Apple Scones with Maple Glaze

Sweet apple chunks in a buttery scone topped with cinnamon and maple glaze. Honestly, it’s hard to beat these apple scones! They’re kind of the quintessential fall breakfast treat. These scones aren’t too sweet – just sweet enough to be a treat.

There’s nothing better than a hot apples scone fresh from the oven.

Every time I make scones, the kids get excited – and we’ve been making them for years! It never gets old, whether it’s blueberry scones in the summer, or cranberry orange scones in the winter – or these fall scones.

What are the best apples to use for scones?

You all know I’m a big fan of “use what you have”. Not wasting is a big part of being frugal. You don’t have to use the peferct apple, just a good enough apple. However, I like to use granny smith because they lend a nice tartness, and stay firm.

Other great apples according to Bon Appetit, are Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Braeburn, Mutsu, Winesap, and Pink lady. Of those, my favorite is Mutsu.

Can these scones be made gluten-free?

Absolutely! As you know, most of the recipes on this site are gluten free or sourdough. This recipe doesn’t have to be gluten-free if you use all purpose flour, but it is if you do.

As with the other scones recipes on this site, like these blackberry scones, you can use a gluten free flour blend such as King Arthur gluten free baking mix, or a mix of brown rice, quinoa flour, cornstarch, etc.

Tips and Tricks for making irresistible apple scones

• Use a tart apple to offset the sweetness of the glaze. Granny smith apples are perfect!
• Use cold, unsalted butter. It helps make your sones flaky!
• Don’t overwork your dough. Only mix enough to get the flour incorporated. This will keep your scones tender.
• Use real maple syrup in the icing – not pancake syrup. The two are not the same, having completely different textures and flavors. If you want to skip the maple, see the substitution list below.
• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. This isn’t a requirement, but it makes removing them from the pan and cleaning up super easy.

Ingredients for Apple Scones

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for these scones.

• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Apples
• Butter
• Sugar
• Salt
• Egg
• Milk
• Heavy Cream
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Powdered Sugar
• Maple Syrup

Substitutions and ingredient swaps

Since we’ve already talked above about making these with gluten-free flour, let’s move on to some other ingredient swaps you can make in this apple scone recipe: 

• Butter. You can use a butter substitute meant for baking such as country Crock Dairy-Fee, or I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter, in place of real butter. 
• Egg. Try adding two extra tablespoons of milk instead.
• Maple Syrup. If you’d rather not glaze your scones with maple, Substitute with milk, and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavor. 
• Spices. Feel free to change spices as you desire. For instance, swap the total amount of cinnamon and nutmeg for apple pie spice. 

How to make apple scones

Making these delicious apple cinnamon scones is simple, and easy.

1. Preheat your oven to 350º
2. Peel core, and dice apples to about 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, or food processor, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
4. Pulse a few time (or whisk) to mix.
5. Slice cold butter into pats, and add to dry ingredients in the food processor.
   
6. Pulse until mixture resembles the texture of graham cracker crumbs. For those not using a food processor, cut with a pastry blender, or butter knives.
   
7. Transfer mixture from food processor to a large mixing bowl and add egg and milk.
   
8. Stir until just mixed.
9. Add apples and stir tougher until dough forms a ball.
   
10. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a large circle about 1 inch thick.
11. Cut dough into 8 wedges as if cutting a pie.
    
12. Transfer wedges to a prepared baking sheet and brush with cream.
13. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, and sprinkle over scones.
    
14. Bake in center of oven for 18-20 minutes until just beginning to turn golden brown.
15. Remove from oven and let cool.
    
16. While the scones are cooling, stir icing ingredients together to form a thick, but drizzle-able icing.
    
17. Drizzle over cooled scones, and serve as desired.

 

How to store leftover scones

This is a great recipe to make ahead for breakfast, or a double batch to have extra for later. In that case, you’ll want to store them so that they stay fresh for longer.

Let the scones cool completely, then place them in a ziplock bag, un-iced. Sqeeze as much air out of the bag without damaging the scones as you can, and seal it. Store at room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

You can make the icing when you’re ready to serve them, or ahead of time, and store in a lidded container, such as a half pint canning jar. You may need to heat the icing up to in order to be able to drizzle it when you’re ready to ice your scones. You can do that by microwaving it for 10-15 seconds, setting the jar in a hot water bath, or pouring it into a sauce pan and heating it gently on the stove.

If you have already-iced scones you want to store, I suggest storing them in a rubbermaid-type of container in a single layer.

If you want to make scones ahead of time, but still want them hot, just transfer your made-ahead scones to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or so at 350º.

Other apple recipes you’ll love:

• Caramel Apple Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
• Cinnamon-Apple Baked Oatmeal
• Gluten-Free Dutch Apple Pie
• Grain-Free Apple Spice Muffins

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