Lightly sweetened, whole grain apple scones recipe made with fresh grated apple and applesauce, drizzled with an easy caramel glaze. Check out more great recipes on the Best Bread Recipes page!
Apples and caramel is such a great combination. Our family enjoys our fall tradition of apple tasting night with homemade caramel apple dip, as well as drizzling this crumb-topped apple pie with a bit of caramel. So when I was making scones with apples and applesauce, it seemed to be a no-brainer to top them than with a drizzle of caramel.
Um, yessss. After tasting them I briefly thought about calling these apple scones "Double Yum Apple Scones," but in the end decided on a more descriptive title.
Whatever - the only thing that matters is that these ARE totally yummy and even though the photos may look decadent, they aren't too sweet. I known- crazy, huh?
Plus they are made with whole wheat flour, just 1/3 cup of sugar (for 12 pieces) and fresh apples, so you don't need to feel bad about eating them at all. Which you know doesn't ever bother me, because I'm all about moderation and portion control, right?
Double Apple Scones
I adapted these scones from a recipe on the King Arthur Flour site and one thing they recommended was to freeze the dough on the cookie sheet after shaping and before cooking. They've found that this relaxes the gluten and allows for a higher rise and a more tender scone.
So after mixing, shaping, scoring, and sugaring the tops I placed the whole cookie sheet into the freezer for half an hour.
Since I've made scones in the past that came out dry and heavy, I was curious to see if this really did make a difference. These apple scones are wonderfully tender and moist - but still with a scone-like (vs. cake-like) texture - so maybe it's the freezing. Have you tried this technique?
With only 1/3 cup of sugar between the twelve apple scones, this recipe actually benefits from the caramel glaze (if something can benefit from caramel, that is - which obviously I'm in favor of...).
But seriously, when you know how easy it is to make this glaze, you will find yourself adding it to all kinds of goodies: apple pie, bars, and cakes, as well as things like ice cream, cookie bars, and chocolate cakes.
I guess there's no doubts about which side of "to glaze or not" that I'm on. But as with everything you make yourself, tailor it to your tastes and go without the caramel if you want.
But apple scones with a bit of caramel in the fall? That's just a little piece of heaven right there.
Double Apple Scones with Caramel Glaze
Ingredients
Scones:
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar coconut sugar, or sucanat
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup peeled and grated apple about 1 sm. to med. apple
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- milk for brushing the tops
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon optional topping
Easy Caramel Glaze:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk or cream
Instructions
- For the scones:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five scone ingredients and then mix in the butter pieces just until the mixture is crumbly - you will see some larger butter pieces, which is okay. Stir in the grated apple.
- In another bowl combine eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until all the flour is incorporated.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner (or ungreased pan), sprinkle some flour over the center and scrape the dough on top. Pat into a rough circle and divide in half (if it's sticky, sprinkle with a bit of flour). Gently shape each circle into a 5"- 6" round, flouring hands as needed. Use a knife to cut each round into six pieces, flouring knife before each cut.
- Brush the cut rounds with milk (and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar if you're not making the caramel glaze). Place the baking sheet into the freezer, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees while scones are in the freezer.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown (make sure they are baked in the middle - if unsure, pull a section apart to see the center).
- Transfer scones to a rack over a piece of wax paper or another cookie sheet (to catch any caramel drips) and let cool a bit.
- For the caramel glaze:
- While the scones are baking, combine butter, brown sugar, and milk or cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.
- Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, and remove from heat. Set aside to until scones are baked and have cooled 5 to 10 minutes.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the scones and the back of the spoon to spread evenly, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2012 and has been updated with better photos, clearer formatting and printable recipe.
Other Quick Breads You May Like:
Rich Cornbread with Honey Butter
Gluten-Free Lemon-Flaxseed Muffins Sweetened with Honey
Healthy No Fail Zucchini Bread
Lola says
I love that these are made with whole wheat flour and reduced sugar!! I'll be trying them for sure! Quick question, do you think cutting the apple into chunks would work? I think I'd prefer chunks instead of grated apple. And can I add more than 3/4 cup?
Jami says
Sure, you can use cut apples, but I'd keep them more of a dice to help the dough stay together as you shape it.
I think I'd try it with the 3/4 cup and see what the dough is like and then decide if you'd want to add more next time.
Charlotte Moore says
Oh my, these look so yummy. I love apples and cinnamon. They just go hand in hand. HA!! I have only made scones a couple times. These really seem like they would be great.
Jami says
Oh, do make these, Charlotte - I don't think you'll be sorry. 🙂
Teresa says
I just made these with substituting fresh blackberries for the apples and yogurt for the applesauce. Oh my goodness are they delicious:) absolutely the best ever scones I have eaten. Crunchy around the outside and moist & rich inside.. This will be my "go to" scones for ever!!!
Jami says
What a fabulous idea, Teresa!! I'm going to put this adaptation on my list for when the blackberries are in season. 🙂
SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen says
I'm so glad you shared these for the countdown!!! I don't know how I missed them earlier!
Laurie says
I made these today and they are wonderful! Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
Jami says
Thanks for letting us know, Laurie, that you made and enjoyed them - awesome!
Amber says
These look pretty scrumptious.
I have a question. Why are American scones so dense, and shaped like a triangle? The scones I was taught to make look like this
http://www.food.com/recipe/edmonds-scones-98142
The link is to an NZ classic recipe, but it's the standard Commonwealth recipe. They're basically like southern buttermilk biscuits, but made with sweet milk instead of buttermilk and butter instead of lard.
Jami says
Of course you can make scones any way you like, Amber - it's totally up to you! I prefer triangles because I only have to make a large round and then simply cut it rather than cutting out a bunch of circles like biscuits. I also like the softer cut sides of the triangles.
However, if you want to know the history of the scone, it originated in Scotland and does seem to have started as a large griddle-cooked plate-sized cake that was then cut into triangles for serving (here's the wiki page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone). Not that that matters - again, do what you like best. 🙂
Crystal says
I definately going to try these!! My family loves anything with apples. Thanks for the recipe!!
Linda says
These look great Jami and I will try them-thank you
Cindy Amweg says
These scones look simply fabulous! I can't wait to make them 🙂