Tender baked apples and warm cinnamon make these apple cinnamon scones a standout! This easy recipe won’t let you down, yielding the perfect texture and crumb every time.
These apple cinnamon scones are adapted from The Foster’s Market Cookbook, which is full of recipes from the beloved Foster’s Market in Durham, NC. While I can’t get to the market as much as I’d like being that I’m in New York, I can get a taste of their warm, dense, delicious scones by whipping up this recipe at home. They’re a great way to start a lazy weekend morning!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cinnamon Scone Recipe
- A winning combination. Warm, cozy cinnamon and tender baked apples are a match made in culinary heaven! (For more apple cinnamon treats, try Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Apple Cinnamon Baked French Toast, and Apple Butter Pinwheels, too.)
- Easy to make. While scones have a reputation for being a bit fussy, these apple cinnamon scones are quite easy. As long as you don’t overwork the dough, you’ll get nice, tender scones.
- Perfect for sharing. Make a batch of these scones for the office, for a bake sale, or for your next brunch get-together. They’re always a hit!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- All-purpose flour – Here’s how to measure flour for baking.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Cold unsalted butter – It’s very important that your butter is quite cold, as this helps you achieve that perfect texture.
- Buttermilk – You can make a buttermilk substitute if you’d like.
- Ground cinnamon – Learn more: Types of Cinnamon: A Home Baker’s Guide
- Granny Smith apples – The classic baking apple, prized for its firmness and tart flavor. You can substitute a sweeter apple if you like, just make sure it’s still a firm variety so it doesn’t turn to mush in the oven. Learn more: The Best Apples for Baking
- Egg
- Milk – Any kind you have on hand is just fine.
- Cinnamon sugar – Here’s how to make cinnamon sugar.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Scones
- Start the dough. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl, then cut in the butter. Stir in the cinnamon and apples.
- Add the buttermilk. Stir in 1 & 1/4 cups of buttermilk; if the dough seems dry, add the rest.
- Form the scones. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Pat it into two 6-inch rounds. Cut each portion into 6 triangles and place them on greased baking sheets.
- Add the egg wash. Beat the egg and milk and brush the mixture onto the scones. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake. Bake the scones in a 400ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until firm. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success
- Make sure your butter is cold for cutting into the dough. The cold butter will melt as the scones bake, creating steam pockets that result in a light, flaky texture. If your butter is too warm, it will blend into the dough and lead to denser, less flaky scones.
- Use a light touch when working with the dough. Overworking the dough can also result in tough scones. Mix just until the ingredients are combined, and handle the dough as little as possible when shaping the rounds.
- Enjoy the same day for best flavor and texture. Scones are one of those baked goods that’s far better the day they’re made. If you won’t be able to finish them in a day or two, I recommend freezing the rest.
Variations
- Try another spice. Cardamom is lovely with apples, or you can use apple pie spice.
- Add a glaze. Instead of (or in addition to) the cinnamon sugar, you could drizzle a simple vanilla glaze (like the one for my strawberry coffee cake) over the scones once they’ve cooled.
- Make them nutty. Swap a small portion of the apples with chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch and flavor.
How to Store
- Room temperature: Store scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled scones in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave before serving.
More Scone Recipes
Get the Recipe:
Apple Cinnamon Scones
Yield
12 scones
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
55 minutes
These easy apple cinnamon scones are the perfect fall breakfast treat, made with fresh apples and a delightful cinnamon sugar topping!
Ingredients
- 4 & 1/2 cups (540g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/2 cups (339g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 & 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (384ml) buttermilk, divided
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples (2-3 medium apples)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Alternatively, lightly grease the pans.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (Alternatively, use a food processor with a metal blade to cut in the butter.)
- Stir in the cinnamon and chopped apples. Do not over-work the dough.
- Add 1 & 1/4 cups of the buttermilk. Mix until combined and the dough begins to stick together. Add the remaining buttermilk if the dough is too dry.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half, and roll or pat each portion into a 6-inch round about 1 & 1/2 inches thick. Cut each round in half, then cut each half into 3 triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheets.
- Beat together the egg and milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. (You may not need to use all of it.) Then, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from The Foster’s Market Cookbook.
Store scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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18 Comments on “Apple Cinnamon Scones”
These scones look more buttery than the usual doughy triangles I find in coffee shops. Does it break from more traditional scone recipes in any significant way?
You have just given me a perfect brunch recipe for this weekend—thanks! I’m with you, the apple-cinnamon version is always a winner!
Oh my goodness these look so incredibly perfect! Sugary on top and they look wonderfully crisp. Yum!! I love scones! Beautiful photo too.
I have both their cookbooks and love them. So jealous that you went.
Scones look great.
Jessica, this was my first real foray into scone making, so I’m not sure I can really answer your question. I looked around a bit at some other recipes, and this one does seem like it has more butter. Also, the cookbook mentions that a lot of scone recipes use cream or half-and-half, whereas this one uses buttermilk to make them lighter and fluffier.
JEP, I hope you enjoy them!
Ashley, thanks so much!
Peabody, thanks! So far, I love this cookbook. The market itself was wonderful. Maybe you’ll make it there some time!
I love apple and cinnamon together. Your scones look delicious, a real breakfast treat.
Thanks, Katie!
mmm, looks amazing!
Crispy on top but soft inside I bet…these look expertly done. Nothing is better than a great scone, in my opinion. The Pecan version sounds wonderful too!
Thanks, Sara and Cakespy!
Oh, Jen, I’d love to have one (maybe two?) of these now, to go with my tea!
Jennifer, how do you get them so “shinny” on the outside? Egg whites? very interesting, your scones look a lot better than mine, lol.
I LOOOOVEEE Foster’s Market! I’m a student and my friends and I love to go there and sit outside on a sunny spring day during the weekends, the food is great and the atmosphere embodies warm Southern comfort at it’s best!
I love scones and these look delicious. Will be making them this weekend.
It mentions butter milk what exactly does the receipe mean when it says buttermilk?
Look for buttermilk in the dairy section alongside the other milks.
As far as I can think I followed this recipe exactly and I ended up with little hockey pucks – didn’t rise at all and still super raw in the middle even after half an hour of baking.I also realised afterwards that the amount of sugar in the recipe wasn’t anywhere near enough to make them sweet like you would expect.
Maybe I’ve been spoiled but British Scones and this is just a totally different type of food from the towering afternoon tea style scones you get here
Hi, Hazel! I’m sorry to hear the scones didn’t turn out as expected! American scones tend to be a bit denser and less sweet, but you can absolutely adjust the sugar to your taste. If they were raw in the middle, a couple of factors could be at play, like the oven temperature or dough thickness. With your description of how raw they were after half an hour in the oven, I would definitely recommend checking your oven’s temperature accuracy with an oven thermometer. It’s not uncommon for the temperature to be inaccurate.