Traditional Butterscotch Scones with Cinnamon Swirl

Take one bite of these sweet, fluffy scones....and it will be impossible to stop nibbling! The buttery dough is swirled with a butterscotch cinnamon filling, creating an eye-catching marbling effect among the flaky layers. Top it with a sprinkle of coarse sugar or a drizzle of easy vanilla glaze--your choice!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings scones

5 from 5 votes

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Equipment

baking sheets lined with parchment paper
food processor

Ingredients

Butterscotch and Cinnamon Swirl

½ cup butterscotch chips
⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Scone Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1½ tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick / 4 oz)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Topping

1 large egg white
turbinado sugar / coarse sugar
-or- Vanilla Glaze

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Instructions

Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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 bowl, and then wipe out the bowl of the food processor.

Prepare the Scones

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the work bowl of the food processor. Pulse the mixture to blend.
Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, 8-10 times. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl or a glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk the egg, vanilla and cream. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl, stirring with a fork until the dough just comes together.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it together, into a loose disk.
Sprinkle the cinnamon butterscotch mixture over the top and press it into the dough, gently kneading and folding the dough over itself, until the mixture is evenly swirled and marbleized into the dough.
Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise and then into either 12 or 16 triangles total 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.
Brush the tops of the scones with some of the egg white and sprinkle them with coarse sugar (if you plan to glaze the scones after baking, you can skip the sugar.)
Bake the scones for 12-16 minutes, until the bottoms are browned and the tops are firm and golden. 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.

Notes

The scone dough can be prepared in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight before shaping and baking.
Freeze scone dough, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Thaw the dough overnight in your refrigerator (still wrapped.)

Nutrition

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