I love all things cinnamon, so when cinnamon chips burst upon the baking scene, I made Snickerdoodle cookies, breads, and cupcakes. One day, I tasted DSO's cinnamon chip scone at Panera's and it was love at first bite. An internet search brought up many recipes and I tinkered a bit and this was what I came up with.
INGREDIENTS
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1 pkg (10 oz) cinnamon baking chips
2 tbs melted butter and 3 tbs sugar (for brushing tops of scones)
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until just moistened. Fold in the chips.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, 12-15 times, until dough is no longer sticky. Divide in half.
Gently pat each portion into a 7 inch circle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Then, cut each circle into 8 even wedges.
Separate the wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake* at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browed. Serve warm.
*I prepared these a day ahead and refrigerated them right on the baking sheet. I baked them in a 425 degree F oven, but it took 28 minutes for them to be done. I also drizzled half of them with a simple glaze made of confectioners sugar, 2 tbs brewed espresso, and enough milk to make the mixture drizzle easily.
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TASTE NOTES
I made these scones for my quilt guild's business meeting and they were met with great enjoyment. The one I sampled was absolutely perfect--a great crumb and the icing was just enough. In fact, I thought they were better than Panera's--not as dry.
