Traditional Butterscotch Scones with Cinnamon Swirl

​I made these cinnamon swirled Butterscotch Scones for Gigi's skating team, last week. She came home with empty tupperware and 4 requests for the recipe. So, here you go! Gotta keep those skaters and coaches happy. 🤗 These rich, buttery scones, swirled with a cinnamon, brown sugar and butterscotch filling, might become your new favorite treat to bring to a tea party, bake sale, brunch......or skating practice.

Why this is The Scone Recipe that Even "Scone Skeptics" will Love

Just sit back and watch as these moist scones magically change peoples' minds.

• Serious "Wow" Flavor!!: Warning....these are not the best scones to make if you have little will power mixed with a serious sweet tooth. The butterscotch and cinnamon mixture swirled into layers of buttery pastry make it nearly impossible to eat just one nibble.
• Texture: The butterscotch and brown sugar filling caramelizes while baking, creating a textural contrast with the tender, flaky scone and crunchy sugar topping. 
• Easy peasy: Although they look visually complex with their mesmerizing swirls, these scones are very easy to make (just mix, shape, and bake!) and easy to improvise on (see Variations, below.) You can also alter the size and shape of your scones: cut them into squares, drop them into mounds, or make cookie cutter rounds. 

Top Three Tips for Baking the Best Butterscotch Scones

1. Keep ingredients COLD!: Cold ingredients are important for flaky, layered scones that don't overspread while baking. If butter or other ingredients become warm during the mixing process, place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before proceeding.
2. Don't overmix: To get flaky, light scones, it is important to not overmix the dough.  You should be able to see smaller pieces of butter in the dough when you cut shapes.  These create "pockets" and layers of dough during the baking process. Mix the wet and dry ingredients in the large bowl just until moist clumps form, making a soft, sticky dough.
3. Enjoy ASAP: Most scones won't keep for a long time after baking and are best enjoyed with that cup of coffee a day within being prepared (same day is best, when they are fresh, warm, and super soft!) Fortunately, this dough is easy to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze and then bake whenever the craving strikes (see Make Ahead section, below.)

Ingredients and Special Equipment

Please check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities.

Cinnamon Swirl--Ingredient Notes

• Butterscotch chips: Look for these in the baking aisle of grocery stores, next to the chocolate chips.
• Brown sugar: Light is recommended, but dark may be substituted.
• Unsalted butter: Use room temperature so that it blends easily into the mixture.

Butterscotch Scones Dough--Ingredient Notes

• All-purpose flour: Substitute a reputable gluten-free flour blend for GF scones.
• Cold butter: Cubed into small pieces, so that it is easy to cut down to pea-sized bits.
• Heavy cream: This recipe calls of 1 cup cream, but you may substitute an equal amount of half and half if that is what you have on hand.
• Egg: One large egg, mixed into the wet ingredients, and one egg white for the glaze.
• Vanilla extract: I always recommend pure vanilla extract vs. an imitation version.

Recommended Special Equipment

• Food processor: See FAQ section, below, for tips on using a pastry cutter for the dough. A food processor or even a blender is the ideal way to mix the butterscotch swirl, though.
• Cookie sheet (1 or 2): Lined with parchment paper
• Cooling rack
• Pastry brush: For brushing scone tops with egg white.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

Make the Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl

1. Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place the butterscotch chips, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor. Process the mixture until it is well blended, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a small or medium bowl, and then wipe out the bowl of the food processor.

Make The Butterscotch Scones Dough

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl of the food processor. Pulse the mixture to blend.
2. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture a coarse meal forms, 8-10 times. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

3. In a small bowl or a glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk the egg, vanilla and cream. Add the wet ingredients / cream mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl, stirring with a fork until the dough just comes together.

4. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it together, into a loose disk.

5. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the top and press it into the dough, gently kneading and folding the dough over itself, until the a soft dough forms and the mixture is evenly swirled and marbleized into the dough.

6. Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Cut the rectangle into either 12 or 16 triangles with a sharp knife (depending on how large you want your scones.) Or you can use a small round cutter to cut it into circles and reroll scraps as necessary.

7. Brush the tops of the scones with some of the egg white. Sprinkle top of the scones with coarse sugar (if you plan to glaze the scones after baking, you can skip the sugar.)

8. Bake scones for 12-16 minutes, until the bottoms are browned and the tops are firm and golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely -or- cool for 5 minutes and then drizzle with vanilla glaze. Let the glaze set for 10 minutes before serving.

Variations on Butterscotch Scones

• Mix-in variations: Try this recipe using other varieties of baking chips, such as peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, cinnamon baking chips, or white chocolate chips. You can also mix in chopped toasted pecans or pumpkin pie spice for a bit of fall flavors.
• Topping variations: As mentioned in the recipe card, you can choose to drizzle warm scones with a vanilla powdered sugar glaze instead of sprinkling them with coarse sugar. You could also leave them plain, with just a simple coating of egg white for shine.

Make ahead and Storage Instructions

• Storage: Butterscotch scones are best eaten the day that they are baked (so they don't turn into "stones!")  If eating them on the second day, store them overnight in an airtight container at room temperature. Rewarm scones in a 300F oven, loosely wrapped in foil.
• Refrigeration: Scone dough can be prepared in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight.  Cut and bake the scones as directed straight from the fridge!
• Freezing: Freeze scone dough for up to one month, either in disks or cut into triangles.  Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, not at room temperature, and bake.

Troubleshooting and FAQs for your Butterscotch Scones

Can I make Scone Dough without Using A Food Processor?

Absolutely! You can make scone dough using a pastry blender, two forks or even your fingers if you don't have access to a food processor. After you add the cold butter pieces to the dry ingredients, use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, your fingertips work well—pinch the butter into the flour quickly to avoid warming it too much and softening the butter.

Why Did My Scone Dough Spread So Much While Baking?

If your scones spread in the oven, chances are that your oven temperature was too low or your ingredient temperatures were too high.  Warm or softened butter can cause the scones to spread before they set in the oven. Make sure your ingredients are chilled. If the oven temperature is too low, the butter in the dough might melt before the scones have a chance to set, causing them to spread.

Know a big butterscotch fan? Try some of these other sweet treats!:

• Butterscotch Ice Cream (churn and no-churn options)
• Brown Butter Butterscotch Blondies
• Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!