Snickerdoodle Scones Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar and Sweet Glaze

Snickerdoodle Scones

Snickerdoodle scones bring the best parts of a snickerdoodle cookie to a tender, buttery scone. You get the gentle tang of cream of tartar, a crisp cinnamon sugar topping, and a soft cinnamon glaze drizzled over every wedge.

And the method is genuinely simple. Mix the dough, pat it into a round, cut eight wedges, then let them chill in the freezer for 30 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, glaze while the scones are still a little warm, and serve. One batch makes 8 scones.

This recipe is adapted from The Baker’s Almanac, where Leslie Jeon, a professionally trained pastry chef, shares it.

What You’ll Need

This is a short ingredient list that packs in a lot of flavor. Cold butter, heavy cream, and a warm cinnamon sugar topping do most of the work. Set everything out first, and keep the butter in the refrigerator until the moment you cut it into the flour.

Ingredients

Cream of tartar is the ingredient that gives these scones their snickerdoodle personality. It adds a mild, tangy note you taste in classic snickerdoodle cookies, and it also helps the scones rise. If you love the cinnamon forward flavor of cinnamon swirl scones, you will feel right at home here.

Use unsalted butter so you control exactly how much salt goes into the dough. Keep it as cold as possible, straight from the refrigerator or even the freezer, and cut it into cubes before you begin.

Heavy cream goes into the dough and is also brushed over the tops before baking. Turbinado sugar, often sold as raw sugar, is mixed with cinnamon and sprinkled over the scones for a crunchy finish.

The topping is simply turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon stirred together, and the glaze is powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and milk whisked until smooth. Weighing the flour on a kitchen scale is the easiest way to keep the dough from turning out dry, so the gram amounts below are handy to have nearby.

For the scones:

• 2 ¼ cups (270g) all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup (71g) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 large egg (50g)
• ¾ cup (170g) heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (45g) turbinado sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon glaze:

• 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons (30g) milk

Equipment

A pastry cutter is the easiest way to cut cold butter into the dry ingredients, and it keeps the pieces small and even. A fork works too if you do not own one, though it takes a little longer and a little more patience.

You will also want a bench scraper or a sharp knife to cut the dough into eight wedges. A bench scraper is the better choice here, because it slides under the dough and cuts cleanly without scratching or damaging your baking sheet.

A rimmed sheet tray lined with parchment paper, a couple of mixing bowls, and a whisk round out the list.

• Pastry cutter or fork
• Bench scraper or knife
• Rimmed sheet tray
• Parchment paper
• Large bowl and a small bowl
• Whisk and measuring cups

How to Make These Scones

The dough comes together in one bowl in a few minutes, and the freezer does the rest of the work. Read through the steps once before you start, then follow them in order and pay more attention to the texture of the dough than to the clock.

1. Prepare the pan. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, light brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
3. Cut in the cold butter. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture. Stop when the butter pieces are about the size of a lentil, with a few slightly larger chunks still visible. Those bigger pieces melt in the oven and help create flaky layers.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, ¾ cup heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
5. Bring the dough together. Add the liquids to the flour and butter mixture and mix until just combined. The dough should look a little shaggy, but it should hold together when you press it in your hand.
6. Shape the dough. Move the dough onto the parchment lined sheet tray and pat it into a circle. If the dough feels sticky, sprinkle a bit of flour over the top. Keep patting until you have a disk about 8 inches across.
7. Cut the wedges. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges. Pull the wedges out a little so there is space between each scone.
8. Freeze. Slide the tray into the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This gives the gluten time to relax and firms up the scones before baking. While they chill, preheat the oven to 400°F.
9. Add the topping. In a small bowl, mix the turbinado sugar with the ground cinnamon. Take the scones out of the freezer, brush the tops with a little heavy cream, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over them.
10. Bake. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the scones are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
11. Make the glaze. While the scones bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and milk. You can leave the glaze in the refrigerator until the scones come out of the oven.
12. Glaze and serve. Let the scones cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze over the top and serve.

From start to finish, plan on about 1 hour 5 minutes: 10 minutes of prep, 30 minutes in the freezer, and 25 minutes or a little more in the oven. Once they are glazed, they are ready to eat, and any leftovers keep well for a couple of days.

Tips to Make Perfect Scones

Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is the difference between a scone that bakes into flaky layers and one that turns out flat and dense.

Leave the butter in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to cut it in, and work quickly once it hits the flour. If your kitchen is warm, pop the cubed butter back in the freezer for a few minutes.

Do not overmix the dough. Once the cream and the egg go in, mix only until the dough comes together. Overworking the dough develops gluten, and gluten makes scones tough and chewy instead of tender.

Chill the shaped scones. Freezing the cut wedges for at least 30 minutes does three useful things. It firms the dough so the scones hold their shape, it lets the gluten relax, and it keeps the butter cold right up until baking.

The 30 minutes is a minimum, so if the oven is still heating, the tray can wait in the freezer a little longer. If you enjoy tall, flaky scones, this is the step to remember.

Glaze at the right moment. Wait 5 to 10 minutes after the scones come out of the oven before you drizzle. While they are still slightly warm, they soak up part of the glaze, which is exactly what you want.

Glazing straight out of the oven or waiting until the scones are completely cool will not give you the same result.

Do not skip the turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar mixed with cinnamon is what gives the tops their crunchy, slightly coarse crust, and it holds up nicely in the oven while the scones bake.

A quick note: if the dough is fighting you, give it five minutes in the freezer. Cold dough is much easier to shape than warm dough.

Common Questions About This Recipe

How to Store & Freeze

Stored tightly in an airtight container, these scones stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days. If you stack them, place a sheet of parchment paper between the layers so the glaze stays where it belongs.

To freeze them, let the scones cool completely at room temperature first, then transfer them to a container safe for the freezer, where they keep for up to 2 months. Freeze them without the glaze and add the glaze after they thaw, because the glaze softens and turns sticky in the freezer.

That is the whole process. Mix, chill, bake, glaze, and enjoy them while the cinnamon is still warm.

Snickerdoodle Scones

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Snickerdoodle Scones Snickerdoodle scones bring the best parts of a snickerdoodle cookie to a tender, buttery scone. You get the gentle tang of cream of tartar, a crisp cinnamon sugar topping, and a soft cinnamon glaze drizzled over every wedge.

• Total Time: 65 min
• Yield: 8 scones 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Snickerdoodle Scones
2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (71g) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1 large (50g) egg
¾ cup (170g) heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup (45g) turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Glaze
1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons (30g) milk

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Instructions

1-Line a sheet tray with parchment paper: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2-Make the scones: Make the scones: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Then, use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut in the cold butter until the butter is about lentil-sized. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, ¾ cup heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Add the liquids to the flour and butter mixture and mix until just combined.
3-Transfer the dough to the parchment paper-lined: Transfer the dough to the parchment paper-lined sheet tray and pat into a circle. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough. Continue patting the dough until it is about an 8-inch disk. Then, use a bench scraper or knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges. Pull the wedges out a bit to leave space in between each scone.
4-Freeze the scones for at least 30: Freeze the scones for at least 30 minutes (this allows the gluten to relax and helps them firm up before baking). While the scones are freezing, preheat the oven to 400°F.
5-In a small bowl, mix together the: In a small bowl, mix together the turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon. Remove the scones from the freezer, then brush the tops with a little bit of heavy cream. Sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
6-Bake the scones in the preheated oven: Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.
7-Make the cinnamon glaze: Make the cinnamon glaze: While the scones are baking, whisk together the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, and milk to make the cinnamon glaze. Feel free to leave the glaze in the fridge until the scones have come out of the oven.
8-Glaze the scones and serve: Glaze the scones and serve: After the scones have finished baking, let them cool for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze over top and serve.
9-Stored tightly in an airtight container, these: Stored tightly in an airtight container, these scones will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Last Step:

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Notes

Additional time: follow the resting and cooling steps (30 min).

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Method: bake