Cinnamon Vanilla Scones

Cinnamon Vanilla Scones. They smell amazing hot from the oven!

The cinnamon I use for this — and everything these days — is a very strong type usually sold as either “Saigon Cinnamon” or “Vietnamese Cinnamon”. You’ll know it when you get a whiff if it. It smells amazing! It’s not like regular grocery store cinnamon (which is fine if you don’t have access to stronger cinnamons, though you may want to use a bit more).

This recipe is a variation of the Lemon Poppyseed Scones recipe from last week. By the way…the browner look of these scones is due to the addition of the vanilla extract!

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbls sugar
• 1/3 cup unflavored protein powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven 425.

Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, unflavored whey protein powder, and cinnamon. Cut in margarine (I use Smart Balance Original) with a fork, pastry blender or your hands. I usually start by breaking up the margarine with a fork and then rub in the margarine with my hands until it’s a nice homogenous mixture.

Measure milk, then add 2 tsp vanilla extract to it. Pour milk and vanilla extract mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Stir rapidly with a fork until the dough starts to hold together in clumps, then use your hands to knead it very gently and briefly into a ball of dough. (Over-kneading will result in a tougher scone.)

Divide the ball into two more or less equal pieces, shaping the dough into two equal flattened disks, about an inch in thickness.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut each disk into six more or less equal wedges, then separate the wedges so there’s about an inch at least between them.

Bake in preheated oven 12 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean…your oven may vary from mine).

The scent of cinnamon and vanilla is a very heady mixture. These scones are amazing hot out of the oven. Serve with strong hot tea.

They’re also good with coffee, if you prefer that to tea. If you really want to take the flavor over the top, and you live somewhere where there’s an HEB or Central Market, look for Lola Savannah Cinnamon Stick coffee. Lola Savannah is a small batch roaster in Houston. Their Cinnamon Stick coffee (also available as decaf) is more cinnamon-y than any other I’ve tasted. This may be overkill with these scones but I thought I should mention it for coffee lovers and cinnamon fiends. 😉

If you have any scones left over, Store in an air-tight container after the scones have cooled.