These Apple Cinnamon Scones are filled with chopped apple, spices, and are incredibly soft and tender. The perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

These Apple Cinnamon Scones are filled with chopped apple, spices, and incredibly soft and tender. The perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

A long time ago, I use to think scones were just dry and bland. It wasn’t until I learned how to make my own scones that I realized they’re quite the opposite. Scones should be soft, tender, flaky, and leave you going back for seconds or even thirds.

I’ve been using this recipe for a while now and it’s a perfect base for whatever you want to mix in. These scones are filled with freshly chopped apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. They’re like fall wrapped up into the perfect scone. To say I’m in love with these Apple Cinnamon Scones would probably be an understatement.

One great thing about this recipe is that all of your ingredients need to be cold. There’s no need to wait for your butter or other ingredients to come to room temperature. You can just grab everything you need, mix up the dough, pop it into the oven, and be enjoying these scones in no time!

These Apple Cinnamon Scones are filled with chopped apple, spices, and incredibly soft and tender. The perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

To make these scones you’ll start with some all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of baking powder and I promise it’s not an error. To get a good rise in your scones, you need enough baking powder to make them nice and tall.

Remember when I also mentioned that your ingredients should be cold for these scones? You want small pieces of cold butter in your dough as you’re placing it into the oven. Once you place the scones in the oven, the butter will melt, leaving little steam pockets and creating a nice flaky, tender texture on the inside. Those steam pockets also help to make the scones taller too.

It’s best for your heavy whipping cream and egg to be cold as well to ensure that the butter stays cold as it’s going into the oven. Always remember, cold ingredients are best in recipes like scones and biscuits.

These Apple Cinnamon Scones are filled with chopped apple, spices, and incredibly soft and tender. The perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

Once the scones are baked you can leave them plain or top them with a simple glaze. I personally love to just use a mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk on these Apple Cinnamon Scones. You could also add some cinnamon to the glaze for a little extra flavor as well.

Apple Cinnamon Scones

5 from 11 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
These Apple Cinnamon Scones are filled with chopped apple, spices, and are incredibly soft and tender. The perfect treat for breakfast or brunch!

Ingredients

Servings: 8 scones

For the scones:

  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream (plus extra for brushing on top of the scones)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (120 grams) chopped apple

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) milk (any kind, use more as needed)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

To make the scones:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and granulated sugar. Add the cubed cold butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter (or a fork) until you have small pea-sized crumbs.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until the dough starts to come together, it will seem a little crumbly. Add in the chopped apple and gently mix it in.
  • Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface, work it together with your hands, and form it into a ball. The dough may seem a little crumbly or dry at first, but it will come together as you work it together with your hands. Flatten the ball of dough into a disc that is about 1-inch thick, cut into 8 equal sized pieces, and place each piece on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave a little room between each scone as they will spread some while they bake. Brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of heavy whipping cream.
  • Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the glaze:

  • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until fully combined. If the glaze is too thick, mix in a little extra milk.
  • Spoon the glaze on top of each scone and spread it around with the back of the spoon. Allow the glaze to harden for about 10-15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Notes

Make sure to peel and core your apple before you chop it to use in this recipe. You may use any type of baking apple you prefer for this recipe, I prefer to use a Granny Smith apple.
Scones are best eaten the same day they are prepared. However, you may store them covered tightly on the counter for 1-2 days.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.

Adapted from my Strawberry Cream Scones

If you love apples, be sure to try these easy Apple Turnovers next!