Snickerdoodle Scones
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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!
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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
Can I substitute Half and Half or Evaporated Milk for the Heavy Cream
Hi Barbara! If it’s all I had, I would probably use it. You may need slightly less, but yes it will work. 🙂
I noticed there isn’t the mini scone option for these. Will they not bake right as minis?
Hi Wendy! These will bake just fine as mini scones. 🙂
Hi Sam! I love your recipes, not a single one has failed! So delicious! I was wondering, could I do a cinnamon glaze instead of the cinnamon sugar? Would it still taste like a snickerdoodle?
Thank you so much for trusting my recipes, Anneliese! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much! The cinnamon glaze will change the flavor a bit, but you can certainly do it. 🙂
Hey Sam, I love your recipes! I made the scones today and I am so excited to try them. They did sort of spread out/collapse instead of rising up, do you have any ideas as to what I might have done wrong?
So sorry your scones spread, Clara! This can happen if the dough gets too warm or was over-worked 🙁
This is the third scone recipe I have tried from the website! Absolutely tastes like the snickdoodle cookies that are on the site, which ulltimately has great flavor. They were crispy on the outside but a bit too moist for me on the inside. I would rather make the cookies if I new they would be moist. The consistency of Sam’s raspberry and pumpkin scones are more to my liking. After tasting those, it is so hard to like any others!
Thank you so much for trying my recipes, Millisa! I am thrilled to hear you’ve been enjoying them so far. 🙂
These are very good scones. The outside is nice and crispy. The crumb is soft, moist and tender, and reminiscent of a soft snickerdoodle cookie. I felt the texture was more muffin-y than flaky. I thought the scones were a bit bland, and will add more cinnamon and vanilla to the dough another time. I’ll also add a cinnamon glaze. I didn’t use a food processor. I’ve been making scones for over 50 years and prefer cutting frozen grated butter in by hand to eliminate the possibility of over-processing the dough, which is something I’ve done in the past. Your tutorials are always very helpful.
I made these this morning! Your webpage is my “go-to” when I am looking for a recipe that I know will be delicious! However, I embellished this one. I added a 1/4 cup of cinnamon chips. Everything else as written. This was a WINNER in my book! My adult children were very complementary! Thank you for all your great recipes!!
I’m so glad they were such a hit, Christina! Thank you so much for trusting my recipes. 🙂