These small batch, wholegrain Cinnamon Crunch Scones are a soft and tender cream-based scone topped with an amazing, buttery brown sugar cinnamon crunch crumb topping.
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.
Video
Notes
High Altitude Baking Tips "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.