You can make a tray of these Snickerdoodle Scones in just 30 minutes! This super simple recipe uses only nine ingredients and a food processor to transform the beloved snickerdoodle cookie into tender, flaky scones. Watch the how-to video for step-by-step instructions.
A mashup you may not have asked for but definitely needed, these snickerdoodle scones are going to make all of your cinnamon sugar dreams come true. Sweet, cinnamon-spicy, and perfectly tangy–they’ve got all the flavors of the cookie combined with the tender flakiness of a scone.
Pure heaven, if you ask me.
To make this recipe, I simply made some small adjustments to my well-loved scone recipe. I increased the sugar (for sweetness, we are mimicking a cookie, after all), swapped baking powder for a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar (an essential snickerdoodle ingredient), added cinnamon (obviously), and increased the vanilla (because why not?). The end result is tender, buttery, and biscuit-flaky. It’s the perfect combination of snickerdoodle cookie and scone, and I think you’re going to love it.
What You Need
You need only a few simple ingredients to make these snickerdoodle scones, and chances are, they’re already in your kitchen.
- Flour. Plain, all-purpose flour works best in this recipe. Do not use self-rising four.
- Sugar. This adds sweetness in the dough and a slightly crisp texture when sprinkled on the tops of the scones. I already prefer my scones a bit on the sweeter side, but when emulating a cookie you need to bump it up even more.
- Cream of tartar. The tangy flavor that is unique to snickerdoodles comes from cream of tartar. Do not skip it, or the scones will miss the mark!
- Baking Soda. This works with the cream of tartar and helps create a perfectly balanced flavor and texture.
- Cinnamon. Like cream of tartar, cinnamon is essential in this recipe. You simply cannot make snickerdoodle scones without cinnamon.
- Butter. Besides adding flavor, butter gives these scones their flaky layers. Make sure your butter is very cold–this is key to achieving the proper texture.
- Heavy cream. In the dough, heavy cream adds moisture and fat, creating a flavorful, tender scone. When brushed on the exterior, heavy cream not only helps the cinnamon/sugar mixture to stick, but it also encourages a perfectly golden top.
- Vanilla. To mimic that fresh, bakery taste, I add just a touch of vanilla extract to my snickerdoodle scones.
SAM’S TIP: Many people ask if I forgot to include eggs in this recipe. During the development process, I found that adding eggs yielded a less flaky and less tender scone. Heavy cream worked much better, so this is an egg-free recipe!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Snickerdoodle Scones
- Combine dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix together cream and vanilla in a measuring cup and add to food processor. Pulse until dough starts to cling together.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and work until it clings together. Fold it in half over itself and gently flatten. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Continue this lamination process 4-5 times, making sure you don’t overwork the dough.
- Form the dough into a 6” circle and use a knife to cut (no sawing) into 8 even slices. Transfer slices to baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the surface of each scone with heavy cream.
- Sprinkle with prepared cinnamon/sugar mixture and bake for 14-15 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: Pop your butter in the freezer 15 minutes before you start baking to make sure it’s cold enough to use. The colder the butter, the lighter and more tender your scones will be!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you really can’t. Without cream of tartar, you’re just making cinnamon sugar scones. They’ll taste fine, but they won’t be true snickerdoodle scones if you skip this ingredient.
Yes! Prepare the dough as instructed, cut it into wedges, and then wrap each scone in cling wrap before storing in an airtight container (or Ziploc bag) in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to brush with cream and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar before baking! Note: Scones from the freezer may need more time in the oven.
Absolutely. I provide alternative methods in the recipe notes–keep scrolling!
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Snickerdoodle Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter very cold and cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt in the basin of a food processor (see note 1 if you do not have a food processor).2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Scatter butter pieces over the top of the dry ingredients and pulse until butter is cut into the mixture (pebbly pieces of butter will likely still remain, and the mixture should resemble coarse crumbs).½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- Combine heavy cream and vanilla extract in measuring cup and pour evenly over the dough. Pulse again until dough is just beginning to cling together (don’t overdo it!).½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and if it is crumbly work until dough is clinging together.
- Fold dough in half over itself and gently flatten. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold it over itself and flatten again. Repeat this step 4-5 times, taking care to not overwork the dough.
- Form the dough into a 6” disk (approximately 1” tall).
- Use a sharp knife and press straight down to cut the dough into 8 even wedges.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing scones about 2” apart.
Topping
- In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.2 Tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Use a pastry brush to brush the surface of each scone lightly with heavy cream. Sprinkle lightly with prepared cinnamon/sugar mixture (you do not have to use all of the topping).2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Transfer to 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 14-15 minutes or until the edges of the scones are just beginning to turn a light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
How to make snickerdoodle scones without a food processor:
If you do not have a food processor, instead whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients or use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the mixture. Stir until butter is mixed in. Pour cream and vanilla over the mixture and stir until it begins to cling together, then follow the recipe as instructed.Storing:
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Scones may also be tightly wrapped and frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Donna Savage
I will lead by saying these turned out VERY well! So flaky and tasty. I do have a question, though. After initially adding the specified amount of cream and pulsing, I still had no semblance of a dough. I had to add almost double the amount to get it to hold together enough even to gently knead. What did I do wrong? They still turned out fabulous and I will make again!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Donna! Assuming you didn’t accidentally over-measure your flour, then it may have potentially just needed a few more pulses, but I’m glad they turned out!
Melissa Halcomb
Haven’t tried this yet, but I will. But can I just say THANK YOU for included the measurements in the instructions!! Why doesn’t everyone do this?!
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you find it helpful, Melissa! Hope you love the scones 🥰
Lori D
Another winning recipe! I made these for Christmas and they were delicious! I love your pumpkin scones and also the raspberry ones but these are the absolute best!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you’re enjoying our recipes, Lori 😍
Bruce
Tender, Flaky, Buttery, Light, Sweet (like a cookie, but just right), Crisp on the edges, and absolutely Snickerdoodly. These things are amazing. They come together very easily in the food processor. I forced as much topping onto them as they would allow, and it paid off. Thanks for the nice, simple laminating process. Another big-time winner, Sam.
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Dawn
There were amazing! Thank you for this recipe
Deena
Great recipe!! Perfectly tender and still crisp on the outside. Love the snickerdoodle twist! I’m making them again this morning!
I replaced the cream with coconut cream and it was great!
Thanks for all the research you do!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you loved these, Deena! Thanks for letting us know about that substitution 😊
Shelli
This is by far the best scone recipe I’ve made. I used Pamela’s gluten free flour and cut the flour to 3 cups total. I kept everything else the same and baked them for 35 minutes. Thank you so much! They are delicious!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the scones, Shelli! 🙂
Mary
Can I sub out Plain greek yogurt for the heavy cream???
Sam
Unfortunately I am not sure how that would work 🙁
Rachel Krezer
I added some cinnamon to the scone dough as well. I love snickerdoodles and this is terrific. I plan to serve these at the next brunch.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Rachel! I am so glad that you enjoyed the snickerdoodle scones. I hope your guests do as well. 🙂
mill
How much cinnamon did you add to the dough? I think I would like to try that next time I make them to give it more flavor inside and not just on top. They still good though!
Sneha
It really sounds what to say.Yum! I absolutely love scones. I’m always looking for different flavors to incorporate into them, and snickerdoodle is such a good one.These scones sound fantastic! Have a great weekend 🙂
Sam
Thank you, Sneha!!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love snickerdoodles…and scones. Sounds like the perfect combination to me!
Sam
Thanks, Kathy!
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen
OMG these are so adorable, flaky and buttery. What an amazing idea! Absolutely YUM!
Sam
Thank you, Anu!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I’ve only ever made plain, unadorned scones but when I saw these photos, I knew my life must change. 🙂
Sam
Oh it should! Haha, thank you, Maureen 🙂
Prash @ YummilyYours
Please courier a batch over to me! YUM!
Sam
I’ll see what I can do 😉
Bruce
A friend of mine has always wanted to develop a cookie fax machine. I told her, though, that the crumbs would get into the works and mess it up, so it wouldn’t work.
Harriet Emily
Wow Sam! These are awesome! I’ve never heard of a Snickerdoodle Scone before – what a creative idea. I looove the photos too, I bet these are delicious!
Sam
Thank you Harriet Emily!! 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
These look so flaky and buttery and I’m loving the cinnamon-y goodness on top 🙂
Sam
Thanks Medha!