Think of these fantastic Cinnamon Filled Buttermilk Scones as sconewiches. Two currant scones are stuffed with a brown sugar and cinnamon filling (think cinnamon rolls) finished with a vanilla glaze. Much quicker than even Cinnamon Bread, these are the perfect touch of sweetness after the holidays.
To make this recipe even more inviting, these scones can be frozen before or after baking so they are ready anytime you are.
There's also a couple of tips in here to speed things along and make them even easier to get into the oven.
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A couple of other tasty sweet breads include the Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Breakfast Scones, Lemon Sugar Buns, and the Carrot Cake Baked Doughnuts.
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English or American Scones?
Funny you should ask. I always thought one was made with eggs and one wasn't. Evidently not! It seems that, at least nowadays, the recipes are fairly interchangeable. Americans tend to incorporate more add-ins while the English prefer their clotted cream and jam. Personally, I'd take either one.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They're packed with cinnamon and sugar and who doesn't love that?
- They have all the characteristics of cinnamon rolls without all the waiting.
- Easy does it with a few tips to make them even easier.
- They can be frozen either before baking or after making scones on a moment's notice.
Variations
- This is a basic recipe so any add-ins can be used.....or omitted.
- Add the zest of a lemon or orange to the dough for a bit of zing.
- Sprinkle chopped, toasted nuts on top of the glaze before it dries.
- If adding fruit, frozen is my choice because it doesn't discolor the dough as much as fresh which juices more.
- Any dried fruit is a great addition, such as dried cherries, apricots, blueberries or figs, dates or raisins. And don't forget the chocolate chips, minis are great here.
- Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and/or cloves can be added to the dough for a spiced version.
Recipe Ingredients
Scones
FRONT ROW: Baking powder, granulated sugar, salt
MIDDLE ROW: Unsalted butter, currants
BACK ROW: All-purpose flour, buttermilk
Cinnamon Filling
FRONT ROW: Cinnamon, unsalted butter
BACK ROW: Brown Sugar
Vanilla Glaze
FRONT ROW: Milk, vanilla, unsalted butter
BACK ROW: Powdered sugar
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients & instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. If using the currants, cover them in the hottest water available while prepping the remaining ingredients. Step 2. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Step 3. Whisk them together. Step 4. Fit the mixer with the paddle and add the cold, cubed butter.
Step 5. Beat until the butter is in pea size chunks. Step 6. Add the buttermilk. Step 7. Mix until the batter comes together Step 8. Squeeze all of the water out of the currants. They should be moist but not wet. This is important so the dough does not become wet.
Step 9. Pour the dough onto a work area and knead it several times to bring it together into a smooth ball. Step 10. Divide it in half and shape each half into a round. Working with one ball at a time, sprinkle the surface with a little flour and flour the top. Step 11. Place a 9" round cake pan on top of the dough Step 12. Press down firmly, rotating the pan around to form a circle of dough the size of the pan. If it isn't big enough, simply pat it out to size.
Step 13. Spread the melted butter over the bottom round to within ½" of the edges. Step 14. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and spread over the butter. Step 15. Wet the edges of the uncovered dough. Step 16. Roll out the second piece of dough into a 9" round and place it over the cinnamon.
Step 17. Mark the filled scones into quarters. Freeze them at this point until firm but not rock hard. This makes it easier to cut and keeps the filling inside. Cut each quarter in half or thirds. These are very rich so thirds might be a better option. Chill or freeze briefly so they go into the oven cold. Step 19. Bake until browning. Step 20. Mix all of the ingredients for the vanilla glaze together until smooth. Drizzle or cover the scones with the glaze. Allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours for the glaze to firm up.
Recipe FAQS
Use cold butter and cut it in leaving pea size pieces to make a flaky dough. The dough should be soft and a bit tacky but not wet. Mix only until it begins to hold together, then knead it by had several times to bring it together and shape into a round.
Buttermilk or sour cream are keys to tender scones.
Some do, some don't. Eggs will make a more cake like scone, the lack of them, all things being equal, makes a tender, moist scone. There is no right or wrong.
Storage and Freezing
The scones may be frozen two ways. If freezing before baking, my choice, freeze the entire marked round. Do not cut them. To cut and bake, thaw them slightly until firm but not hard and cut each quarter into 2 or 3 pieces. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven as called for.
Expert Tips
- All of the ingredients should be cold. The cold butter should be cut into the flour in lima bean size pieces (bigger than pea size) to produce a flaky scone. The buttermilk should be cold also.
- Do not over mix or over handle the dough. Mix it until it just comes together and then knead a few times by hand to bring it together into a smooth ball.
- Freeze the assembled rounds before cutting until firm but not hard. This will make cutting them easier and the filling will stay inside. If cut when first assembled, some of the filling falls out.
- Refrigerate or freeze the cut scones until cold but not frozen before baking.
- Cream or milk makes a glaze that dries with a low gloss. Water dries flat and isn't as pretty.
- Dark or light brown sugar may be used. The dark will add more flavor.
- It is most important to squeeze all the water from the soaked currants. They should be moist but not wet or the texture of the dough will change.
Other Quickly Made Breads
If you love these Cinnamon Filled Buttermilk Scones, It would be hugely helpful and so appreciated it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you.
Cinnamon Filled Buttermilk Scones
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (65 grams)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Buttermilk Scones
- ½ cup currants, optional (60 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold (85 grams)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (420 grams)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk, cold
Vanilla Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (100 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (25 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 + ½ tablespoons milk
Instructions
Cinnamon Filling
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter. Set aside.
Buttermilk Scones
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Soak the currants overing them in the hottest water available while the rest of the recipe is made.
- Cut the butter into lima bean size pieces and keep cold.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix it for a few seconds. Add the butter and mix to break up the butter into lima bean size pieces.
- Add the buttermilk and beat on low to medium low until the dough starts to come together.
- Drain the currants. Squeeze all of the water out of them. These need to be moist but not wet or it will change the texture of the dough. Add them to the dough and mix just until incorporated.
- Pour it onto your work surface and knead it several times to form a smooth ball. Divide the ball in half (approximately 475 grams per piece).
- Flour the work surface lightly and also the top of one of the pieces of dough. Place a 9" round cake pan on top and press down, rotating the pan to flatten the dough. If doesn't come to the edges, just pat it out.
- Place the round on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the round with the melted butter to within ½" from the edge and top with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, keeping the edge clean. Pat the mixture into the butter.
- Flatten the second piece of dough as for the first. Wet the clean edge with water and place the second round on top of the first. Press the edges together.
- Mark the dough, without going through it, into quarters. The easiest way to to mark in in half, turn it 90° and mark it again.
- To make the scones easier to cut and keep the filling inside, freeze the rounds until firm and cold throughout. You don't want to freeze it all the way.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a second baking sheet with parchment.
- When ready, cut the scones as desired by cutting each quarter into 2 or 3 pieces. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet alternating them so the points are up and down to get them all on the tray. Freeze again just until cold if they have warmed up.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on the tray. A small amount of the filling will leak out if they were cold going into the oven. It will break off easily when cooled.
Vanilla Glaze
- Combine all of ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the scones or top them completely.
- The scones are best freshly made but will hold if covered lightly for a day.
- To make ahead, completely freeze the round of assembled scones. Thaw it just enough to be able to cut and precede as above. Alternatively, bake them and freeze them, well wrapped, without the glaze. Thaw, warm in a 350°F for about 10 minutes and glaze them when cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Joy Wannamaker says
These sound wonderful, but Glaze calls for:
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (45 grams)
But, 45 grams is more like 3 tablespoons. Which is correct?
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Joy - Thanks for this. It should be half of that and I round off so 25 grams. I changed it on the recipe.
Lynette Pruett says
What a treat to find a new recipe in my inbox from you this morning, Helen! I’ve made King Arthur's Triple Cinnamon Scones since 2011, but lately they’ve tasted too heavy for me. I’m excited to try your recipe with less sugar and buttermilk instead of the eggs and half and half called for in KA's recipe. And thanks a million for the brilliant tip to use a cake pan to flatten the scone dough into a round! I’ve been using my food processor to cut butter into scone dough after reading that tip from you on another of your scone recipes. I’m curious to know why you suggest using a stand mixer in these.
This is a perfect recipe to make with the grandchildren next weekend, as we all love cinnamon and currants! You should see how many currants these 7-year-olds managed to use to decorate their gingerbread cookies last month! I hope you and Mike had a wonderful holiday, and that you’re enjoying your new retirement!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Lynette - so good to hear from you. I just changed up the method for those without a processor. Either works. So happy to hear you bake with your grandchildren. I did too and one of them is still a baker, the other just my beloved grandchild. I have been retired for 1 week now and it feels wonderful. I never missed our house when we left and I most certainly am not going to miss working. I like being home with Mike and we are having a grand time. Happy New Year to you.