Apple Cinnamon Scones
Apple cinnamon scones are a moist, buttery sweet bread-like pastry filled with cinnamon chips and chopped apples then topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. These apple scones smell and taste like a perfect brisk fall morning!
When we’re ringing in the fall (my favorite time of year!) I’m already two months in to making my favorite apple and pumpkin treats! There’s just something so warm and cozy about these flavors. If you’re a pumpkin and a scones lover, then you’ll love my pumpkin scones recipe! When it comes to apple and cinnamon scones, the flavor combination is undeniable. It’s the base for my caramel apple dip, my easy apple crisp recipe and my apple cinnamon oatmeal.
Why This Recipe Works
- Crumbly and sweet exterior. This is the perfect apple scones recipe because we get a crumbly sweet exterior. The sugar crystals on the outside and the butter in the dough give the outside of these scones a little bit of a crunch and a nice caramel-like flavor.
- Perfectly moist interior. Thanks to the butter, apple sauce and chilling the dough, we get a moist, soft texture to the inside of these scones. It’s the perfect marriage with the crumbly, crunchy exterior.
- Your favorite fall flavors. The apple pieces are the perfect texture (not to soft and not crunchy) and they bring a delicious, moist element to the scones. The flavor is so delicate with the cinnamon. You’ll be coming back for more!
Ingredients
- Apple Pie Spice – this will give the apple cinnamon scones lots of apple flavor.
- Fresh Apples: Peel and chop the apples into 1/2″ pieces.
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure the butter is COLD! You can read my buttermilk biscuits post to learn more about why we use cold butter when making scones and biscuits.
- Cinnamon Chips: These scones wouldn’t be *quite* the same if you omit the cinnamon chips. The cinnamon chips elevate the flavor in these scones. Trust me!
- Apple Sauce: You can use sweetened or unsweetened applesauce in this recipe.
- Apple Cider: Homemade or store-bought apple cider will work just fine. If you don’t have apple cider, apple juice would be a great substitute.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly.
- Stir in the chopped apples and cinnamon chips.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, and apple cider.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir until a dough forms. You may want to use your hands to bring the dough together.
- Divide the dough in half and place the balls on a floured surface. Shape each ball into a 5-6″ circle about 3/4″ thick.
- Brush each dough circle with milk and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Cut each circle into 6 wedges, for a total of 12 triangles. Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet with about about ½” to 1” between each apple scone.
- Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Chill the apple cinnamon scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425. After the 30 minutes of freezer time, remove the scones from the freezer and bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips
If you can’t find cinnamon chips, you can add 3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients, and then use white chocolate chips.
I used sparkling sugar crystals for the cinnamon sugar topping. The larger sugar crystals give the scones a delicious crunchy texture on the outside when you first bite into it. If you don’t have sparkling sugar crystals, you can use sugar in the raw.
If you don’t have apple cider or apple juice to use in the dough, you can substitute it for 2 1/2 tablespoons of milk.
Chilling the scones: Letting the apple cinnamon scones chill in the freezer for 30 minutes chills the butter in the dough which will give us a flakier scone. It also helps the gluten relax a bit so you get a better rise and a more tender crumb.
Add a salted caramel drizzle on top of the scones right after they come out of the oven for a more dessert-like vibe.
Storing
Store the cinnamon apple scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds or in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
FAQs
Cold. That is the secret. Cold butter and cold dough will really help you get the best scones.
The baking powder and the acidic apple sauce is what will give us our rise in the apple cinnamon scones. If your scones aren’t rising, double check the expiration date on your baking powder. You really don’t want to use baking powder that is older than 6 months. Also, make sure you are chilling your dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will actually help the gluten have a better rise in the oven.
If your scones are too dense, it may be a few things: make sure your baking powder isn’t older than 6 months. Make sure your oven is completely at temperature before putting the scones in the oven. And be sure to chill your dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. Also, don’t over mix your dough when you are forming it into a ball.
More Delicious Apple Recipes
- Apple Fritter Cake
- Caramel Apple Cookies
- Apple Pie Caramel Apples
- Cranberry Apple Cider
- Breakfast Cookies
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Apple Cinnamon Scones
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter - cold, and cubed
- 3/4 cup fresh apples - skin removed, chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 3/4 cup cinnamon chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup applesauce - sweetneed or unsweetened
- 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 tablespoon milk - for brushing on the scones
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 tablespoons white sparkling sugar - or sugar in the raw
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and apple pie spice.
- Add the cubed butter to the bowl. Using a pastry blender cut the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly.
- Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, and cider.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until everything comes together. Divide the dough in half.
- Place the two balls of dough on a floured work surface. Shape each ball into a 5-6" circle about 3/4" thick.
- Brush each circle with milk and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping.
- Cut each circle into 6 wedges, for a total of 12 triangles. Place the scones on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Space the scones about ½” to 1” apart from each other.
- Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425. After the 30 minutes of freezer time, remove the scones from the freezer and bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown on top. (Mine baked the full 22 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
This recipe was originally published on Sept. 9, 2019. It was republished on Sept. 6, 2021, to include additional information and photos.
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One Comment on “Apple Cinnamon Scones”
I swear I can almost smell how delicious these are through the screen! I love scones – looks amazing for Fall ♥