Time for some pastries! Scones are quick and easy pastries that are great for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Traditionally, they’re very lightly sweetened, though these ones are on the sweeter side because of the topping. If you’ve had pre-made scones, either from your local coffee chain or pre-packaged at the grocery store, you probably think of them as dry, dense blobs of blandness (at least that was what I thought scones were supposed to be). The first time I ever had one, I remember it feeling like a cruel, delicious-looking trap: I bit into it, and it immediately sucked all of the moisture from my mouth... not what you want when you’re hungry.
That’s not how they should be! The dough of these scones is soft and moist with a subtle sweetness on the inside with a crispy outer shell. I add cinnamon inside with a cinnamon sugar topping and a glaze for a sweeter recipe. So, now I have some tips for you (again, these may or may not be based on personal experience). Tip 1: Don’t use salted butter. If you read the About section of the website, I mentioned some nasty early attempts—that was one of them. Seriously, don’t do it. Tip 2: Don’t forget the sugar...did that one too. That’s how you turn them into the blobs of blandness that I mentioned before. Scones aren’t supposed to be particularly sweet, but they do need some sugar.
Scones are a great palette for experimentation. In this recipe, I coated the surface of the scones with cinnamon sugar and then glazed them—neither addition is necessary, and one would suffice. If you don’t want them to be too sweet, I’d recommend losing the glaze and just sprinkling the surface with the cinnamon sugar. Other things you can try if you’re feeling adventurous are adding a touch of nutmeg or chocolate chips to the dough or glazing with egg wash instead of heavy cream.
If you don’t want to experiment on your own, no worries! These are great as they are, and we’ll have plenty of variations and interesting alternatives for you in the future!
Cinnamon-Sugar Scones
Makes: 6 scones
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
For the scones
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar, plus 1 tbsp for topping
½ tsp cinnamon (optional), plus 1 tsp for topping
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
For the glaze
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 Tbsp of the sugar, cinnamon (if using), and salt.
3. With a food processor (recommended) or using two forks (if you don’t have a food processor), cut the butter into the flour mixture. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the heavy cream into the well. Using a spoon, slowly stir the flour mixture into the heavy cream until the liquid is gone. The dough will look crumby.
5. Lightly knead the dough to eliminate the crumbs. While kneading, you can fold loose crumbs into the center of the dough to speed things up and prevent over-kneading. When you’re done kneading, the dough should look fairly smooth.
6. Press the dough into a disc about 6 inches in diameter, then cut it (like a pizza) into 6 even slices. Separate the slices from each other, and brush them with heavy cream.
7. Make cinnamon sugar by stirring together the remaining 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
8. Coat the top and sides of the slices with the cinnamon sugar. Then place them on a non-stick baking sheet, and bake for 15–17 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
9. Stir together the glaze ingredients, then top the scones with the glaze. Serve warm.