The best apple scone recipe, these scones bake up golden brown, bursting with apples, and covered in maple glaze! The scone dough comes together in less than 15 minutes. An easy fall treat the whole family will love.

Apple Cinnamon Scones

Some people claim that early fall is pumpkin season… but I say, it’s APPLE SEASON! At least here in the Hudson Valley, it is. Our apple trees are exploding with crisp and juicy apples! So I’m baking all my favorite apple recipes… and creating some new ones, too.

One of the best new recipes I’ve come up with? Cinnamon apple scones! They’re my favorite scones to bake on a chilly morning… and they’ll make your whole house smell like fall. To get extra cozy, pair these apple scones with a big mug of tea or coffee!

Ingredients for Apple Scones

• All-Purpose Flour: This is the ONLY flour I can recommend for this recipe! But if you choose to experiment, your best bet is 1-for-1 gluten free flour. Almond flour and coconut flour will NOT work.
• Baking Powder: Yes, one TABLESPOON is the correct amount.
• Sugar: We will use three varieties of sugar in this recipe. Granulated sugar for the scone dough, sparkling sugar for decorating, and confectioners’ sugar for the glaze. You’ll also need a splash of maple syrup for the glaze.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice add warmth and depth of flavor. For extra flavor, feel free to add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the scone dough.
• Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances all the flavors in the scone dough.
• Butter: I suggest using unsalted butter, but in a pinch, salted butter will work fine. You may leave out the salt called for in the scone dough if using salted butter.
• Applesauce: Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce, as we want the apple flavor but not extra sweetness.
• Heavy Cream: Aka whipping cream, do not replace this ingredient with milk.
• Eggs: You’ll need one large egg for the scone dough and one egg for the egg wash.
• Vanilla Extract: For the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Apples: I love Granny Smith apples in this recipe because they’re not too sweet, but use your favorite baking apple. You may leave the apples unpeeled or peel them before chopping.
• Milk: You only need a tiny dash of milk, for the glaze. I recommend whole milk, but at the end of the day, you can use whatever you have on hand.

Best Apple Scone Dough

Making scone dough is very simple and almost anyone can master it! Here are a few tips and tricks (plus, visuals!) to guide you along the way! If you’re a scone pro, feel free to jump to the recipe and get baking.

1. Scone Dough Prep: Preheat your oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper before you begin making your dough.
2. Make the Scone Dough: In a large bowl whisk together your dry ingredients. Add the cold butter and use a pastry cutter to work it into to the dry ingredients. Then add in the wet ingredients and apples and stir until you have a shaggy dough.
3. Knead the Dough: Dump the loose dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it comes together.
4. Shape the Scone Dough: You’ll pat the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 slices. Then place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet and pop the sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 
5. Egg Wash and Bake: Next you’ll brush each scone with egg wash and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and coarse sugar. Then simply pop the scones in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re golden brown! Drizzle with glaze and devour!

Tips for Making the Best Apple Scone Recipe

1. Start with Cold Ingredients: Most baking recipes call for room temperature ingredients, but the best scones start with cold ingredients. The most important ingredient in scones is butter! And it should be VERY cold. I suggest placing your butter in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before making the scone dough for best results.
2. Don’t Overwork the Butter: You want to work the butter into the dry ingredients, but only until it’s a coarse meal. In other words, stop working the butter into the dough when the butter is about the size of peas.
3. Don’t Add too Much Liquid: Scone dough will look very dry and shaggy, but don’t add more liquid than called for. Instead, knead the dough until it comes together. This can take time, but ultimately, will result in flaky scones. Adding more liquid will leave you with scones that are too moist and more like a muffin.
4. Chill the Cut Scones: This allows the scone dough to rest and the butter to firm back up. This extra chill results in tall and flaky scones that don’t spread too much in the oven.
5. Don’t Skip the Egg Wash: This “egg wash” allows the scones to bake up golden brown and super flavorful.

Equipment for Cinnamon Apple Scones:

• Large Baking Sheet
• Pastry Cutter
• Pastry Brush
• Parchment Paper
• Coarse Sugar (Aka sparkling sugar)

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