These Apple Cinnamon Scones are easy, family friendly, and perfect for crisp fall days. I can tell you these scones strike the perfect balance of tender, flaky, and full of real apple cinnamon flavor. They are perfect for on the go mornings or weekend brunches.
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Why We Love These Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Tender, flaky texture that feels bakery quality but is easy to make at home.
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a fun weekend brunch. The kids love them in their school lunches too!
- Simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
- Bakes up quickly, which makes them great for busy mornings. You can make ahead too!
- Easy to customize with glaze, coarse sugar, or extra add ins.
- I love making these with apples from my apple tree!
- Fresh and warm apple cinnamon flavor that tastes like fall in every bite equals absolutely delicious!
I have spent decades baking everywhere from busy restaurant kitchens to my own home kitchen with kids peeking over the counter, and I take my scones seriously. All that experience means I know a good scone when I make one, and these are always a hit. These apple cinnamon scones are tender, flavorful, and reliable every time. I follow the same from scratch methods and family tested approach for all my bakery style recipes I have on my site. When I say these always disappear fast, I mean it.
Apple Cinnamon Scones Recipe Ingredients
- Apple
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salted Butter
- Milk
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- White Sugar
Substitution Suggestions
- Apple: I like to use apples from my tree (I have no clue what kind they are) and Honeycrisp apples. I use Honeycrisp because there is usually always some in the fridge. You can use your favorite apple. Any type will work.
- All Purpose Flour: You could use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour if you prefer. The scones might be a little bit more dense but just as delicious!
- Cinnamon: If you want more spice you can add a pinch of all spice or use apple pie spice.
- Salted Butter: I prefer salted butter in my baked goods. You can use unsalted butter but I suggest adding an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dough.
- Milk: I almost always use 2% cows milk, but you can use the type of milk you drink. Whole or skim milk, almond milk, soy milk are all fine options. You could even use half and half, heavy cream or coffee creamer for a more rich scone.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: I say this all. the. time. Use pure extracts as mush as possible. They yield the best flavor. Imitation extracts can leave an unpleasant after taste in your baked goods.
How to Make Apple Scones
- First, preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Set aside.
- Then, peel and grate your apple. A box grater works great. If you prefer you can finely dice your apple.
- Now, in a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Give it a good whisk.
- Next, cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your hands until it resembles course crumbs.
Expert Tip: You can also use the new pastry beater attachment for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Or you can use the dough blade in a food processor. It makes the scones even easier to make!
- Add the shredded apple to the dry ingredients and fold it together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cold milk, egg and vanilla extract.
- Add liquid to the flour mix and using a rubber spatula or your hands fold together until everything is mostly combined being careful not to overmix. If the dough is too sticky, add an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour. This will depend on how juicy your apple is.
- Now turn the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and using the fold method shape the dough into a 8 to 9 inch circle.
- Then cut the dough into 8 triangles and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven on center rack for 20-25 minutes until the edges and bottoms are golden brown and the sides look set and not glossy.
Variations
These scones are also really good with some extra add-ins or a glaze on top.
- Add a ½ cup of add-ins like: butterscotch chips, toasted walnuts or pecans, cinnamon chips or caramel bits.
- Make a simple glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk, apple juice or maple syrup. Add a little extra cinnamon in the glaze if you want too!
- Or skip the glaze and drizzle with some store bought salted caramel sauce!
If you love scones as much as I do don't miss out on these other delicious recipes!
Storing Apple Cinnamon Scones
Make a double batch and freeze them! They freeze very well and can be pulled out for an easy breakfast or snack. They also are great packed in lunches. I pack lunches the night before and just add the frozen scones to the lunch box and place in fridge until it is on the way to school with the kids.
Storing: Store the cooled apple scones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Once the scones are completely cooled, place them in a freezer safe air tight container or zip top bag. Label, date and freeze. These scones will last in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Thawing: To thaw the scones, take out 15 minutes before needing them or take out the night before and let thaw covered on counter.
Make Ahead: You can prepare these scones 1-2 days in advance. Prepare the scones up until you cut them. Don't brush with milk or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar until ready to bake. Then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. When ready to bake, brush with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake as instructed in directions.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- My KitchenAid Stand Mixer is my most favorite kitchen tool! It's the best tool ever and now it has a new pastry beater attachment for cutting in butter. You can make loads of scones and your arm won't get sore!!!
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their baking sheets are the ones I prefer to use. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set. These aluminum sheet pans from Nordic Ware are a great option too.
- I use a simple box grater to grate the apple.
- A dough cutter works the best for cutting scones into triangles.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- You can package these scones up for a bake sale in these Self Sealing Cellophane Bags. They are the best!
Tips for Apple Scones
- Gather all the ingredients before you start preparing the recipe. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready.
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start baking. I am speaking from experience.
- Fluff your flour before measuring. Flour can become packed and won't measure accurately which can make the scone dry and the dough hard to work with. Fluff it a few times with the measuring cup or use a whisk right in your flour container. Then measure and level off the flour.
- Use cold ingredients. Cold or even grated frozen butter using the large holes of a box grater and cold milk helps create the flaky tender crumb scones are known for.
- Use your hands, pastry blender or the new pastry beater for the kitchen aid stand mixer to cut the butter into the flour, leaving sheets or clumps of butter. You should still be able to see pea sized or sheets of butter.
- Work quickly once the butter has been cut in. The butter needs to be as cold as possible when it goes into the oven, that is what creates the flakiness of the scone. If you feel the dough has become to warm you can chill the pan of scones in fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- Do not over work the dough. Fold the dough until it comes together. This will create layers helping the scone to stay tender and flakey and prevent it from becoming too dry.
- Do not saw the scones when slicing. Use one smooth cut to slice the scones into 8 triangles. Using a sawing motion can make the scones fall apart.
- Make these scones ahead of time and keep them covered with plastic wrap and chilled in the fridge until ready to bake. Prepared scones will last 1-2 days in the fridge.
FAQs About Scones
First, measure the flour properly. Fluff it, scoop it in measuring cup and then level it off. Next, use cold butter and cold milk. The cold butter is what helps the scones become flakey. Lastly, don't over mix the dough. Fold it instead of mixing or stirring. The less you work the dough, the lighter and fluffier the scones will be.
Avoid using warm butter and milk, and overworking the dough. Warm or room temperature butter and milk will create flat and dense scones. The less the dough is worked, the better. The scones will turn out lighter and fluffier.
Scones are typically a bit more denser than biscuits and usually made with eggs. Scones will likely have sugar in the dough and most biscuits don't.
Most scones are done when the edges and bottom are golden brown. For these apple scones they will look set and no longer glossy. They should also feel firm to the touch.
More Apple Recipes:
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Apple Cinnamon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 large apple, about ¾ to 1 cup, peeled and shredded
- 2¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 teaspons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup salted butter, cold and cubed
- ½ cup milk, cold
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Give it a good whisk.
- Cut in the cold cubed butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your hands until it resembles course crumbs. Or use the new pastry beater for the kitchenaid stand mixer!
- Add the shredded apple to the flour mix and fold it together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cold milk, egg and vanilla extract. Add to the flour and apple mix and using a rubber spatula or your hands fold together until everything is mostly combined being careful not to overmix. If the dough is too sticky, add an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour. This will depend on how juicy your apple is.
- Now turn the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and using the fold method shape the dough into a 8 to 9 inch circle.
- Then cut the dough into 8 triangles and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven on center rack for 20-25 minutes until the edges and bottoms are golden brown and the sides look set and not glossy.
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