Glazed Apple Cinnamon Scones

Talk about fall comfort food on a platter. Apples, cinnamon, and warm scones.

And the drippy glaze doesn’t hurt either.

It wasn’t that long ago that I was one of those people who firmly believed that all scones were dry, boring, and tasteless. Cardboard with calories.

The Best Glazed Mixed Berry Scones changed my mind about scones in general, and I adapted this recipe from that one.

The scones are tender, moist, buttery, and will make you feel all warm and cozy.

The scones contains grated apple, plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Apples and warming spices go hand in hand. It’s not overdone and you do need bold spices to stand up to two cups of flour and grated apples, but always season to taste. My taste says more is better when it comes to cinnamon.

Rather than using milk or heavy cream as the wet ingredients, sour cream is my secret weapon. Not only does it moisturize and tenderize the dough, but since it’s cultured like buttermilk, it helps the scones rise higher and stay lighter.

There’s plenty of apple in every bite providing flavor and bits of chewy texture. As the scones bake, the apples release their juices which also helps to ensure the scones are anything but dry. Just don’t overbake.

The glaze is a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze or you could use Salted Caramel. I’ve done so many caramel apple recipes that I thought I’d change it up.

Now you know what to do with all those apples you picked or bought at the store because they were on sale when your eyes were bigger than your stomach.

Glazed Apple Cinnamon Scones

The scones are tender, moist, buttery, and packed with robust cinnamon flavor. It's not overdone and you do need bold spices to stand up to two cups of flour and grated apples, but season to taste. Rather than using milk or heavy cream, sour cream is my secret weapon. Not only does it moisturize and tenderize the dough, but since it’s cultured like buttermilk, it helps the scones rise higher and stay lighter. Juicy apples add chewy texture and moisture. Because moisture content of apples varies, if your dough needs more flour to come together, add it; and bake as long as necessary until done.

Yield: 8 medium/large scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: about 20 to 24 minutes

Total Time: about 45 minutes, for cooling

Ingredients:

Scones
3/4 to 1 cup grated apple loosely laid in cup, not packed (I used 1 extra-large unpeeled Fuji apples)
2 cups all-purpose flour about 2 to 4 tablespoons for work surface and hands
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold (1 stick)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream (lite is okay)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
about 1 to 2 tablespoons cream or milk, or as needed for consistency
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or your favorite, optional for drizzling instead of confectioners' sugar glaze

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment; set aside.
2. Scones - Grate the apples using the coarsest blade of a box grater (not worth dirtying a food processor); set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
4. Add the butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor, but I find not having to wash it is a big time-saver. I smoosh the butter with forks and when it's the size of large marbles, I use my hands and knead it in. It will feel like semi-wet, cool sand. Some larger pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
5. In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
6. Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined; don't overmix or scones will be tough.
7. Add the apples and any juice that was released and fold until just combined; don't overmix. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
8. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over a Silpat or clean work surface and lightly coat hands.
9. Turn dough out onto surface and shape it into a 8-inch round, approximately. Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it's being too stubborn or too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round.
10. With a large knife, slice the round into 8 equal-sized wedges.
11. Using a flat spatula or pie turner, carefully transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2-inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Bake for about 20 to 24 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through; don't overbake or scones will be dry. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Because they're baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 15 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't getting too browned. Baking times may vary widely based on moisture content in the apples, climate, and oven variances; bake until done.
12. Allow scones to cool on baking tray for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. While the scones cool, make the glaze.
13. Glaze - In a small bowl, add the confectioners' sugar and slowly drizzle in the cream as needed, whisking until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
14. Liberally spread about 2 tablespoons glaze over each scone, or as desired.
15. Optionally drizzle with caramel sauce. Scones are best fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I'm comfortable storing glazed items at room temperature, but if you're not, glaze only the scones you plan to consume immediately; I don't recommend refrigerating them because they will dry out.

Adapted from The Best Glazed Mixed Berry Scones

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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