Cinnamon Scones

There is nothing better than a fresh scone to go with a fresh cup of coffee, I’ve always known that.  But recently I’ve gone to tea at a tea house, and served fresh scones with clotted cream and jam.  My mind was BLOWN.  I’ve been thinking about scones ever since!   I did a wide search through my cookbooks and the internet, and settled on this mouth watering recipe from KingArthur Flour.

You know you want one.

You will need

Scone

½ cup organic ½ & ½ ($3.79 per 32fl.oz, $3.79/32fl.oz = $.12 x 4fl.oz = $.47)

1 cup cinnamon chips (I used Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips, which I found using their locator tool on the Hershey website since they are a little hard to find!) ($2.69 per 10oz, $2.69/1.66 cups = $1.62)

2 ¾ cups organic flour ($5.04 per 5lb, $5.04/80oz = $.06 x 15.125oz = $.95)

1/3 cup sugar ($2.99 per 5lb, $2.99/80oz = $.04 x 2.5oz = $.09)

1 Tbsp baking powder ($1.59 per 10oz, $1.59/19.69Tbsp = $.08)

¾ tsp salt ($.47 per 26oz, $.47/30.69tsp = $.02 x .75 tsp = $.02)

½ cup cold organic butter cut into pieces ($4.99 per lb, $4.99/4sticks = $1.25)

2 eggs ($3.99 per dozen, $3.99/12eggs = $.33 x 2eggs = $.67)

1 tsp vanilla extract ($.01 per ml, $.01 x 4.92ml = $.05)

Filling

5 Tbsp melted butter ($4.99 per lb, $4.99/32Tbsp = $.16 x 5Tbsp = $.78)

¾ cup brown sugar ($1.79 per 32oz, $1.79/4.73cups = $.38 x .75 cups = $.28)

2 Tbsp cinnamon ($1.97 per 2.37oz, $.197 x .4oz = $.79)

This is what crumbly looks like.  I used my fingers this time.

Mixed enough, don't want it to get tough!

Mix the filling ingredients together and set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter till crumbly (or work it in with your fingers the way your grandma did!). In a separate bowl, combine ½ & ½, cinnamon chips, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (treat it like a biscuit and don’t overwork it!). 

Put the dough on a well floured surface, and pat it out into a 9” square, about ¾” thick.  Spread the filling evenly over the dough, then fold in thirds like a letter.  Pat/stretch your dough into a 3” x 18” rectangle, about ¾” to 1” thick.

My biggest mistake was not using a ruler to measure my scone log.

Cut the rectangle into 6 squares, then cut each square diagonally so you have 12 triangles.  Put them on a rimmed baking sheet about 1” apart.  Stick the pan in the freezer while the oven heats up to 425 degrees.  When the oven is hot, bake for 16-20 minutes, or until golden.

These were amazing!  They looked like a hot mess, the cinnamon filling oozed all over the pan (make sure your baking sheet is rimmed!), and I had trouble getting the dough to fold neatly, but all of that was forgotten once I bit into the thing.  Soooo good!

Delicious but very messy

Try It

$7.05 for 12 scones, or $.59 per scone.

Buy It

Somewhere between $2.50 and $3.95 per scone depending on the coffee shop or tea house you are going to.

Verdict

These are amazing, to be sure.  I couldn’t help thinking, though, that with the obscure chips and the messy folding, I might like a quick cinnamon roll just as much (which cost $.45 each).  They were very tasty and tender, though, and I think I could use this as a master scone recipe- ditch the filling, and use chocolate chips or dried fruit in place of the cinnamon chips and it would be fantastic.  I still say Try It, it’s as good as you’ll find in a coffee shop, and they stayed fresh tasting for a few days, even uncovered!