Cinnamon Chip Scones

Today is Mr. Lego's 13th birthday, so I made these yummy scones for his special day. He loves these flaky scones and would eat the entire batch if I let him. Then he'd probably ask for more, since he is quickly becoming the typical teenage eating machine!

The important thing to remember about scones is to not overwork the dough. If you do, it becomes too compact and won't flake a bit. If the dough appears too dry, don't freak out. The butter bits throughout the dough will melt and provide the lovely flakiness you want.

The recipe calls for buttermilk, which is something I don't usually have on hand. But substituting milk mixed with some vinegar or lemon juice will produce the same results. For the amount of buttermilk called for in these scones, I measure out 1/3 cup milk into a glass measuring cup, then stir in one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. I do this before I even start gathering the rest of the ingredients to give the milk a chance to sour.

Now, here's what you need:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into little cubes
1 egg, separated
3 TBSP honey
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 teas cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until crumbly.

In a measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk (or substitute mentioned above). Stir in the egg yolk and honey until combined. Set the egg white aside. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until moistened. You will probably have a lot of crumbs. That's okay. Gently fold in the cinnamon chips.

With floured hands, form the dough into a ball. The key here is to be gentle and don't squeeze or press too hard. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick and 8 inches round.

Brush the egg white over the circle using a pastry brush. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the dough. With a pizza cutter, slice into 8 wedges and separate slightly.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes. They might look a little moist still around the edges, but do not overbake. Overbaking will make your scones crumbly and dry - not good!

If you want to glaze your scones, allow them cool for about 10 minutes. Then combine 1 cup powdered sugar with some milk (start off with just a couple of teaspoons) until you get the consistency you want. Pour over the slightly cooled scones. Sometimes I glaze them, sometimes I don't.