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.

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!