Apple Scones
Soft and tender scones Apple Scones are filled with bits of apple and spices- a perfect treat for any time of the day!
When I posted the Apple Turnovers on Saturday, I promised that I would be delivering again soon on apple goodies. So without further ado, here are today’s treat: Apple Scones! If you loved that the Apple Turnovers are light and flaky, you will adore that these scones are the other side of the pastry coin. These scones are still light and full of flavor, but they are denser than the turnovers and have bits of apple throughout the pastry. While both will fill you up quite well, the pastry part of the scones allows for more of the flavor to shine throughout. You also can expect apple bits in every bit, so apple fans rejoice!
I made these on Saturday and within the day four were gone. That might not seem impressive until I explain that 2 of my roommates were gone this weekend, leaving 1 other roommate and Efrain to eat these. It is safe to say that these were well enjoyed!
As a side note, I made these during a break from my homework. A baking Kiley is a happy Kiley :) I am also very happy that I finally ran for the first time in over a month last night! Efrain went with me, and although I have a way to go before I can get back to where I was before our vacation, slowly but surely I will get there!
If you have no idea what I am talking about (mentioned here)- while Efrain and I were in South Carolina with his parents I was stung by jellyfish on the last full day we were there. That was over 4 weeks ago, and I am still healing from it. Long story short, I got an infection from when I was stung and I had to be on medication and bed rest for awhile.
All of that has finished up, but it means I have not run since August 16. Over a month of no running when I had finally reached running 2 ¼ miles a day. So I am super excited to be back to running, and after all, running more means I can bake and eat more, right? Let’s go with that theory ;)
P.S. More baking means more fall treats!!! Are you excited? Fall baking is officially in full swing now that it is fall as of Saturday, and that means apple and pumpkin galore! Which do you prefer- or do you love both? Either way, you cannot go wrong with all of the delicious treats coming your way. But for those who are not fans of apple and pumpkin (its ok, you don’t have to tell anyone else), Efrain and I will still be posting other amazing dishes for you to try. Just expect a lot more apple and soon pumpkin recipes for the next while :)
Apple Scones:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 Granny Smith (or other) apples, diced*
Milk, for brushing on top (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Take the stick of butter and cut it into large pieces, then dice it into smaller pieces. Put this into a small bowl in the freezer.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Add the frozen diced butter to this, and use your fingers or a spatula to mix around, making sure that all of the butter pieces are coated in the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, sour cream and the egg. Add this to the butter/flour mixture, and use a spatula or dough scraper to barely combine.
Add in the diced apple to the still wet-looking dough and combine until a more cohesive dough forms.
Once the dough seems to be coming together but you can still see the bits of butter, turn it onto a floured surface. Pat the dough into a circle and cut into slices like a pizza; you can also shape the dough into a square or rectangle to make triangles.
When the dough has come together and has been cut, place each scone onto a baking sheet. You can leave the scones as they are or brush the tops with milk before baking.
Bake the scones for 18-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Scones are best enjoyed the first day- after 48 hours they can get dry.
*If you dice the apples ahead of time, pour some lemon juice over them and stir it onto the apples so that they do not brown before baking.
**This recipe is a Rooks to Cooks original. The photographs are copyright Rooks to Cooks and may not be used without permission.
Posted on 9/22/14 by Kiley