These buttery Apple Scones are fragrant with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Delicious and easy to make and simply perfect for breakfast or as a treat. Learn how to make American style scones – just like your favourite coffee shop.
You will also love my Apple Cinnamon Bread
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In collaboration with ANGOSTURA® Aromatic Bitters
There’s something intoxicating about the scent of apples and cinnamon. It’s spicy and sweet and yet so HOMEY and comforting.
And these fresh apple scones with their sweet, slightly crunchy edges and soft buttery centres are simply impossible to resist! My family made the entire batch disappear in a day – and they were instantly clamouring for more.
British Scones VS American Scones
Though both types of scones are similar in the way they are made, English scones are quite tall and round while American scones are usually cut into triangles.
But they also differ in more than just their shape. English (sweet) scones are fairly plain and meant to be served with clotted cream and jam. American scones are usually sweeter and come in a variety of flavours – they are a treat unto themselves.
My apple scone recipe is done in the American style – and I think you will love them as much as we all do. They are delicious straight out of the oven but you can take them to the next level by drizzling with salted caramel or dulce de leche.
Apple Scone Ingredients
- Flour: plain, a.k.a all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: these scones are not overly sweet, they are just right. Remember you can add caramel drizzle if you like them on the sweeter side.
- Baking Powder: you will need fresh baking powder
- Spices: Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg (I also call these my apple pie scones!)
- Angostura Bitters: This secret ingredient will make your spices sing and your apples shine through. I can’t quite explain it but it adds that magical touch. Next time you are making apple or pumpkin pie make sure you add a generous dash!
- Cold Butter: REALLY cold. As in FROZEN (we will get into that below)
- Double Cream or Buttermilk (or you can use Elmea) and one egg
- Apples: freshly grated apples and a few drops lemon juice so they don’t brown
- Demerara sugar: adds a delicious crunch
- Dulce De Leche or Salted Caramel (store bought or homemade) to drizzle. Optional but oh-so-delicious!
Best Apples to Use for Apple Scones
I used two types of apples here – Pink Lady for sweetness and Granny Smith for a little tartness. You can use ANY type of apple but crisp ones are much easier to grate. I like to leave the skin on, but you can peel if you prefer.
Apple Scone Recipe Tips & Tricks
The trick to buttery, flaky and soft scones is to do as little as possible! Scones need a light touch and with a bit of advance prep you can get perfect results every time.
The best tip I have is to FREEZE your butter until solid then use a box grater (or Microplane) to grate it. That way you can incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients without overworking the dough. The chilled butter will create flakier and fluffier scones as it expands in the oven.
The other trick is freezing the shaped scones for about 30 minutes before baking so that they spread less in the oven. This is especially useful when the weather is warm!
How to Make Apple Scones
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Grate the butter then place back in the freezer (remember, the colder the better!).
Mix the cream or buttermilk with the egg and place in the fridge.
Grate the apples and add the spices and Angostura bitters. Mix to combine.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
Add the grated butter and use a pastry scraper or two forks to mix into the flour. Keep a light tough, you simply want the butter to be coated in the flour.
Pour in the cream/egg and use the forks to combine everything together.
Add the grated apple and mix to combine. If the dough becomes really soft and wet due to the moisture in the apples you might need to add a little more flour.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle then fold the dough into thirds. Form a disk (approximately 8 inch – the sides need to be at least 2 inches high). Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut into eight wedges.
Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and either space the wedges apart or keep them in a circle but pull each one out a few inches to allow space for them to expand while baking. Put the tray in the fridge or the freezer and preheat the oven to 200F (400F).
Brush the cold scones with a little cream and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and risen.
Eat warm either plain or drizzled with caramel.
Can I make scones in a food processor?
You can use a food processor to make your scone dough if you like. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine.
Add cubed cold butter and briefly pulse again until the butter is coated in the flour but is still in pea sized chunks.
Pour the buttermilk/egg through the feeding tube and very briefly pulse until dough forms clumps around the blade.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in the grated apple using two forks. Shape on your worktop – you might need to add a bit more flour. Bake as above.
How to store your scones
Store in a cake box for up to three days. The scones are best served slightly warm. You can heat them for a few seconds in the microwave before eating.
Have you made my apple scone recipe? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Easy Apple Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) flour (all purpose/plain)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter , frozen then grated
- ⅓ cup (80ml) cold heavy cream or buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 small apples , grated
- ½ tsp lemon juice optional, so apples don't brown
- 1 tsp Angostura Bitters
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp grated nutmeg
Topping
- 3 tbsp heavy cream (double cream)
- 2 tbsp Demerara sugar
- caramel sauce to drizzle optional
Instructions
- Remember to place the butter in the freezer for at least two hours before starting this recipe.
- Grate the butter then place back in the freezer (remember the colder the better!).
- Mix the cream or buttermilk with the egg and place in the fridge.
- Grate the apples and add the spices, lemon juice and Angostura bitters. Mix to combine.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Add the grated butter and use a pastry scraper or two forks to mix into the flour.
- Pour in the buttermilk/egg and use the forks to combine everything together.
- Add the grated apple and mix to combine. If the dough becomes really soft and wet due to the moisture in the apples you might need to add a little more flour.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a rectangle then fold the dough into thirds.
- Form a disk (approximately 8 inch – the sides need to be at least 2 inches high). Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut into eight wedges.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and either space the wedges apart or keep them in a circle but pull each one out a few inches to allow space for them to expand while baking.
- Put the tray in the fridge or the freezer and preheat the oven to 200F (400F).
- Brush the cold scones with a little cream and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and risen.
- Eat warm either plain or drizzled with caramel.
Video
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Sammie says
Hey Lucy, I love these scones and will definitely be making them. Brushing cream on top makes them look so golden. We have two apple trees in our garden and I’m always looking for ways to use the apples in baking. Thank you for this fab recipe.
Lucy Parissi says
Let me know how you like them! Wish I had an apple tree
Cathy says
Great simple to do delicious recipes especially the no mixer required Ginger cake. Delighted I found this website