Apple Cinnamon Scones
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These homemade Apple Cinnamon Scones are light, tender, and packed with fresh apples and cinnamon. They are easy to make and topped with a vanilla cinnamon glaze.
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Apple Cinnamon Scone Recipe
It’s hard to beat fresh scones right out of the oven- am I right? These fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones make the best treat especially during the Fall. Loaded with chopped apples, ground cinnamon, and basic scone ingredients like cold butter and buttermilk.
I love the combination of apples and cinnamon (like my Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and Apple Cinnamon Bread) because it’s so cozy, warm, and always reminds me of Fall season. These tender scones are flaky, buttery, and so soft (thanks to the buttermilk).
Serve these warm scones up with Apple Cider, hot chocolate, or afternoon tea for an extra indulgent dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Loaded with warm spices and chunks of fresh apple flavor.
- The perfect sweet treat for any occasion.
- You can enjoy these delicious scones for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.
- Better than the scones from any coffee shop or bakery.
- It has similar flavors to apple pie but in a scone form.
Key Ingredients
- Flour: We use all-purpose flour but you can also use whole wheat flour. Spoon and level the flour when measuring it; don’t scoop it out of the bag using the measuring cup. This way, you won’t accidentally measure out too much.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: Adds the perfect amount of warm flavor.
- Baking powder: Used as a leavening. This will help the scones rise and get fluffy.
- Butter: Make sure the butter is cut in cubes and is cold. This is crucial*** You can also shred frozen butter. The butter must be cold in order for the scones to be flaky.
- Egg: Helps to bind the scone dough together.
- Sugar: We use both brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Apples: You can use any of your favorite apples. We use Granny Smith apples because I love the tart and crispness.
- Buttermilk: Helps make the scones tender, soft, and adds the traditional scone flavor.
How To Make This Apple Cinnamon Scone Recipe
Heat oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking or cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in butter: Add the cubed cold butter to the dry ingredients and mix together with a pastry blender or cutter. Cut the butter until the flour mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Combine wet ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, sugars, and buttermilk until combined.
Add dry and wet ingredients together: Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, then add the apples, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until a dough is formed.
Shape dough: Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough just until combined in a ball. Gently flatten the dough ball with your hands or a rolling pin. If dough appears sticky, add more flour to the surface.
Cut scones: Roll the dough out to 9-10 inch diameter circle. Cut into 8 triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper.
Bake: Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 16-20 minutes, or just until lightly browned on the top. Let the scones cool on a wire rack.
Add glaze and enjoy: To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if the glaze appears too thin, or add a little milk if it appears too thick. Spread the glaze on top of each scone once cooled. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Variations
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones: Drizzle the tops of baked and cooled scones with caramel. You can use caramel sauce or homemade caramel.
Chocolate Chip Scones: Swap the apples for chocolate chips for a chocolatey scone instead.
Mini Scones: Cut the scone into 16 mini scones by cutting each scone in half.
Blueberry Scones: Swap the apples for blueberries or any of your other favorite fruit.
Add Cinnamon Chips: Add even more of a cinnamon flavor by adding cinnamon chips to the scones. Add them in with apples.
Sugar Topping: Instead of topping the scones with a glaze, sprinkle coarse sugar on top. This will make the scones sparkly!
Pastry cutter alternative: If you don’t have a pastry cutter, no need to panic! You can simply cut the butter with 2 forks or shred a frozen butter with a cheese grater so it’s easier to combine.
Work quickly: It’s important that your butter stays cold so you want to work fairly quickly when making and cutting the dough.
Leftovers & Storage
To-store: Store leftover scones in an airtight container or wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap. Store in a cool area at room temperature for 2-3 days, then store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To-freeze: Store unglazed baked and cooled scones in a heavy duty ziplock bag or container for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or refrigerator overnight. Add glaze (optional) and enjoy. To warm scone, place in a microwave for a few seconds.
Other Easy Dessert Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Crisp
- Easy Apple Dumplings
- Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Cookie Dough Brownies
- Apple Pie Cheesecake Bites
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Apple Cinnamon Scone Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut in cubes
- 1 whole egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup peeled and chopped apple I used Granny Smith
Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking or cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the cubed cold butter to the dry ingredients and mix together with a pastry cutter or pastry blender. Cut the butter until the flour mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, sugars, and buttermilk until combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, then add the apples, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until a dough is formed.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough just until combined in a ball. Gently flatten the dough ball with your hands or a rolling pin. If dough appears sticky, add more flour to the surface.
- Roll the dough out to 9-10 inch diameter circle. Cut into 8 triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper.
- Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 16-20 minutes, or just until lightly browned on the top.
Vanilla Cinnamon Glaze
- To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if the glaze appears too thin, or add more milk if it appears too thin. Spread the glaze on top of each scone once cooled. Enjoy!
Notes
- To-store: Store leftover scones in an airtight container or wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap. Store in a cool area at room temperature for 2-3 days, then store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To-freeze: Store unglazed baked and cooled scones in a heavy duty ziplock bag or container for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or refrigerator overnight. Add glaze (optional) and enjoy. To warm scone, place in a microwave for a few seconds.
- Butter must be cold when cutting it into the flour mixture. You can also freeze butter and shred it with a cheese grater.Â
I love scones. Just in time for apple season. Great for breakfast or dessert.
Thank you!
I’m a huge fan of scones and apples separately, so this recipe really piqued my interest. I’m so glad I tried it out. The scones were light and fluffy and the flavor was pure fall. This is definitely on my autumn baking list from now on.
That is amazing! So glad you gave in and tried my recipe!
The ingredients list is missing buttermilk quantity. 1/3 cup worked for me.
Hi J! Thanks for letting me know, I’m not sure how the quantity got deleted but I added it back. Glad to know it worked for you, I added 1/2 cup of buttermilk.
This recipe is amazing! I made it yesterday and it was so delicious. Going to make another batch this weekend for our family brunch.
Thank you, Veronika! 🙂
These scones were the perfect way to use up some of the apples we picked last weekend – easy and delicious!
That’s great! So glad you loved these scones!
These were so delicious and fun to make! My girls had so much fun glazing them! They were perfect for a weekend brunch.
I’m so glad your girls were able to help glaze these scones!
I love scones these sound so delicious and comforting for the fall! This and a cup of tea and I’m in heaven 😀
I agree, Tammy!
This was my first time making scones. They turned out fantastic. I loved the apple and spice flavor combination.
That is so great to hear, thanks for trying my recipe!
Scones are one of my favorites! I made these for a treat the other day, and everyone loved them! A great fall option!
Thanks for making them, Ann! Glad to hear that!
These scones seem like a perfect fall treat and the glaze on top is a great touch.
It truly is! Thanks Moop!
These are delicious! The recipe was easy to follow. They were gone in a heartbeat! I am thinking about adding some cinnamon chips the next time I make them! Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been longing for them but have never made any scones before.
Hi Sandra! Thanks for the review and I’m so glad you loved these scones 🙂
What if my glaze is a little thick? I put the correct amount of all the ingredients but it came out more of a frosting than glaze.