Layered Chai Spiced Scones
Step up your scone game with these layered chai spiced scones! Soft and tender scone dough is folded with chai spice to create layers and layers of flavor. Topping with creamy maple icing makes these scones that much better!
Before You Start
Here are some essential baking tips to ensure your scones turn out perfect!
- Measuring Flour – I always recommend weighing ingredients if you have a scale. Otherwise, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off for light and fluffy cups.
- Mixing – When mixing in the flour, be careful not to over work the dough. Near the end, you will need to mix in the flour by hand but do not knead the dough as if it were bread. Instead, fold and pat it together just until combined. We want our scones to be soft and not tough.
- Temperature – It’s important that the scone dough stays as cold as possible to help create tender layers. While you’re not working with the dough, store in the refrigerator. This is also why the scones are frozen before baking!
- Folding – The layering process can seem a bit confusing, but the photos below should help! It’s essentially a series of steps where the dough is patted out, covered in spices, folded in half, covered in spices, folded in half again, and the process repeats.
- Baking – It’s hard to tell when scones are done because they will still feel very soft in the middle. But look for slightly golden edges and an overall surface dry appearance. The softness in the center will set as they cool.
How to Make Layered Scones
The photos above should help visualize these steps, but here’s a more thorough breakdown:
- Lightly flour your surface and pat the scone dough out to a 8×12 rectangle. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but should be close to the shape of a rectangle.
- Cover the surface with a layer of spices and pat into the dough.
- Fold the dough in half like a book from left to right.
- Cover the surface with another layer of spices and pat into the dough.
- Fold the dough in half again, now from top to bottom.
- Place this lump of dough back into the center of your work surface and pat out to an 8×12 rectangle, repeating steps 1-5 all over again.
- Once you’ve ended up with your final fold of dough, lightly flour your surface and pat the dough out into a 6×9 rectangle. If your fingers are sticking to the dough, rub some flour on your hands.
- The rectangle doesn’t have to be perfect as we are now cutting off the very edges, like crust on a slice of bread.
- Now cut the rectangle into 8 equal pieces and place in the freezer to chill while the oven preheats.
Once chilled, the scones are transferred to a baking sheet, topped with cream and sugar, and baked to layered perfection!
Chai Spiced Scones FAQs
Although I haven’t tested it, I don’t doubt that this recipe would work with gluten free flour. Just make sure to use a cup for cup gluten free baking flour.
Since lard is 100% fat and butter is a mixture of fat and water, replacing the lard will affect the overall texture of these scones. I use it to create a very tender and soft scone. However, if you can’t get your hands on lard, you can use shortening.
Store in a container and keep at room temperature for a couple days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes, once the scone dough is cut they can be frozen and baked at a later time. To bake frozen scones, allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then repeat the oven and bake as instructed, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time.
For more fall recipes, check out my:
- Banana Scones
- Mini Apple Hand Pies
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make these chai spiced scones. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make these layered chai spiced scones:
Layered Chai Spiced Scones
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 scones
Description
These chai spiced scones are so tender and baked with layers of sweetened chai spice blend! They’re so moist and flavorful and uniquely made by patting and folding the dough multiple times. This creates so many layers and incredibly gorgeous scones! Top with maple icing to make these extra special.
Ingredients
Spiced Scones
- 3 cups (385g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (108g) lard, cold
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, cold
- 2/3 cup (160g) heavy cream + 2 tbsp, cold
- 1/4 cup (30g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Raw sugar, for topping
Chai Spice
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Maple Icing
- 1 cup (105g) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Spiced Scones
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Drop in spoonfuls of the lard and use a cheese grater to grate in the butter.
- Use your hands to work the fat into the dry ingredients, creating small pea sized lumps throughout.
- In a measuring glass, beat together the cream, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Near the end, you may need to work the dough together with your hands in order to incorporate that last bit of flour.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator.
Chai Spice
- In a small dish, combine all of the ingredients.
- Lightly flour your work surface and place the scone dough on top. Pat the dough into a 8×12 rectangle and top with a layer of the spice blend.
- Pat in the spices and fold the dough in half like a book (from left to right).
- Top that half with another layer of spices and fold in half again (from top to bottom).
- Move the dough back to the center of your work surface and repeat this process. Pat into an 8×12 rectangle, top with spices, fold, top with spices, fold.
- Now with your lump of dough, lightly flour your work surface again and place the dough in the center. Pat into a 6×9 rectangle and cut off the edges to create a perfect rectangle shape.
- Cut the rectangle into 8 scones and place onto a plate or small dish lined with parchment paper.
- Transfer the scones to the freezer while you preheat the oven to 375F.
- Once the oven is preheated, transfer the scones to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the scones are spaced about 2 inches apart.
- Brush the tops with the extra 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and sprinkle with a layer of raw sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until well puffed with golden edges.
- Allow to cool for about 30 minutes, then make the icing.
Maple Icing
- Whisk all of the ingredients together to form a thick but drippy icing.
- Spread on top of the scones and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
Loved these! I accidentally added the extra 2 T of heavy cream to the scone mix and they still turned out great. I plan to make them again soon.
These are amazing! So flavorful. I used shortening but it didn’t cause any issues. Yum!