Oh man.

I don’t even know where to begin with these scones. You see, cinnamon chip scones and I go wayyy back.

I’d even say that cinnamon chip scones are my homies. Yeah, I went there. Inanimate, edible objects are my friends.

Now you probably think I’m a weirdo for talking about scones as if they’re people. But these scones… Oh man.

I guess I’ll just go back to the beginning and explain myself so that you stop thinking I’m weird… [I mean, I am kinda weird, but who isn’t?]

So… When I said cinnamon chip scones and I go way back, I really meant it. These cinnamon chip eggnog scones from King Arthur Flour were the first scones I ever made. If my memory serves me correctly, I first made these during Christmas break from college in 2011. I was immediately blown away by how good they were then, and I recall even my mom saying that they were good enough to be in a bakery. Yes, they’re that good.

The original scone recipe is probably meant to make the scones more of a seasonal thing; they use eggnog in place of the usual heavy cream. But screw seasonal desserts; I make these mofos year round. Since eggnog and cinnamon chips are virtually impossible to find in the middle of summer, I have made a few alterations to the original recipe so that I can make these scones whenever the heck I want.

These scones rise beautifully and are relatively soft and moist [for a scone, anyway]. They are bursting with cinnamon flavor, and the turbinado sugar coating adds an awesome crunch once they’re baked.

You should seriously consider making these scones, even if it’s in the middle of winter. And then make them again around Christmas with eggnog too. They’re totally worth it.

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Cinnamon Chip Scones.

Ingredients:
For the scone dough:
– 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
– 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 3/4 tsp. salt
– 1 TBS. baking powder
– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pats or small cubes
– 1 to 2 cups cinnamon chips {I get mine from King Arthur Flour, but Hershey’s also makes them.}
– 1 large egg
– 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon eggnog flavor
– 3/4 cup cold heavy cream [or eggnog if you can find it]

 For the topping:
– 1 TBS. heavy cream or eggnog
– 2 TBS. turbinado sugar

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.
2. Add the cubes of butter to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is mostly incorporated within, and pea-sized crumb-like dough is formed. Mix in the cinnamon chips.
3. Measure the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until a dough forms. You may need to add more heavy cream to get it to come together.
5. Once the dough has come together, dump it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough until it’s about 3/4″ thick. Either roll into a circle and cut wedges, or cut circles out.
6. Place scones on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Brush with extra heavy cream, then top with turbinado sugar.
7. For best texture and rising, cover prepared scones and freeze for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 (I usually only need mine at about 420) degrees F, uncover scones and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside but still soft on the inside. Enjoy!

– Recipe barely adapted from King Arthur Flour.