Written By: Amanda Sullivan @ At the Red Table
When I went to Ireland earlier this year, we stayed at a couple of bed and breakfasts. At the B & B in Galway, we had an actual menu to select breakfast from, and I happen to see scones were offered. I asked what kind of scones, and the hostess looked at me like I was crazy and informed me that she had regular scones available. See, in Europe, it seems there is only one kind of scone, and that scone is plain with raisins.
I don’t love raisins. Or plain scones. Or dry, chalky, crumbly scones.
I like scones with heft yet lightness, scones with icing and spices and icing, scones that are moist and tender the texture of which falls somewhere between muffin and bread and awesome.
I like scones that taste like cinnamon rolls.
I’ve made cinnamon rolls before, and let me tell you, it’s a process. A very worthy process, but probably not one that will stop me from just buying cinnamon rolls at the store or bakery. These scones, however, are super easy and quick to make. I should know. I whipped them up on a Saturday morning when I would have rather been cuddled under blankets on the couch watching other people make breakfast on Food Network.
The best part is, you probably have most of these ingredients already. (If you don’t have buttermilk, any old milk will do.)
Actually, the best part is a dense, flaky scone with sugar and spice and icing. And no raisins.
Cinnamon Roll Scones
Adapted from Bake Your Day|The Mom Chef and SkinnyTaste
For the scones:
3/4 c cold buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 c all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
Cooking spray
For the filling and topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 T brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
For the icing:
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 T milk
1 c powdered sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl mix the buttermilk, vanilla and egg together with a whisk.
Add the sugar, cinnamon, flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Give it a whirr to mix. Then add the cold butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, you could combine the butter and dry ingredients in a large bowl with a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
Remove the dry mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the buttermilk mixture and gently fold it the liquid until just combined into dough.
Mix together filling ingredients in a small bowl. Then add half of the filling to the dough and knead it in gently, leaving streaks of cinnamon and sugar, similar to a cinnamon roll.
Transfer the dough to the sprayed baking sheet and form into a large circle about an inch or so thick. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon mixture over the top of the dough and cut the circle into 8 wedges.
Bake for about 18 minutes or until the center is no longer doughy.
Cool for a few minutes, and in the meantime, mix together the icing in a small bowl adding more milk as necessary to thin the icing or more powdered sugar to thicken. The icing should be thicker than a glaze but not quite frosting.
Drizzle the icing over the still-warm scones and serve. Store in an airtight container for a couple of days, if they last that long.