Cinnamon Cream Cheese Scones w/Brown Butter Glaze

Cinnamon cream cheese scones with a brown butter glaze. I know this sounds like a lot. It is. But it’s also a lot of flavors that meld together in the best way. I debated calling these cheesecake scones because they almost melt in your mouth the way cheesecake does but they aren’t quite right for that description.

These scones are not for anyone trying to cook or bake light, or low fat diets. These are indulgent and delicious. They are a treat to bring out to wow your friends at brunch. They are so flavorful though and worth every bite.

The cinnamon cream cheese scones themselves are not overly sweet. The glaze definitely is, as it’s made from powdered sugar so if you want to keep them less sweet, I would recommend making the glaze thinner and just lightly drizzling over it, rather than skipping it entirely.

If you have never made scones before, my Vanilla Cream Scones post has more information about the process. Scones may seem intimidating, but I promise you that they aren’t. The keys to a good scone are good cream, working quickly, and keeping everything cold. You can also try my:

• Chocolate Orange Scones
• Carrot Cake Scones
• Birthday Cake Scones

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Scones Key Ingredients

• Cinnamon Bits – I know that you can purchase cinnamon chips, but these Cinnamon Bits from King Arthur are my favorite thing to add. These are like little bits of cinnamon sugar that just leave pockets of sweet cinnamon in your bake. I also use them in my Cinnamon Peanut Butter Cookies
• Browned Butter – As always, browned butter is going to add intense richness, warmth and almost a caramel flavor to the glaze.
• Cream Cheese – These scones have ALL the fats. They are indulgent but they also melt in your mouth because of it. Regular cream cheese in a brick is what you want.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Scones with Brown Butter Glaze

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Bake: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 Scones

Ingredients

Scones

• 300 g AP Flour 2½ cups
• 50 g Granulated sugar ¼ cup
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp Baking soda
• ½ tsp Sea salt
• ¾ cup Cinnamon sugar bits
• 4 tbsp Cream cheese cold, cut into chunks
• 8 tbsp Unsalted butter cold
• ½ cup Heavy cream
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• 1 large Egg cold, beaten

Brown Butter Glaze

• 4 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 1 cup Powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp Vanilla
• 2-3 tbsp Milk
• pinch Sea salt

Instructions

• Place your butter in the freezer and allow to chill for about 15-20 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
• Drop the cream cheese chunks into the flour, and using your hands rub into the flour. The cream cheese should be fairly broken up into varying sizes from pea size to the size of dimes.
• Using a grater, grate half of your partially frozen butter into the flour mix. Fluff with a fork to coat the butter with flour. Repeat with remaining butter.
• Add your cinnamon sugar bits into the dough and mix in.
• Create a well in the center of the ingredients and pour in your cold heavy cream, beaten egg and vanilla.
• Using a fork, and then your hands, bring the dough together. The dough will still be slightly dry but the butter and cream cheese will provide moisture when baking. When the dough has mostly come together, fold the dough over onto itself 2-3 times.
• Move the dough to your workspace and pat out into a circle that is about 1" thick.
• Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, cut your dough into 8 wedges.
• Place your scones on your prepared baking sheet. Place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• When your oven is ready and scones are sufficiently chilled, place into the center rack of your oven. Immediately lower your oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until your scones are golden brown and fragrant.
• Remove scones from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
• While scones cool, prepare your glaze.
• Place your butter in a small light colored or stainless saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir slowly while butter melts and continues to cook. The butter will foam up, then subside. It is ready when it is a golden amber color and has a nutty fragrance. Pour into a small bowl to cool, making sure to get the browned milk fats at the bottom of the pan.
• After the butter has cooled to room temperature, combine with powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Add 2tbsp of milk for a thicker glaze and 3tbsp for a much thinner glaze, which will be a better consistency for drizzling.
• Add glaze to scones and enjoy!