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Apple Pie Scones

Apple Pie Scones are buttery, tender, and loaded with fresh apple pie filling. These are easy to make and taste just like fall!

A pile of BIG FAT scones loaded with fresh apples and topped with a buttery streusel. These Apple Pie Scones are sitting atop a cake stand, and you can see the tender cumb of the scones, the crisp baked edges, and a hint of apple pie spice.

These scones are an excuse to slow things down.

Make an extra pot of coffee. Brush buttermilk on things. Stay in sweats until 2:30pm.

Eat Apple Pie Scones for breakfast. Or brunch. Or for snacking. Heck – LET’S JUST GO ALL IN AND DO ALL THREE.

Just kidding, that’s probably excessive, but who am I to judge? Also – don’t judge me if I ate three. ?

What’s the secret to making good scones?

When I started this blog, I was on the quest to make the perfect biscuit. It took me MANY MANY TRIES. I made Apple Biscuits with Honey Butter Glaze and Greek Yogurt Cheddar Biscuits one day when I was feeling like I needed to cut some carb calories.

I finally nailed THE PERFECT BISCUITS when I made The Biggest Fattest Fluffiest All Butter Biscuits (MAKE THEM OMG), and over the course of that journey, I learned a lot about making scones as well. So I have some good tips.

  1. Keep your ingredients COLD. Specifically the butter. Cold butter makes tender scones and biscuits. Refrigerating between each step is my best tip.
  2. DO NOT OVERMIX. It’s the difference between tender and tough. You want scones that are buttery and with a crumb that just pulls right apart.
  3. Use real butter! Always. Butter substitutes are too soft and won’t mix up as well and the flavor is never as good.
A close up of fresh apple pie filling folded into the butter and flour mixture of the scone batter so that you can see the chunky and slightly dry texture before adding the milk.

The Best Apple Pie Filling

I have VERY FEW actual pie recipes published on the site. It’s a flaw. I love pie. I am happy to eat pie. You should totally make this Atlantic Beach Pie.

All my pie-eating (and holiday pie-making) has made me an expert on Apple Pie Filling. So let’s talk about how to make the BEST apple pie filling for these scones.

There were Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cream Pies, which I could ACTUALLY eat my weight in without a shred of remorse. But those aren’t really pies either. They are just cream-filled cookie sandwiches that count as vegetables because there are carrots in them.

We are hurling into pie season full speed ahead, ya’ll. I’ll give you real pies, don’t worry. Because today all we need to worry about is breakfast.

Or brunch. You could call these brunch. You could also call them a snack. And dessert would be quite fitting.

I really like that I can have these at 7 a.m. though, warmed with a hot cup of coffee, and scones don’t warrant early morning judgement or scorn. Try that with a big fat slice of real pie on a plate and see what happens.

When I figure out how to make ice cream acceptable at 7 in the morning you will be the first to know. That’s a promise.

I’m sure that by now you must think I’m a bit bi-polar with my breakfast tendencies. Last week I was all stressed about Kashi labels and high fructose corn syrup and I must have gone off on a cereal tangent, because Rachael reminded me that she needs some toasty warm sugary things in the morning. And frankly, lots of mornings I do, too.

Especially when I look ahead to the craziness that is about to be this week.

We have costumes to finish. The boys are out of school tomorrow which means that for the third day in a row they will be all cute and laughing and giggling rightundermyfeet. They also have complete control of the TV which totally hinders my cleaning abilities. Then we have wrestling practice. Lots of driving. We still need to find a proper location for trick-or-treat. I have to feed us nutritional food sometime in the middle of all this. Oh! And let’s not forget Evan’s cookie requests for school.

Apple Pie Scones. Pie for breakfast. No apologies.

fall scones
Yield: 8 scones

Apple Pie Scones

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Made with fresh apples and spiced like the best apple pie, these Apple Pie Scones are buttery, full of flavor, and perfect for autumn!

Ingredients

For the Apple Pie Filling

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Scones

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, plus a bit more for brushing over the scones before baking

For the Streusel Topping

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly.
  2. In a medium bowl stir together the chopped apples, light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, lemon zest, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Cut in the cold butter until coarse crumbs are formed.
  5. Fold in the apple pie filling. In a liquid measuring cup stir together the beaten egg, vanilla, and buttermilk. Pour the liquid into the buttery crumb/ apple mixture and mix until JUST combined. DO NOT OVER-MIX or the scones will be tough.
  6. Turn the scone dough out onto a well floured surface and with floured hands knead 4 or 5 times. The dough will be wet and pretty sticky.
  7. Pat it into a circle, 7-8 inches across, 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut the circle like a pie: in half, then in quarters, and finally into eight pieces. Using the flat side of a knife gently scrape and lift each triangle from the work surface, and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them each a couple of inches apart. Brush the scones with buttermilk.
  8. Cut together the streusel topping ingredients ( 3 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup flour, 3 Tbsp brown sugar) until you have nice buttery crumbles. Sprinkle the crumbles over the top of each scone.
  9. Bake for 18-22 minutes; a toothpick inserted into the center of the scones will come out clean and the tops will be a pretty golden color.
  10. Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Scones are best eaten the same day, with plenty of hot coffee or tea.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 403Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 304mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 7g

Lemon Pie Ice Cream - Sugar Dish Me

Friday 15th of August 2014

[…] I have this problem with pie recipes where I tend to turn pie-flavored things into other desserts. Like these. Or these. Or this. […]

Meenakshi

Friday 14th of December 2012

Oh these look so inviting...I have never eaten a scone, you know? I really should make some.

Heather

Saturday 15th of December 2012

NEVER eaten a scone? Whaaaaa?! You should make some! Scones are perfect with coffee or tea. Bready and sweet... like dessert in the morning, but totally acceptable.

Double Chocolate Almond Biscotti | Sugar Dish Me

Wednesday 5th of December 2012

[...] also love the baked goods that go with coffee – scones, muffins, donuts – so it would stand to reason that my first batch of cookies this Christmas [...]

thepinkrachael

Tuesday 30th of October 2012

I am entirely jealous of your morning, and grateful for a proper breakfast! Haha! when I was little I used to eat the craziest things for breakfast, and my mum just went along with it to make sure I'd actually eaten something! one morning...vegetable soup (at like 7 am before school) and another, guess what....oh yeah, ice cream for breakfast!

Sugar Dish

Tuesday 30th of October 2012

My mom has just revealed to me that my little brother eats ice cream for breakfast so that he can gain weight. And to you both I reply, "No freaking fair!!!" Proper breakfast, indeed.

hopefuladdict

Monday 29th of October 2012

Um best day ever!!! God I want to hang out at your house lol I seriously want to be your kid hahahahahahaha These without a doubt look completely sinful!!! I LOVE SCONES!!!! I don't think they qualify as a pie because pie by definition means I'd only eat once slice...I WOULD EAT ALL OF THESE...that apple shot was like drool central lol YUMMY!!!

Sugar Dish

Tuesday 30th of October 2012

So listen... you can't be my kid because we are basically the same age. BUT!!! You can hang out here. There are scones some days. Cupcakes on others. I think it's kinda great.

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