Cinnamon Apple Scones

Apple – Typically with apple desserts or baked goods, I advocate for using more than one type of apple to balance flavor and texture. Since you only need one medium apple here (and probably won’t use the whole thing), I would suggest something like a Granny Smith for a tart flavor, or a Honeycrisp for a sweeter flavor. Almost any preferred apple should work here though.

Flour – Use all-purpose flour here for the base.

Leaveners – I use both a mix of baking powder and baking soda here for rising agents. Like biscuits, you’ll use a good amount of baking powder as well.

Spices – Warming spices typical of Fall baking work well here. If you have apple pie spice, use that with a bit more cinnamon, otherwise I use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and either cardamom or allspice here.

Butter – Use unsalted butter here or just omit the added salt if using salted. I like to freeze the butter at least 15-20 minutes before using it and then grate it into the dry ingredients.

Sugar – Any sugar works fine, but I prefer dark brown sugar (or light brown) here for some added depth to the flavor, especially in Fall desserts. Optionally you can sprinkle on some coarse sugar like demerara or turbinado to the top before baking.

Egg – Not typically used in scones in the UK, this is an optional ingredient that can help make the crumb a little more tender and moister instead of being as crumbly and dry as a normal scone.

Vanilla – Add a bit of vanilla extract to balance the flavors.

Heavy Cream – Use heavy cream to add a richness to the scones. The larger far content also adds flavor and moisture to the scone compared to regular milk. Use some more to brush on the top before baking also.

Maple Cinnamon Glaze

Sugar – Use powdered sugar for the base of the glaze.

Maple – Be sure to use real maple syrup and not “pancake” syrup here.

Cinnamon – Use a bit of ground cinnamon here for added flavor.

Heavy Cream – A bit of heavy cream makes the glaze creamy in flavor and helps to thin it out. Use enough to make the glaze as thick or thin as you prefer. I like to keep it slightly thick, but thin enough to easily drizzle over the scones.

Apple Scone Batter

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices and whisk together. Remove the butter from the freezer and grate it into the dry ingredients and then mix it into the flour with a pastry cutter or by hand.

In another mixing bowl, add the dark brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar has dissolved and there are no obvious streaks of egg remaining. Finally, stir in the diced apple.

Now add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Dump the scone batter onto a floured work surface, dust the top with more flour, and work everything into a ball. If it feels too wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. If it feels too dry, add a little more cream. Flatten the ball into a disc shape, roughly 8-inches in diameter and about 1-inch or so thick.

Portion & Bake the Scones

Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the disc into 8 wedges. From here, you can bake if you want, but I recommend placing it in the fridge or freezer for at least 15-20 minutes while preheating your oven. This gives the butter time to get cold again.

Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Transfer the scone wedges to the baking sheet spaced about 1-2” apart and brush on some heavy cream. Optionally, you can also top with some coarse sugar.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown on the outside. Remove from the oven and cool on the backing sheet for a few minutes until cool enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

While the apple scones are baking, you can make the cinnamon maple glaze.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon and mix until combined. Add heavy cream a bit at a time while mixing until thick but pourable, about 2-3 tablespoons.

Once the cinnamon apple scones have mostly cooled, drizzle on the cinnamon maple glaze with a spoon or a squeeze bottle. If you don’t plan on serving and eating all the scones that day, I recommend glazing only what you plan to eat for now. Serve warm and enjoy.

Apple Pie Spice – If you happen to have apple pie spice, you can use that instead. For the scone batter, use 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice and an extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. You can also mix some into the topping if you’d like by combining about 3 tablespoons of coarse sugar with ½ to ¾ teaspoon of apple pie spice.

Caramel Apple Scones – For a slightly different but equally amazing flavor, consider stirring in about ¾ - 1 cup of caramel chips in the batter. After baking, swap the cinnamon maple glaze for a homemade or store-bought salted caramel sauce.

Apple Cider Scones – Another great topping is an apple cider glaze. Bring 1 cup of apple cider to a boil on the stovetop, then reduce to a strong simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Once cooled, use that to replace the 2 tablespoons maple syrup in the glaze.

Maple Bourbon Glaze – Anyone that’s followed my recipes for a while knows that I love maple and bourbon together. For an adult version of these apple scones, replace some or all the heavy cream in the glaze with good quality bourbon or whiskey. Keep in mind this will not be cooked out.

Rotary Cheese Grater – While box graters and other horizontal style graters work fine, I highly recommend a rotary cheese grater. Grating butter on a box grater typically ends up with greasy hands and warm butter and getting that last bit shredded is very difficult.

Bench Scraper – These handy tools have lots of uses, including cleaning your work surface after working with doughs. Use a bench scraper to cut the disc into even wedges and scrape off your counter afterwards. Sometimes I also recommend a pizza cutter for this, but the scone dough is a little thick for most of them.

Scones tend to be their best the day they are made, but leftovers tend to be inevitable. Just keep in mind that their texture, even when reheated, is much less crispy but still very tasty.

Once cooled completely, you can store these cinnamon apple scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or so. If you want more time, you can alternatively store them refrigerated for up to 5 days. Again, I recommend only glazing as many as you think you’ll eat after making and storing the glaze until ready to reheat more.

If making ahead of time or planning to make and freeze part of the recipe, you can freeze the scones before or after baking. Place unbaked or baked scones on a plate or small sheet pan and set in the freezer for about an hour. Once hardened, move the scones to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2-3 months.

If the frozen scones are unbaked, you can bake as normal and add a few minutes to the cooking time, or thaw overnight in the fridge and continue as usual. If they were already cooked and frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour or two.

To reheat, you can microwave for 30-40 seconds if you don’t mind a soft texture, or in a 300-325°F oven for 10-12 minutes.