This Apple Scones Recipe features cinnamon-infused scones that are crisp on the outside with a soft, flaky center. Infused with warm spices, tart Granny Smith apples, and brown butter, they’re finished with a sweet maple icing, offering the perfect combination of tastes and textures in every bite!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Scones Recipe
This isn’t your average scone recipe. With layers of flaky dough, warm fall spices, sweet-tart apple chunks, and a rich maple glaze, each bite is buttery, flavorful, and tender. They’re perfect for fall, but are so tasty you’ll be making them all year long.
I like to make a batch for quick breakfasts throughout the week. However, they’re also great as an afternoon snack or post-dinner dessert. These scones make an appearance whenever I’m hosting brunch, and they’re always a hit. With tons of depth thanks to the brown butter and spices, they’re far better than anything you’ll find in a bakery and are surprisingly simple to prepare!
Recipe Ingredients
Apple Scones
Flour: We’re using all-purpose flour for the base of the dough, adding structure and texture to the scones.
Leaveners: Both baking soda and baking powder help the dough rise, creating the crisp exterior and soft, flaky centers we want.
Spices: Salt enhances all the ingredients, creating a well-balanced taste. Then, I use cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg to infuse the scones with a delicious warm flavor. Use extra cinnamon for the topping, too.
Sugars: Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and contributes to the structure of the scones, and sweetens the cinnamon sugar topping. Then, dark brown sugar keeps them moist and adds a molasses taste that ties the flavor in with the icing.
Granny Smith Apples: These apples provide a tart flavor and firm texture, ensuring the filling holds up during baking and balances the sweetness of the sugar.
Butter: Frozen brown butter adds richness, a subtle nuttiness, and a smooth mouthfeel to the filling, enhancing the overall flavor and making it more decadent. Make sure it’s frozen, or you won’t get the soft, flaky centers we want! Then, use extra melted butter to top the scones before baking.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture, tenderness, and a slight tangy flavor to the apple scones, contributing to their overall richness and texture.
Egg Wash: This is my secret to a beautiful golden exterior like you see in bakeries. Buttermilk will also work, if preferred.
Maple Icing
Powdered Sugar: Provides sweetness and texture, giving the icing its smooth consistency when combined with liquids.
Maple Syrup: Enhances the sweetness of the icing and creates a cohesive maple taste.
Vanilla Extract: It enhances the overall depth of flavor with its warm and aromatic notes, rounding out the icing beautifully.
Heavy Cream: Adds richness and creates a smooth, creamy, pourable consistency.
Salt: Enhances the rest of the ingredients for a well-rounded taste.
How to Make Homemade Apple Scones with Maple Icing
Step 1. Make the brown butter but cutting the butter into small pieces and heating it in a large pot or Dutch oven. You’ll know it’s ready when it turns amber in color, brown bits form at the bottom of the pan, and the popping slows. You should also smell a nutty aroma! Remove the butter from the heat.
Step 2. Transfer the cooled brown butter to a lined freezer-safe container or sealable bag, and freeze until solid. Tip. See my notes below for a quick method.
Step 3. Grate the frozen butter and place it back in the freezer.
Step 4. Next, sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Then, whisk in the sugar and salt, combining the ingredients.
Step 5. Add the frozen butter pieces to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until coarse, pea-sized crumbs. You can also use a food processor!
Step 6. Next, add the chopped apples to the flour mixture, and stir to combine.
Step 7. Push some of the flour mixture to the edges of the bowl, creating a well in the center. Then, gradually add the cold buttermilk to the center of the well, stirring gently until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough!
Step 8. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Use floured hands to bring the dough together, kneading it a few times. Then, use your hands or a rolling pin to pat the dough into a rectangle. Cut the dough into three equal-sized rectangles with a floured knife, and stack the rectangles on top of each other. (Alternatively, you can fold the dough letter style.) Roll or pat out the layered dough into a rectangle, and repeat the process two or three more times.
Step 9. Next, press the dough into a 7-inch disc roughly 1 ½ inches thick. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 wedges, and place them on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This helps the apple cinnamon scones keep their shape!
Step 10. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Then, mix the cinnamon sugar together and add the mixture on top of each scone. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown.
Step 11. Brush the scones with melted butter, and set aside to cool.
Step 12. In the meantime, whisk the icing ingredients, adding more heavy cream or powdered sugar to achieve your desired consistency.
Step 13. Drizzle the slightly cooled scones with the icing, and enjoy warm!
Tips for Perfect Buttermilk Apple Scones
- Cold Ingredients: Ensure both your butter and buttermilk are very cold. This helps create flaky layers in the dough.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: Handle the dough as little as possible to keep the scones tender.
- Preheat your Oven: Ensure your oven is preheated and wait at least 15 minutes before putting your dough in the preheated oven.
- Properly Cut the Dough: When cutting the dough, be sure not to twist the cutter, as twisting the cutter will prevent the dough from rising.
Tips for Solidifying Brown Butter Fast
- Get 2 bowls (one large bowl and one medium bowl). Fill the large bowl with ice cubes and cold water to create an ice bath. Ensure the bowl is large enough to hold the smaller bowl without spilling. Next, transfer the browned butter into the smaller bowl. Set the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl, allowing the cold water and ice to chill the base and sides.
- Using a hand mixer (or whisk if needed), begin mixing the butter in the smaller bowl. The cold from the ice bath will help the butter firm up as you beat it. Continue mixing until the butter thickens and becomes noticeably firmer.
- Once the butter is solidified to your desired consistency, remove the bowl from the ice bath. Scoop the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap or press it into a butter mold. If using plastic wrap, shape the butter into a log or block and wrap it tightly.
- Lastly, place the wrapped or molded butter into the freezer. Let it freeze until completely solid (about 1 hour).
How to Serve and Store
This apple scones recipe is perfect served warm with coffee or tea. It also makes a great addition to a brunch spread with eggs, bacon, turkey sausage, easy sausage breakfast casserole, bacon quiche, or fruit.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or, freeze for 2-3 months. To serve, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat in the microwave or oven, and drizzle with extra icing!
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes
- Easy Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Homemade Apple Fritters with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Blueberry Pancakes
- Easy Cinnamon Roll Casserole with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Easy Blueberry Biscuits
- Easy Banana Pancakes
- Easy Cheese Danish
- Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Buttermilk
I hope you love this Apple Scones Recipe! The scones are crisp on the outside, soft in the center, and infused with warm apple flavor. Maple icing adds the perfect finishing touch! If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @butterloveandsalt on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support Butter, Love & Salt and make it possible for me to continue to create delicious recipes.
Apple Scones Recipe with Maple Icing
Ingredients
Apple Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons baking powder aluminum free
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp cardamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 heaping cup Granny Smith Apples about 1 apple
- 1/2 unsalted butter frozen
- 3/4 cup buttermilk cold
- egg wash or buttermilk for topping prior to baking
- unsalted butter melted, for topping
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Maple Icing
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Make the brown butter. Cut the butter in small pieces and heat the butter in a large pot or dutch oven on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until the butter turns an amber color. The butter will first foam and start to pop. Then, brown bits will begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Once browned and popping slows, it is ready. You should smell a nutty aroma. Remove from heat.
- Next, once the butter has cooled, transfer the brown butter to a freezer in a lined freezer-safe container or zip-loc until it is frozen and solid. Alternatively, see the notes below for my preferred method to solidify butter quickly.
- Once the butter is frozen, grate the cold butter. Then, place the butter back in the freezer until step 4.
- Next, sift the flour and baking powder and baking soda to a large bowl. Then, add the sugar and salt. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.
- Next, remove the butter from the freezer and add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Alternatively, a food processor will work as well.
- Next, add the chopped apples to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Then, push some of the flour mixture to the edges of the bowl to resemble a well. Next, gradually add the cold buttermilk to the center of the well, stirring gently until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough. The dough should look crumbly, yet moistened.
- Dump the dough into a lightly floured surface. With floured hands, bring the dough together by kneading it a few times. Be careful not to overwork the dough. With your hands or a rolling pin, pat dough into a rectangle. Next, cut the dough into three equals rectangles with a floured knife. Stack the rectangles on top of each other to form 3 layers (alternatively, you can fold the dough letter style to form 3 layers). Roll or pat out the layered dough into another rectangle and repeat the process two to three more times.
- Next, press the dough into a 7-inch disc that is about 1 1/2 inch thick and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges and place on the lined baking sheet. Next, place the scones in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (up to 24 hours). This will allow the scones to keep their shape.
- Next, remove the scones and brush the tops of the scones with egg wash or buttermilk and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture (you can do this before or after you refrigerate it). Next, place the scones in the preheated oven for 13-18 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown on top.
- Once done, remove the scones and brush them with melted butter.
- While the scones are cool, make the icing. In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients to the bowl and whisk together until smooth. I like my icing thick, but easy to drizzle. However, feel free to add more liquid or powder sugar for your desired consistency.
- Once the scones have cooled for at least 10 minutes, drizzle them with icing and enjoy warm!
Notes
- Cold Ingredients: Ensure both your butter and buttermilk are very cold. This helps create flaky layers in the scones.
- Don’t Overwork the Dough: Handle the dough as little as possible to keep the scones tender.
- Preheat your Oven: Ensure your oven is preheated and wait at least 15 minutes before putting your scones in the preheated oven.
- Properly Cut the Scones: When cutting the scones dough, use a sharp knife and cut straight down.
- Get 2 bowls (one large bowl and one medium bowl). Fill the large bowl with ice cubes and cold water to create an ice bath. Ensure the bowl is large enough to hold the smaller bowl without spilling.
- Next, transfer the browned butter into the smaller bowl. Set the smaller bowl inside the larger bowl, allowing the cold water and ice to chill the base and sides.
- Using a hand mixer (or whisk if needed), begin mixing the butter in the smaller bowl. The cold from the ice bath will help the butter firm up as you beat it.
- Continue mixing until the butter thickens and becomes noticeably firmer.
- Once the butter is solidified to your desired consistency, remove the bowl from the ice bath. Scoop the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap or press it into a butter mold. If using plastic wrap, shape the butter into a log or block and wrap it tightly.
- Lastly place the wrapped or molded butter into the freezer. Let it freeze until completely solid (about 1 hour).
Recipe by: Chavez Adams / Butter, Love & Salt | Photography by: Meg McKeehan.
Looks so good gonna give it a try
I hope you love them! They are delicious!