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Tender scones are studded with pieces of fresh apple and topped with a spiced vanilla glaze. These apple scones are a delightful fall breakfast or afternoon snack.
This time of year, I’m a big fan of apples for breakfast.
Sometimes I get fancy and make things like caramel apple cinnamon rolls or apple cider donuts. Other times, it’s as simple as spreading some of my slow cooker apple butter on a piece of toast and shoving that in my mouth while I get the kids ready in the morning.
These glazed apple scones fall somewhere in the middle. They’re pretty easy to make, but scones always seem fancy, don’t they?
I’ll be snacking on these perfectly spiced scones all autumn long – right until it’s time for cranberry orange scone season!
How to make glazed apple scones
These glazed apple scones are such a perfect fall breakfast or afternoon snack.
I based this recipe on my vanilla bean scone recipe, adding plenty of diced tart apple and a bit of apple pie spice to the tender dough and the vanilla glaze.
Just imagine cozying up with one of these scones and a cinnamon latte or a maple sweet cream cold brew. Hand me a cozy blanket and a full TikTok for you page and I’m set for hours.
Like all of our scone recipes, these apple scones are easy to make and can even be frozen for later. You’re just moments away from tender, flavorful scones!
Ingredients you’ll need
For the apple scones, you will need:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons homemade apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced into small pieces (about 1 cup)
Before you get started, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your scones come out perfect every time.
I like to use frozen butter in this recipe and grate it into the dry ingredients. If you don’t want to go that route, you can simply keep the butter cold in your refrigerator and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter instead.
I like to use vanilla yogurt in this recipe. The lactic acid in the yogurt adds a bit of tanginess to the scones and helps keep them tender.
If you don’t have vanilla yogurt, feel free to use full-fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt. You can add a splash more vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste if you go that route, but you don’t have to.
If you don’t have a granny smith apple on hand, any good baking apple will work! Some other options include golden delicious, jonathan, mcintosh, and jonagolds.
For the spiced glaze, you will need:
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon homemade apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plus 2-3 teaspoons milk
If you’re out of powdered sugar, you can make a powdered sugar substitute to use in this recipe instead.
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To get started with this apple scone recipe, whisk together the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt.
Now use a box grater to to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Once it’s all been grated, use your fingers to work it into the flour mixture until you have something that resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, egg, milk, and vanilla. Add this to the flour and butter mixture.
Use a fork to stir the dough together. Once large clumps form, add in the diced apple.
Using your hands, gently press the dough against the side of the bowl to form a ball. It’ll be sticky at first, but will come together as you work it.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a circle about 7 inches in diamter and about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or dough blade/bench scraper to cut the dough into 8 wedges.
Move the apple scone pieces to a lined baking sheet, placing them about 1 inch apart. Bake at 400°F until golden brown. This will take about 15-17 minutes.
Let the scones cool for about 10 minutes while you whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Once the scones have cooled for a bit, dip the tops into the glaze.
Let the glaze harden for a few minutes before serving.
Storage and freezing tips
Store glazed apple scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you’d like to freeze the scones, you can do that before or after baking.
Before baking, place the cut triangles on a lined baking sheet. Place the sheet pan in the freezer for an hour, or until the scones are frozen through. Place them in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to bake, place as many apple scones as you like on a lined baking sheet from frozen and bake according to the recipe instructions, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time if needed. Glaze as directed.
If freezing after baking, place the glazed and cooled scones in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to a month.
When ready to enjoy, remove an apple scone from the freezer and microwave for 30-60 seconds on a microwave-safe plate to thaw and warm it through.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use plain greek yogurt or sour cream instead of vanilla yogurt. You can add an extra splash of vanilla extract to the scone dough if you like, but you don’t have to.
I recommend using full-fat sour cream if you go that route.
Glazed Apple Scones
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt or sour cream with full fat content
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and diced into small pieces (about 1 heaping cup)
For the glaze:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon plus 2–3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, apple pie spice and salt until combined.
- Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- Using a fork, stir yogurt mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Add in the diced apple. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be pretty sticky at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, powdered sugar, apple pie spice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Whisk until smooth. Add additional milk in small increments until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
