These buttermilk Chai Scones are given a spicy spin with a chai-spiced streusel swirl. Serve with some brown sugar butter, and jam if you dare, for an out-of-this-world brunch treat.

this recipe!

How to Make Scones

Scones are great morning breakfast pastries to make. They don’t require any rising time like cinnamon rolls, and don’t need to be babysat on the griddle like pancakes. The dough comes together in minutes, and can be made in advance, frozen and baked whenever you like!

Here’s what you need to make these chai scones:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking Powder. This gives these scones that distinctive *pop* of height in the oven.
• Spices. Cinnamon, cardamom, and salt for the dough.
• Homemade Chai Spice Blend. Used in the filling.
• Brown Sugar.
• Butter. Use very cold butter. Similar to a pie dough, the cold butter helps to give the scones a flaky texture. When the cold butter hits the hot oven, it creates steam, and that makes little air pockets – or flakes.
• Buttermilk. There’s a lot of debate if scones should be made with milk, cream or buttermilk. For my money, buttermilk is the way to go for the best texture and flavor.
• Egg. If you’re thinking these sound a lot like a biscuit, this is where that ends. Scones include eggs for a more cake-like texture.
• Vanilla extract

To make the scones, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Rub in cubes of cold butter until you have a sandy texture, but leave a few larger pea- and grape-sized chunks remaining.

Next, we will add our wet ingredients. In this recipe, you will notice that I separate out the amount of buttermilk. That is because you may not need all of it to bring together the dough. Only add enough to create a “shaggy” dough, which means a slightly sticky dough.

How to Make the Chai Swirl

Now comes the showstopper part – the chai swirl. This is similar to a streusel. Flour, sugar, and chai spices get mixed together with cold butter. Our chai mixture includes lots of deep and flavorful spices, including:

• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Ginger
• Allspice
• Cloves
• Black pepper

Next, roll out the scone dough on to a floured surface and sprinkle the streusel over the top. Fold the dough over itself like a tri-fold letter and continue to tuck the edges in until all the streusel is sealed in.

This doesn’t need to be perfect, the more messy and random the swirls are the better! Cut the dough into two and form two flat discs about 1″ thick. Transfer to a baking sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Slice each disc into 6 wedges and pull apart slightly.

I like to freeze the scones for about 20 minutes before baking if possible. It helps the butter rechill and encourages the dough to rise instead of spread. You can also freeze the scones on the tray and transfer to a freezer-bag to have at the ready.

When you are ready to bake, give the top of the scones an egg wash and sprinkle the top with a spiced sugar mixture.

Brown Sugar Butter

Flavored butters are so, so easy, but so, so impressive for brunch events. Softened butter is whipped with brown sugar and cinnamon. That is it. But now you can serve your chai scones with brown sugar butter instead of regular old butter and make things so much fancier.

Serving Scones

Scones are best served the day they are baked. They are great on their own, with the brown sugar butter, and/or with jam. I love the combination of blackberries with chai spices.

Leftover scones can be placed in an air-tight container and refreshed in the oven. Heat for 5 minutes in a 350° oven for best day-two eats.

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Interested in other recipes that use cardamom?

• Cardamom Snickerdoodles
• Chai Cinnamon Rolls