Cinnamon Maple Scones

Crumbly, but soft, with hints of cinnamon and flaked maldon salt, our Cinnamon Maple Scones are the perfect way to treat yourself. They’re sweet, but not overly so and have a subtle maple flavor both in the scone itself and in the simple maple glaze we drizzle on top.

Cinnamon Maple Scones

I am not a “sweets” person. In the morning, I’ll usually whip up a small batch of soft scrambled eggs or avocado toast before pulling out the yogurt and granola or breaking into the muffins leftover from work. However, maple scones have a special place in my heart, and I’ll gladly start any day with one of them alongside a big cup of coffee. Because they’re not overly sweet, but sweeter that biscuits, they meet that wonderful middle ground that appeals to my taste buds. 

Our Cinnamon Maple Scones are exactly as their namesake implies – notes of maple in both the scone itself and the glaze we drizzle on top with hints of cinnamon throughout. They’re sweetened ever-so-slightly with caramel-y brown sugar and have pops of salty bites from flaky maldon salt. 

All you need is one bowl and few key pointers to churn out near-perfect scones in no time. Serve with coffee, tea or straight from the oven. 

Ingredients in Cinnamon Maple Scones

The dry ingredients

Flour. No need for anything fancy here, all-purpose flour is all you need. 

Brown sugar. To compliment the rich maple notes, we go with brown sugar instead of white sugar. I also love that it has notes of molasses which remind me of winter. 

Maldon salt. Every sweet baked good needs a little bit of salt to balance out all the sugar, but I like to take it a step further and use flaky maldon sea salt instead. You’ll need more than you would with kosher salt, but you not only end up creating a balance with the sugar, but you’ll get pops of salt with each bite. 

Baking powder. Similar to our biscuit recipes, you’ll need a whole tablespoon of baking powder. It seems like a lot, but it will give great rise to your maple scones. 

Cinnamon. The combination of maple + cinnamon is an obvious pairing for a good reason – it’s delicious. It’s warm and cozy, and I can’t get enough of it in baked goods in the fall and winter.

The wet ingredients 

Butter. So butter isn’t technically a wet ingredient, but we’ll categorize it as such for simplicity reasons. You want to make sure you use unsalted butter. It needs to cold. Really cold. In fact, as I instruct later, you may even want to freeze the butter before adding it to the flour mixture. 

Cream. For me, a scone isn’t a scone unless you use heavy cream. It gives the maple scones a rich flavor and super soft texture I find synonymous with classic scones. 

Maple syrup. This is not the time to use fake pancake syrup. Buy the real stuff – pure maple syrup. It can be pricey, but I find that Trader Joe’s has very affordable options. My favorite is the bourbon maple syrup. 

Vanilla. Even though we’re using maple syrup, I also like to add in a splash of pure vanilla extract. 

Let’s make Cinnamon Maple Scones! 

Cut the butter. Because you want everything to be very cold, it’s important to prep things ahead of time, I like to cut the butter into a teeny tiny dice ahead of time. I spread the little pieces of butter on plate and pop it into the freezer while I whisk up the wet and dry ingredients. 

Whisk the wet ingredients. We’re sort of going in backwards order here. Instead of whisking the dry ingredients first, I like to whisk the wet ingredients – cream, maple syrup, and vanilla – and pop them into the fridge so they stay cold while I work the butter into the flour. 

Whisk the dry ingredients. Add the flour, brown sugar, and baking powder to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add in salt. Whisk just until combined. 

Cut the butter in. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour. Work as quickly as possible. It’s done when the butter, in general, looks like little peas in the flour. It’s okay to have some large pieces of butter and some smaller pieces. You want there to be noticeable pieces of butter, this is what makes maple scones flaky! 

Form the dough

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to gently mix the flour mixture and wet ingredients. When the flour is almost fully incorporated with the flour, pour the dough out on to a very lightly floured surface. 

If the dough is not coming together easily, that’s okay. Use your hands to gently form the dough together. As you can see below and above, the dough will be slightly shaggy. That’s great! Scones are meant to be crumble, but soft and adding any more wet ingredients, will make them muffin-like in texture. 

Working quickly, form the dough into a circle that’s about 1-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into eight wedges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. 

Bake! Brush each scone with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar if you have it. Pop in a 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Drizzle with glaze. 

Maple Glaze Recipe

While the maple glaze isn’t necessary (these cinnamon maple scones stand on their own), it does add an extra element of sweetness and it’s just so darn pretty. Here’s what you’ll need: 

• powdered sugar 
• maple syrup 
• cream or milk

Just three simple ingredients and one step. Add everything to a small bowl and whisk to combine. You can also add in a splash of vanilla if you’d like! 

Our maple glaze recipe is enough to drizzle on each scone. If you want a more thorough cover, double the ingredients. 

Can I make maple scones in advance? 

While our maple scones are best served within 12 hours of baking, they can be made ahead of time. I like to store them under a cake dome so they retain their crunch exterior. If you store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag, they can become soft. If this happens, just place them on a baking sheet and warm in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes until crisp. 

You an also freeze the dough for up to a month and bake as you need them. 

Why doesn’t this recipe include an egg? 

So a lot of recipes out there include an egg. Mine does not. The recipe I grew up making and the one this is adapted from does not include an egg. For a richer taste, you can add an egg, just reduce the amount of cream you use by 1/4 cup. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Do not over mix! Once you add the wet ingredients, mix just until combined. 
• If you want to add richness, add one large egg and reduce the amount of heavy cream by 1/4 cup. 
• Add in a pinch of ground clove and nutmeg for extra spice. 
• For extra sweet scones, add another two tablespoons brown sugar. 
• For a lovely sheen on top of the scones, brush with extra heavy cream. 
• Don’t over bake the scones! They shouldn’t need longer than 12 minutes in the oven. Only the edges should be golden brown. 

Other sweets you’ll love

• Our Lemon Strawberry Shortcakes are one of my favorite dessert recipe of all time. Simple, but oh-so delicious. 
• Another great recipe that uses biscuits is our Easy Apple Cobbler. So comforting. 
• Not technically a baked good, but our Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Balls are the perfect cookie.