These soft and crumbly cinnamon apple scones are stuffed with tender apple slices and topped with a maple cinnamon glaze. They're the perfect Fall breakfast or snack to make ahead of time so that you can wake up to warm and fresh scones!
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Notes from the baker
A few years ago, I never thought twice about scones. Every store-bought scone I ate was dry, dense, and simply kind of boring. There was no reason for me to get excited about eating a scone.
That all changed when I started making my own scones at home. Scones actually aren't supposed to be dry and mediocre! They can be fluffy and soft with crunchy sugar on the outside and fun fillings and flavours!
I've experimented with a few different flavours of scones this year with these cinnamon apple scones being THE scones to make during the Fall season. They have all the warm and cozy vibes that you want to wake up to when it's chilly outside.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and fluffy scones. These cinnamon apple scones are perfectly fluffy with just the right amount of crumbliness without ever being dry.
- Tender cinnamon apple filling. The apple filling tastes like apple pie filling and is a welcome addition to a basic scone.
- Simple maple cinnamon glaze. To make these scones even more cozy and Fall-inspired, you can top them with an optional glaze that's easy to make. You only need 3 ingredients for it!
- Easy to make ahead of time. You can make these scones the night before and bake them off the next morning for fresh and warm scones when you need them.
Tools
- Dough blender (optional) - A dough blender is a handheld metal tool that cuts butter down into smaller pieces quickly without needing to touch the butter with warm hands. I prefer to use my hands because I can feel the size of the butter pieces better but a dough blender is a great tool to use if you don't want to get your hands dirty or if you're making a big batch of dough.
- Bench scraper (optional) - A bench scraper is simple a rectangular sheet of metal with a handle. It's useful for sliding underneath dough to lift it and fold it onto itself or for cutting dough into smaller portions.
- Baking sheet - You can use any baking sheet or baking tray you have for these scones. Just use the same tray that you would bake cookies on.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Apples - Use any tart and crispy apples you like such as Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, Granny Smith, or Braeburn apples. You'll want to slice them thinly so that they cook through and become tender after baking.
- Brown sugar
- Lemon juice - The acidity of lemon juice helps prevent the apple slices from browning while they're marinating in the fridge.
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Egg - This should be cold, straight from the fridge to keep the dough cool and prevent the butter pieces in the dough from melting or softening too much.
- Heavy cream - This should also be cold, straight from the fridge. You can use whipping cream or heavy cream - both will work.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder - We're a full tablespoon of baking powder here to ensure the scones puff up and stay fluffy.
- Unsalted butter - Your butter should always be cold and cut into rough cubes to make it easier to break them down into pea-sized pieces.
- Coarse sugar - For sprinkling on top of the scones for a crunchy and crisp exterior. You can use any coarse sugar with large sugar crystals like turbinado sugar, demerara sugar, or sanding sugar (my personal favourite!).
- Powdered sugar
- Maple syrup - Use real maple syrup for the best flavour.
Tips for making the best cinnamon apple scones
- Work quickly and keep the butter cold. The key to fluffy and flaky scones is pockets of butter in the dough that melt during baking. You don't want to touch the dough too much with warm hands. Use all cold ingredients that have come straight from the fridge. Sometimes I even like to cube the butter and put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm back up.
- Don't overwork the dough. Scone dough does not need to be kneaded. You only need to fold it onto itself 1-2 times depending on how wet or dry it is. If the dough is already well-saturated and there aren't too many dry, floury bits, you can just press it together quickly. Overworked dough will become dry and dense after baking.
- Chill the scones before baking. This allows the butter in the dough to firm up again and helps the scones hold their shape when baked. I always let the scones chill in the fridge while the oven is preheating. You could even chill them overnight if you want to bake them the next day.
Storage
These cinnamon apple scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring them back to room temperature or reheat in a toaster oven before eating.
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. Reheat in the oven until warm.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More scone recipes to try
Recipe
Cinnamon Apple Scones
Equipment
- 1 dough blender, optional
- 1 bench scraper, optional
Ingredients
Apple Mixture
- 200 g tart apples, thinly sliced (about 2 small apples)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Scones
- 1 large egg, cold
- 100 g heavy cream, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing
- 3 tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Maple Cinnamon Glaze
- 50 g powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
Apple Mixture
- Mix: In a medium mixing bowl, combine apple slices, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Toss together with your hands or a spatula until the apple slices are coated. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour or while you prepare the scone dough. The apples will soften the longer they marinate.
Scones
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Egg mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Flour mixture: In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cut butter into flour mixture: Add the cold butter and toss them in the flour mixture to coat. Use a dough blender or your fingers to pinch the butter into pea-sized pieces.
- Form dough: Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour the egg mixture into the well and mix the flour into it with your hands or a spatula until it forms a shaggy dough.
- Fold dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands or a bench scraper to roughly fold the dough onto itself 1-2 times to create layers of butter. This also helps incorporate any dry floury bits into the dough. Don't knead or overwork the dough.
- Flatten dough and add apple filling: Divide the dough into two halves. Press to flatten each half into a ½" thick rounds. Arrange your marinated apple slices in a thick layer in the middle of one dough round, leaving the edges empty. Place the other round of dough on top and press down to seal. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into 8 wedges.
- Chill dough: Transfer the scone wedges to your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" in between each scone. Chill the whole baking sheet in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush: Right before baking, use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of heavy cream on top of each scone. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each scone.
- Bake: Bake scones for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Maple Cinnamon Glaze
- Mix: In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. If it's too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add a bit more maple syrup.
- Drizzle: Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over each scone before serving.
Notes
- To make ahead: Chill the unbaked scones in the fridge after cutting them into wedges overnight. Right before baking the next day, brush them with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake them for a few minutes longer until golden brown.
- Storage: These scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring them back to room temperature or reheat in a toaster oven before eating.
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