Name: Apple Cinnamon Scones with Maple Bourbon Glaze
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 36 min
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 Tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (cubed and cold); 1 cup chopped apple ((about ¾ of a medium sized apple)); 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; ½ cup unsweetened applesauce; 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon bourbon whiskey

These easy apple cinnamon scones made with fresh apple and applesauce and drizzled with maple bourbon glaze are a must for cozy fall mornings!

Angled view of glazed apple scones with a sliced apple and cinnamon sticks on brown parchment paper.

When temperatures begin to dip and apple season rolls around there's no better recipe to bake than these apple cinnamon scones!

This easy scone recipe sits atop my list of favorite fall bakes. The dough is quick and easy to make and packed with apple flavor thanks to fresh chopped apple and applesauce. Nutmeg and allspice enhance the cinnamon spice flavor, and don't even get me started on the three ingredient maple bourbon glaze!

These scones package up the best flavors of fall flavors into one scrumptious breakfast treat.

Oh and bonus: your house will smell incredible while they're baking!

And if you're curious to try even more spiced apple breakfast treats, don't miss my apple cinnamon coffee cake made with sour cream so it's extra moist and tender!

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Special Equipment
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Allison's Top Tips
Storage Instructions
More Apple Recipes
Recipe
Comments

Why This Recipe Works

It doesn't take much to make these easy apple scones taste delicious! Just a bit of chopped apple and some ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice) give these scones incredible fall flavor.

This recipe also uses a special ingredient - okay, I'll tell you, it's applesauce - to create a dough that's perfectly moist every time. No dry, tasteless scones here!

Another trick for achieving the perfect texture is to freeze the scones for 30 minutes before baking. This serves two purposes:

By chilling the fat (butter) within the dough before baking, you'll get scones with a flakier texture.
Chilling the dough also relaxes the gluten in the flour, which will give the scones a more tender texture and improve their rise.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.

Recipe ingredients with labels on a white surface.

Unsalted Butter - Cutting cold butter into the dough helps to create a lightly flaky dough. It's the same idea as using cold butter in pie crust.

Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Allspice - Warming spices add essential fall flavor to these scones. For the most robust flavor, check the expiration dates on your spices to ensure they're fresh.

Apple - A chopped apple adds delicious apple flavor and texture to the scones. I recommend using a Honeycrisp apple (or a similarly flavorful and firm apple) that will retain some of its crunch when baked.

Unsweetened Applesauce - Applesauce adds moisture and an extra dose of apple flavor to the dough.

Maple Syrup - Just a little bit of syrup gives the glazes an incredible maple flavor. For the best flavor without any filler ingredients, opt for pure maple syrup.

Bourbon - A tiny bit of bourbon adds a hint of sophisticated flavor to the glaze. Feel free to substitute a similar style of whiskey - or replace the whiskey with an equal measure of vanilla extract - if you prefer.

Special Equipment

In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and whisk), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.

A pastry cutter, for cutting the butter into the flour mixture. You can also use the tines of two forks.
A pizza cutter, bench knife, or chef's knife, for slicing the scone dough into triangles.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.

Dry ingredients whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: Make the scone dough. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices.

Pastry cutter with cold butter cut into flour mixture in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2: Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until crumbly.

Chopped apple stirred into flour mixture in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 3: Stir in the chopped apple.

Wet ingredients whisked together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 4: Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.

Scone dough in a glass mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Step 5: Pour the applesauce mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is moistened throughout.

Scone dough cut into 6 triangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 6: Divide the dough in half and place each half on a baking sheet lined with parchment and sprinkled with flour. Gently flatten each mound of dough into a circle roughly 6 inches across and 1 inch thick. Slice each circle into 6 wedges.

Six triangles on scone dough separated on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 7: Gently lift each wedge and separate them from one another on the baking sheet. Freeze the unbaked scones for 30 minutes.

Step 8: Bake the scones at 425°F for about 16 minutes or until golden brown.

Maple glaze in a glass mixing bowl with a metal whisk.

Step 9: Make the glaze. Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup, and bourbon.

Baked scones drizzled with glaze on a metal baking sheet.

Step 10: Drizzle glaze over scones before serving.

Allison's Top Tips

For the best texture, keep the butter cold. Be sure the butter is well chilled when cutting it into the flour mixture, and don't skip freezing the scones before baking.

Be careful not to overwork the dough, which will make the scones dense instead of tender. When adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix the dough just until moistened throughout. When shaping the scones, avoid overworking the dough.

Angled view of a bitten apple scone on a speckled plate surrounded by more scones and a sliced apple.

Storage Instructions

Scones are best when served immediately, but leftovers will keep for up to 3 days stored at room temperature in a covered (but not airtight) container. Leave the lid of the food storage container unsealed to allow a tiny it of air in, which keeps the scones from becoming overly moist without drying them out.

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