These deliciously spiced Apple Scones are wonderful for brunch with tea and coffee or as a midday snack! Full of warm and cozy flavors like cinnamon and apple, they’re just perfect for autumn.
I’m one of those people who will eat a slice of pie for breakfast if it’s in front of me. But what to do if you’re craving apple pie for breakfast? Well, you’re in luck my friend, because today I will show you how to make apple pie scones!
My melt-in-your-mouth apple scones are made with buttermilk and heaps of fresh apple pieces lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom – apple pie spice would be a good choice for flavoring the apple filling as well. They’re perfectly soft and moist — just the thing to serve at an autumn brunch get-together!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Delicious for fall – These apple cinnamon scones are another adaptation of my Basic Buttermilk Scones, so you can perfect your scone-making skills! This time, we are making them with fresh apples and warm spices to give you all the autumn feels.
- Tasty enough for guests, easy enough to make whenever – I love recipes that can do both. These would be perfect to bring along to a holiday brunch but are simple to make on a weekend morning and keep at home for an indulgent breakfast.
- Comforting – The combination of spiced apples, brown sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla is just so cozy for fall. They’re perfect for a weekend treat!
Tools you’ll need
Make sure you have all of the standard baking equipment gathered before getting started on your apple cinnamon scones: mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, spatulas, baking sheets, and a wire cooling rack. A pastry brush will also be helpful for adding the egg wash on top of the scones.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Apple – I used just 1 medium-sized apple for these. Choose one that you would like to eat on its own — some of the best for baking are Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
- Butter – you’ll need unsalted butter for the spiced apples and the scones themselves. It must be very cold and cubed for the apple scone batter specifically, so leave it in the fridge until ready to use.
- Granulated sugar – adds sweetness to the scones and the sugary topping. I typically use turbinado sugar to top my scones, however, I wanted to use granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom to make these extra special. If you want a little crunch from turbinado sugar, you can add another layer of sugar topping.
- Brown sugar – to add more depth of flavor to the spiced apples. I prefer using brown sugar here, but you could also use granulated if that’s all you have.
- All-purpose flour – the ideal flour for homemade scones.
- Baking soda & baking powder – both are used in this apple scone recipe for leavening. Buttermilk will activate the baking soda here.
- Buttermilk – in addition to being our important acidic ingredient, buttermilk also contributes to a tender texture. If you don’t have any, simply combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Egg – binds the ingredients together and provides structure.
- Vanilla – pairs wonderfully with the spiced apples and adds even more warmth to the overall flavor profile.
- Spices – I use cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom in the spiced apples and sugary topping. You could also incorporate more warming spices, like ginger, cloves, or allspice too. But you can simply use what you have in your pantry.
How to Make Apple Scones
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Make the spiced apples
Peel, core, and chop the apple, then heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan over medium. Add the apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom to the pan and heat until the sugar is melted. Continue to cook until bubbly and thickened, then set aside to cool.
Note: Precooking the apples in melted butter, brown sugar, and spices will make your apple scones even more flavorful! Don’t skip this important step.
Make the scones
Start preparing the apple scone batter by combining the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl, then toss in the cubed butter and press it into the flour. Add the cooked and cooled apple pieces, and toss them in the flour mixture to distribute evenly.
Next beat the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract together and add to your mixing bowl along with the sugar syrup from the cooked apple – this will add more flavor to your scone dough because that’s where all the spices are hanging out. Fold until a wet dough forms.
Note: Remember to reserve some of the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and egg mixture to use as an egg wash to enhance browning while baking.
Cut & bake
Turn out the dough and form a circle, then cut it into 8 scones. Place them on a prepared baking sheet and brush with your reserved egg wash. Sprinkle with the spiced sugar, bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 23-24 minutes, and allow to cool. Enjoy!
More baker’s tips
- Dough texture – The dough for these apple cinnamon scones is going to be wetter than usual as we’re incorporating the extra liquid from the syrup. Make sure to use enough flour while working it to keep it from getting too sticky — up to ¼ cup — but don’t overdo it and add too much. Wetter scone dough will result in softer more tender scones, which is how I like mine.
- Cold butter is key here. I often make notes on ingredient temperature, but using very cold butter in the scone batter is crucial for creating flaky layers. I usually cube mine and then pop it back in the fridge until ready to use.
- Handle the dough gently. Much like overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, rough handling can also lead to tough results!
Storage
Let the apple scones cool completely before placing them in an airtight container to store. They’ll keep for about 2-3 days at room temperature, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze this apple scone recipe for up to 3 months. For the best texture, let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating them in a low-temperature oven.
FAQs
I have received comments before about my scone dough being too wet. And I usually explained it in all my scone recipes that wetter scone dough will result in softer more tender scones! Keep this in mind as you shape it on the countertop — don’t add too much flour or the scones will come out dry.
Yes! Whole wheat flour should work fine, though it may result in slightly drier scones, so don’t use too much extra flour to roll. You could also try white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
It could be because of a few things! Overbaking, expired leavening agents, and overmixing could all lead to dense and flat results. Be sure to keep an eye on your scones (especially during the last 5 minutes or so of baking), check the baking soda and baking powder before you use them, and don’t overmix the batter.
Yes, you can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it overnight. This can also help the flavors develop even more, and make shaping your apple cinnamon scones easier.
More fruity scones
- Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones
- Blueberry Buttermilk Scones
- Lemon Scones with Poppy Seeds
- Strawberry White Chocolate Scones
- Cranberry Orange Scones
Hungry for more?
Insanely Soft Spiced Apple Scones
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 1 medium apple
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of nutmeg
- A pinch of cardamom
Scones
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter – cubed & cold
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sugar Topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of nutmeg
- A pinch of cardmom
Instructions
Make Apple Pie Filling
- Peel and core the apple and cut into small bite size pieces, this will yield about 2 cups.
- Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter to a small sauce pan and melt over medium heat.
- Add apple, sugar and spices to the pan and cook until sugar is melted.
- Continue to cook over medium low heat until the apple is starting to soften and the mixture is bubbly and thickened slightly.
- Take off the heat and allow to cool.
Make Scones
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with the spices and set aside to use later.
- Add flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder to a medium mixing bowl and mix to combine.
- Toss the cubed butter in the flour mixture and work it into the flour with the tip of your fingers until about large pea size. Toss in the cooked apple pieces without the syrup.
- In a measuring cup, add buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture, reserving about 2 tablespoon to use as egg wash. Add the left over syrup from the cooked apple.
- Fold with a spatula or wooden spoon until a wet dough forms. Note that this scone dough is supposed to be wet; this will result in very soft scones!
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, fold it over itself 2 – 3 times, and shape into a circle about 1 ½-” thick.
- Cut into 8 scones.
- Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, brush the top and sides with the reserved egg wash, and sprinkle generously with spiced sugar.
- Bake for 23 – 24 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Recipe inspired by Joy the Baker’s Apple Pie Biscuits.
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This is perfect! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am excited to make them 🙂
The recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of baking powder – is this correct?
This is correct, not a typo.
I love apple pie as well as scones, so I tried your recipe. Such a great combination! thank you for sharing 😁
Absolutely divine! The spiced topping and egg wash gives it such a nice crunchy bite while the filling is light and fluffy. So delicious!
Thank you so much!
i used plain unsweetened kefir and these were wonderful.
Can you substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour?
Yes, whole wheat flour should work fine, it may result in slightly drier scones so don’t use too much extra flour to roll. You can also try white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Let me know if you like how it turns out!
The mixture was indeed quite wet, but it handled well enough after a generous dusting or three of flour as I was folding it. The apple with the syrup smelled DIVINE as it cooked–I wanted to just eat it with a spoon!
They swelled nicely in the oven, but they did also spread a bit. I had to cook them a little bit longer, because they still looked a tad wet.
The texture was deliciously soft and light, with the apple pieces just melting in your mouth, and the spices just slightly warming your tongue. I like my apple pie a bit spicier than this, so I might tweak this recipe next time to include more of those, and maybe I’ll use a bigger apple. Those are just my preferences, though, so I rate it five stars because the dough itself baked up beautifully–a truly luscious experience!
Thank you so much Margaret! You described it so beautifully, my mouth waters just reading your comment. I might have to run out to buy some apple and make these scones this weekend. So glad you enjoyed them!
I love making scones. Can’t wait to try these. Thanks for a great recipe
scones, my favorite coffee food. These look and sound delicious. Thanks for making my morning.
Hi
When I cuts the scones to put them on the baking sheet, the filling all comes out…..????
Hi Arlene, I’m sorry that happened! Was the filling too watery? Or maybe you could roll it up tighter?