streaks through the dough, so some bites are plain and buttery while others are full of cinnamon sugar. That contrast is what keeps a batch from tasting flat.
One of the most practical things about this recipe is how well it freezes. Melissa often freezes extra scones before baking, so a fresh batch can go straight from the freezer into the oven another day. If you like the idea of a teatime habit without baking every afternoon, that one detail makes it possible.
What makes these scones tender is technique as much as ingredients. Very cold butter, cultured buttermilk, and a light hand with the dough do most of the work. The cinnamon swirl is mixed separately, then crumbled and folded into the dough in layers, which is why you get ribbons of cinnamon rather than a flat, uniform crumb.
Cold butter and a light hand are the difference between a tender scone and a tough one. Work quickly, fold gently, and stop as soon as the dough holds together.
The recipe makes 8 scones, with about 10 minutes of prep and roughly 18 minutes in the oven at 375°F. You can read the original cinnamon swirl scones recipe for the source version. If cinnamon baking is your kind of morning, our Coffee Cinnamon Scones and our Tall Flaky Scones are good next stops.
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Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl Scones come together from two simple mixtures. The first is the scone dough, which gets its lift from baking powder and baking soda and its tenderness from cold butter and cultured buttermilk.
The second is the cinnamon swirl, a thick and crumbly blend of melted butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon that gets folded through the dough in layers. One batch makes 8 scones.
Scone ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ tsp aluminum free baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
- ¾ cup cultured buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Swirl ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
Read through the steps once before you start, then set everything out on the counter. The process moves quickly once the butter meets the flour, and keeping that butter cold is the whole goal.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for the scone dough.
- Shred the butter. Using an electric grater if you have one, shred the very cold butter straight into the bowl. This helps the butter work through the dough quickly while staying cold. Without an electric grater, cut the butter into small cubes instead.
- Cut the butter in. With a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour mixture very gently. The mixture should form crumbs, and it does not need to be completely uniform. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
- Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix the buttermilk and vanilla together, then pour them into the flour mixture. Using the whisk attachment on the mixer, stir slowly for about 45 to 60 seconds. Scrape the bowl and stir again for no more than 30 seconds. Do not overmix, even if some flour is still loose. Those dry bits get folded in later and turn into flaky layers.
- Make the cinnamon swirl. In a separate bowl, stir the melted salted butter, flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together with a spoon until the mixture is thick and looks like a soft dough. It should crumble easily between your fingers.
- Turn out the dough. Tip the contents of the mixing bowl onto a clean work surface. It will still be shaggy, with plenty of floury bits, and that is exactly what you want.
- Fold in the first third. Gather the dough together and press down once. Crumble about a third of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the top, then fold it in carefully, gathering the floury bits as you go. Sprinkling those dry crumbs over the dough works well here.
- Keep folding. Repeat, distributing the rest of the cinnamon crumbles and folding until the dough holds together and all the flour and swirl are worked in, usually 6 to 8 folds total. Overworking the dough makes tough scones, so stay gentle and do not worry about a few stray crumbs of flour.
- Shape and cut. Form the dough into a small round and slice it into 8 equal triangles.
- Bake. Place the scones on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove them to a wire rack immediately so they cool without steaming.
The scones are at their best the day they are baked, when the outside is crisp and the inside is still soft. If you are baking for a crowd, the freezer note below is the calmest way to get ahead.
Notes
Two small notes from the original recipe make this one easier to fit into a real week.
No cultured buttermilk on hand? Stir 1 tsp of white vinegar into ¾ cup of milk, whole or low fat, and let it stand for 10 minutes. The acid curdles the milk slightly, which is just what the scones need.
Freeze the unbaked scones. Shape and cut them, then freeze before baking. To bake from frozen, take the scones out before you heat the oven and place them on a baking sheet.
Add 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time, then check that the edges are golden and the center is soft but not squishy before you move them to a rack.
| Baking situation | Oven temperature | Time | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh, unbaked scones | 375°F | 15 to 18 minutes | Golden edges and a center that is soft but not squishy |
| Unbaked scones baked from frozen | 375°F | Add 3 to 5 minutes | The same golden edges and soft center before removing to a rack |
Serve them warm with butter, or split and toasted the next day with a little extra cinnamon sugar. For another look at the same idea, this homemade cinnamon swirl scones recipe is worth a read.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make cinnamon swirl scones from scratch?
To make cinnamon swirl scones, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons of aluminum-free baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Shred 1/2 cup of very cold unsalted butter into the dry mixture, then cut it in with a pastry cutter until crumbs form. Stir in 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, then fold in a cinnamon swirl mixture of 1/4 cup melted salted butter, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon until the dough comes together.
What makes scones flaky and tender?
Flaky and tender scones depend on keeping the butter very cold and handling the dough as little as possible. Shredding cold butter into the flour creates small, distinct pieces that melt in the oven, producing steam that lifts the layers. The acidity in buttermilk also tenderizes the gluten strands, ensuring a soft, crumbly texture rather than a tough one.
Can you freeze cinnamon scones before baking?
Yes, unbaked cinnamon scones freeze very well. After shaping the dough into triangles, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer the frozen scones to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, place the frozen scones on a baking sheet and add 3 to 5 minutes to the standard baking time at 375 degrees F.
Why did my scones turn out tough?
Scones become tough primarily from overworking the dough, which overdevelops the gluten. To avoid this, mix the dough only until it just comes together, even if some flour remains, and handle it gently during the folding and shaping steps. Using very cold butter and avoiding overmixing are the key steps to keeping scones light and flaky.
Cinnamon Swirl Scones
Cinnamon Swirl Scones Every good scone has a story, and this one starts at a long table in Edinburgh. The recipe comes from Melissa of Savored Grace, who shared it as a guest post with Mary at The Goodie Godmother.
- Total Time: 28 min
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
Ingredients
Scone Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1¼ tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, very cold
¾ cup cultured buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Swirl Ingredients
¼ cup salted butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
Instructions
1-Preheat oven to 375°: Preheat oven to 375°.
2-In a large mixer bowl, whisk together: In a large mixer bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the scone dough.
3-Ideally using an electric grater, shred the: Ideally using an electric grater, shred the butter into the bowl. This will help the butter work through the dough quickly while staying cold. If you do not have an electric grater, cut the butter into small cubes.
4-Using a pastry cutter, cut the shaven: Using a pastry cutter, cut the shaven butter into the flour mixture very gently. The mixture should form crumbs, but does not need to be completely uniform. Work quickly so the butter will stay cold.
5-Mix together buttermilk* and vanilla: Mix together buttermilk* and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture. Using the whisk attachment on the mixer, stir slowly together, about 45-60 seconds. Scrape and stir again, no more than 30 seconds. Do not overmix, even if there is extra flour not mixed in-we will fold it in and make delicious, flaky layers!
6-In a separate bowl, make the cinnamon: In a separate bowl, make the cinnamon swirl. Simply mix all the ingredients together with a spoon until it is thick and dough-like. You should be able to easily crumble it with your fingers.
7-Turn contents of the large mixing bowl: Turn contents of the large mixing bowl onto a clean work surface. It will still be shaggy, with lots of floury bits.
8-Gather the mass together and press down: Gather the mass together and press down once. Crumble about a third of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the dough. Carefully fold it in, gathering the floury bits together and working them into the dough (it works well to sprinkle them over the top, just like you are doing with the crumble).
9-Repeat, distributing the cinnamon crumbles and folding: Repeat, distributing the cinnamon crumbles and folding until the dough holds together and all the flour and cinnamon swirl is worked in, probably between 6-8 folds total. Overworking the dough will produce tough scones, so be gentle and don’t stress about a few extra crumbs of flour that aren’t mixed in.
10-Form the dough into a small round: Form the dough into a small round and slice into 8 equal triangles.
11-Place scones on a parchment paper-covered cookie: Place scones on a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet and bake 15-18 minutes. Immediately remove to a wire rack to cool.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 18 min
- Method: bake
