Have you ever flown into Sacramento airport? It is one of my favorite airports and it is not because I have any affection for Sacramento. If anything it is the opposite as I got stranded once at that airport due to weather conditions that would not allow me to fly home. However, not only is it the closest airport to Napa (wine country) it also has a Cinnabon and that is the first thing you smell when you get off your plane and you start walking towards baggage claim. There is seriously nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and sure companies have tried to market that smell in candles, potpourri and other deodorizing sprays but alas there ain't nothing like the real thing baby.

And tonight although I did not make cinnamon rolls I got that smell wafting through the house as I made Cinnamon Chip Scones.  Let me start by saying thank you Emily because I had no idea what a cinnamon chip was until a few weeks ago and seriously these chips are well worth the ordering process on www.amazon.com. They really have a great cinnamon taste....because of course I had to try a few out of the bag. They are sweet but not sickeningly sweet and they are spicy but not overpowering like some cinnamon products can be. And they are truly amazing in scones.

I am seriously a scone connoisseur and sure Starbucks has decent scones but real scones are way more buttery and flaky and not to toot my own horn but my scones pretty much rock. I have gone to great lengths to taste scones. For example, if anyone is ever in Carmel (outside of Monterey for those geographically challenged individuals like myself) there is a great tea/scone place called The Tuck Box. It is by far one of the cutest buildings ever and they have amazing scones. I actually made my ex-husband sit through tea and scones at this place because I wanted to go so badly....and ok maybe it was the grounds for the divorce...but hell it was worth it thats how damn good the scones were.


So back to cinnamon chip scones.

The key to good scones truly is cold real unsalted butter. You need to cut it into squares prior to mixing it in the dough and be cautious of breaking it up too much because it truly is the butter which gives the scones the flaky texture.



This is one of the easiest scone recipes I have ever made. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. There is quite a bit of baking powder in this recipe and don't even think of cutting it down because it is what helps give them the fluff (yes that is a technical baking term I am sure). Add in the cold butter squares and cut it into the dry mixture. You can either use 2 knives or a pastry cutter. Then add the buttermilk and mix until the mixture is moist but be careful of over mixing...ya know like I always do with muffins. Finally add the cinnamon chips.



Put the dough on a floured surface and I know that any time I see floured surface in a recipe it means I will also be a floured surface in 4.2 seconds. Ahhh yeah the flour always ends up all over my shirt, in my hair and at times even a smidge on my face...but seriously who doesn't find flour sexy right? So pat the dough into 2-7' circles. Um I did not measure my circles I just cut the dough in half and patted it down. Brush melted butter on the dough and finally sprinkle with sugar. Then cut the dough into 12 scones. For me this is the most challenging part...yes I know you all are well aware of my lack of knife skills...I am also not so swell at cutting in straight lines. So my scones are not symmetrical and they are not perfectly shaped but they definitely make up in taste for what they lack in aesthetics. Bake them in a  425 degree over for 10-13 minutes...I went with 11 and that seemed to be perfect.

So not only do these scones taste like a slice of heaven they also make the house smell like Sacramento airport....seriously what a win win right? Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend and oh dear god did you all hear that Snooki is going to have a baby....if you need an excuse to drink yup I just gave you one. Cheers!