These small batch Cinnamon Crunch Scones are a soft and tender cream-based scone topped with an amazing brown sugar cinnamon crunch crumb topping. Make with whole wheat or all purpose flour or a bit of both!
CINNAMON CRUNCH SCONES
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DOES THE TYPE OF FLOUR MATTER?
Absolutely! Flours vary greatly in their gluten content varying the taste and texture of baked goods. This is a great post from Food Network about the types of flours and their uses.
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Ivory Wheat flour, I love this flour, it’s light whole wheat and acts much like all-purpose flour, but with more whole grains. It is more of a speciality flour, so if you can’t find it replace it with light whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour or regular unbleached all-purpose flour. Or any combination of the above. You just might need to add a smidge more cream for the whole grain flours.
Here is how Bob’s Red Mill describes this flour:
Stone ground from organic whole grain hard white wheat berries. The light color and flavor of this 100% whole grain flour is closer to white flour than our traditional whole wheat flour, yet it contains all of the nutrition of the bran and germ. Great for bread, cookies, brownies, pizza dough and more.
Disclaimer | Bob’s Red Mill sent samples of this flour, the opinions expressed in this post are completely my own.
It’s no secret that I love scones! What’s not to love? A quick bread that is both tender & sweet; half biscuit, half muffin and 100% delicious! They are so easy to make and come together so quickly you can easily whip them up in the morning for a special breakfast!
MAKING CINNAMON CRUNCH SCONES
I find it easiest to grab all of my ingredients so that everything goes quickly! If time, grate your butter and stick in the freezer while you are assembling your dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl add your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon – stir with fork to combine. Add grated or cubed butter.
Using fingers or fork, mix butter into dry ingredients until pea sized. Add egg yolk and vanilla to cream mixture, whisking to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, pouring cream in, mix with fork until evenly moistened. Add additional 2-3 tablespoons of cream if mixture is too dry. Pour shaggy mixture onto parchment lined cookie sheet and knead a few times incorporating stray flour, don’t be afraid to add a little additional cream.
Whole wheat flour sometimes absorbs a bit more moisture, add a teaspoon of cream or so at a time until mixture comes together. Press dough into a 6-8 inch round disc.
Using a bench scraper or knife, slice scones into wedges 4, 6 or 8, you decide!
Why Do You Need To Freeze Scones
- Freezing firms the butter up once again!
- This allows the pockets of butter to melt slower, giving the texture a light and tender crumb.
- Plus it allows you time to prepare your crumb topping mixture.
- Add ingredients for crumb topping and softened butter, using a fork or your hands (preferred) mix the butter into the dry ingredients until you can squish together and it holds its shape. Place in freezer until ready to assemble.
Scooting your scones away from each other, brush with cream (using the leftover egg/cream mixture is perfect), then crumble the crumb mixture on top, pressing gently to adhere.
We are ready to bake! Do not worry about your scones being perfect, the crumb sitting perfectly on top, that buttery, sugary crispiness that sits around the edges, kind of makes the scones!
LOVE SCONES?
- Glazed Raspberry Blueberry Scones
- Eggnog Scones with White Chocolate Glaze
- Maple Pumpkin Scones
- Starbucks Copycat Date Scones
- Fresh Strawberry Buttermilk Scones
Like this recipe?
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Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour I used Bob’s Organic Ivory Whole Wheat
- ¼ cup all natural cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter cold (chopped or grated)
- ⅓ cup + 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream plus extra for brushing
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Crumb Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour whole wheat or regular
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 teaspoons all natural cane sugar
- ½ – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Cream Scones
- Preheat your oven to 400°F, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Using a fork or a whisk, mix all dry ingredients together. Cut your cold butter* into small chunks and toss into the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, two knives or my preference use your hands. Quickly work the butter into the flour mixture, until evenly distributed so that your crumbs are about the size of peas. You may have some larger and smaller chunks.
- Measure cream, then whisk the egg yolk and vanilla into the cream to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour your cream and egg mixture into the center. Add a little extra cream if mixture is too dry and the flour is not easily incorporating.
- Using a fork or hands, mix only until a shaggy dough forms, don’t overmix. Pour dough onto prepared sheet pan, it will be "crumby". Gently knead a few times, press and mold the dough together forming it into a disc, if needed adding a teaspoon of cream at at time. About 7-8 " in diameter.
- Start by cutting the disc in half, then half again and so on until you have the number you desire, 4, 6 or 8 scones. Using a spatula, pull the scones away from one another. Freeze for 30 minutes. Set aside and make your crumb topping. Once ready to bake, brush tops with a little extra cream.
- Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl mix together your brown sugar, flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands, work the softened butter into the dry mixture until it starts clumping together in your hands. Freeze until ready to bake scones.
- Grab a handful of the crumb topping and carefully crumble it over the top of a scone, pressing gently so that it will stick to the scone. You want some nice larger clumps including the crumbs.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean and they are lightly browned. Serve immediately or cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Notes
"Air pressure is lower, so foods take longer to bake. Temperatures and/or bake times may need to be increased. Liquids evaporate faster, so amounts of flour, sugar and liquids may need to be changed to prevent batter that is too moist, dry or gummy." Source Depending on the flour you use, you may need more or less cream, start with ⅓ cup adding (2-6 tablespoons) more as needed. REAL BUTTER! No substitutes. When baking recipes call for butter, especially in baking they mean, real, dairy butter. No blends, no oils, nothing mixed in! If your butter is soft coming out of the fridge it’s not real butter. Scones are best eaten the day they are baked, however; they will still taste delicious the next few days. Simply store in an airtight container (or freeze) and warm in microwave or in a 250° oven for 10 minutes or so.
Nutrition
Linda Krenz
I love the combination of whole wheat and cinnamon and sugar. What a great tea time recipe!
Thank you Linda, best of both worlds, makes you feel a little bit better about eating them!
Anonymous
Sharalee Boyer
Those scones look so delicious and you make it look easy enough for me to attempt!? I’d definitely use the flour to make these scones and to make my favorite breakfast cookies. Thanks for another amazing recipe and for the giveaway!
Thank you Sharalee!! Let me know how they turn out!
Eliza from Happy Simple Living
Thank you for another amazing recipe, and for a wonderful giveaway. You’ve got me craving scones, so I’d either use the Bob’s Red Mill flour for these cinnamon babies or for your other tasty recipe for Maple Pumpkin Scones!
YAY! Thank you my friend, I hope you try it and enjoy them!