Description
This time of year pumpkin usually gets all of the attention, these spicy sweet apple scones are enough to make you forget about pumpkin altogether. The tart apples are spiced up with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cider then wrapped in a buttery blanket of crumbly dough.
Ingredients
Units
- apples - Honeycrisp and or Granny Smith - 2 large or 3 small
- apple cider - 1/2 cup
- brown sugar - 1/4 cup
- cinnamon - 1 1/2 teaspoon
- minced ginger - 1 teaspoon
- nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon
- all purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups
- sugar - 1/4 cup
- baking powder - 1 tablespoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
- cold unsalted butter (cubed - 1/2 cup (1 stick))
- eggs - 2
- buttermilk - 1/2 cup
- powdered sugar - 1 cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a dutch oven over medium heat, combine apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and apple cider. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, as the sugar caramelizes on the apples.
- Remove from heat and strain the apple juices into a separate bowl. Set the bowl aside and save the juices for later, you will use them in the glaze.
- Allow the apples to cool completely before adding to the rest of the batter. Place them in the refrigerator while you prepare the dough.
- Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Dice the butter into 1/2" cubes. Use your hands, a pastry cutter or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are the size of almonds.
- Place in refrigerator until apple chunks have sufficiently cooled. Once the apples have cooled toss them in with the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together, then add two-thirds of the mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together, then add the remaining buttermilk mixture, the dough should look scrappy and rough at this point.
- Scrape the dough from the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate floury scraps. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface, it should come out as mostly one big chunk with some scrappy bits.
- Gather the dough ball and bits and pat until it just comes together. The top should be chunky and rough, this ensures the crunchy crumbly character of the finished scones. Gently form the dough into a 7"-8" disk or for smaller scones, form two 3"-5" disks.
- Cut the disk(s) into 6 wedges and spread out evenly on baking sheets. Now chill the scones on the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10ish minutes, this will help the scones hold their structure and prevent them from falling and spreading too much in the oven.
- Bake large scones for 30-35 minutes or small scones for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.
- The scones should come out a golden brown.
- Place the baked scones on a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes.
- While the scones cool, make the glaze by whisking in 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved cider juice (one tablespoon at a time) with 1 cup of powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. The glaze should slide slowly and smoothly from a spoon.
- Once the scones have sufficiently cooled, drizzle them with the glaze. Enjoy with hot coffee or if you must, a PSL.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes