Last week, I told you Skip and I were starting a very important bit of research for Secrets and Scones.

Scones.

If Claire is going to serve scones at Claire’s Curious Confections, I don’t want to simply type “scone” into the manuscript and call it good. I want to know what she’s serving.

So we’re baking our way through several contenders, and you’re invited to bake along with us.

First up?

Cinnamon scones.

Why Start With Cinnamon?

I wanted our first contender to feel like something you could actually imagine walking into Claire’s bakery and finding in the display case.

Cinnamon seemed perfect.

It’s warm, familiar, and cozy without being boring. It also feels right at home in Willow Creek, especially with a cup of coffee and absolutely no dead bodies nearby.

Although, knowing Claire, I probably shouldn’t make promises about that last part.

So this is Scone Contender #1.

And now we need to see whether it deserves a place in Secrets and Scones.

🍂 Cinnamon Scones

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a little extra for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Let’s Bake

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the cold butter. Using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly with small pieces of butter still visible.

Stir in the cinnamon chips.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until the dough just comes together. Try not to overwork it. A slightly shaggy dough is perfectly fine.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently shape it into a circle about 1 inch thick.

Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.

Brush the tops lightly with heavy cream.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle it over each scone.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops and edges are lightly golden.

Let them cool for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

Now Comes the Important Part

Taste them.

Skip and I will be doing exactly the same thing.

As we work our way through the contenders, we’re looking for more than which one tastes good. We’re trying to find the scone that feels like it belongs behind the glass at Claire’s Curious Confections.

Would Claire bake it?

Would Emily steal one before the bakery opened?

Would the Wigglebutt Club approve?

And, most importantly…

Would you order one?

Cinnamon has officially entered the competition.

We’ll see if it survives. 🧁

Next time, another scone enters the kitchen.