The double dose of cinnamon in Glazed Cranberry Apple Scones is enough to get anyone out of bed in the morning! Spiced apples and pecans, chewy cranberries and warm cinnamon sugar dripping from buttery scones? Yes, please!
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There are certain foods that just say comfort.
Foods you crave on a cold, rainy evening or on a morning when hard work lies ahead and you need some reassurance.
Foods like creamy baked mac and cheese. Pizza laden with spicy tomato sauce and just the right amount of mozzarella. And, for me at least, crispy buttery scones.
Glazed Cranberry Apple Scones ingredients
You’ll need:
Flour. As always, I prefer King Arthur brand flour.
Brown Sugar. The molasses in brown sugar adds to the caramel flavor of the scones.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda. To help the scones rise. Here’s a well-done explanation of why to use both.
Salt. Adds flavor.
Spices. Cinnamon, ginger + nutmeg are warming and accent the apples and vanilla.
Butter. The recipe is based on unsalted butter, so if you use salted you may want to cut back on the added salt.
Eggs. Helps bind ingredients and give rise. If possible, support local farmers by searching out eggs at the farmers’ market.
Apple. Any variety. I tend to go for tart apples as I like the contrast of sharpness with the sweetness of the cranberries.
Dried Cranberries.
Pecans. Crunch crunch. Substitute walnuts or leave out altogether.
Vanilla Extract. Pricey? Yes. Worth it? YES! It takes only a teaspoon to add the warm comforting flavor of vanilla.
Milk. I prefer to use half and half in my scones. You many also use regular or plant based milk or buttermilk. Buttermilk makes very tender baked goods but might yield a certain tang in your scones!
Powdered Sugar (aka Confectioner’s Sugar). For the glaze.
You’ll also need:
Food processor or pastry cutter
Measuring cups and spoons
how to make cinnamon Glazed Cranberry Apple Scones
- Use very cold butter. Cold butter doesn’t get incorporated into the dough but rather stays in little pieces. When baked, the water in those little pieces releases steam, creating flaky layers and a crisp product.
- Mix gently. When you stir or mix a dough made with wheat flour, gluten develops. In bread this a wonderful thing, but in scones, not so much. For a tender scone, mix very gently and only as much as needed to bring the wet and dry ingredients together into a shaggy dough.
- Chill before baking. Just a short time in the fridge will chill the butter and keep the scones from excess spreading in the oven. The chill time also gives the gluten a chance to relax, resulting in a more tender scone.
- Don’t over-bake. The scones will continue to cook even when pulled from the oven, so take them out when they’re lightly browned around the edges and just firm to the touch.
- Only glaze the scones you’re serving right away. Scones are definitely best when eaten warm (and preferable hot out of the oven!) And since you’ll want to reheat leftover scones, any glaze you’ve applied will melt away in the oven. That’s why it’s best to glaze the scones just before serving them.
recipe notes
do i have to use a food processor?
I use a food processor to quickly cut the butter into the flour, but you can do the same thing manually with one of these methods:
- Pastry cutter (also called a pastry blender). Works great as it’s specifically made for the purpose! It’s what my mom used for all cutting in and what I still use when making biscuits.
- Two knives. Just move regular dinner knives up and down in opposite directions, literally cutting the butter in to the flour.
- Your fingers. Rub the butter into the flour using your thumb and first 2 fingers. Just try to work quickly as your body heat can soften/melt the butter.
what if i don’t have time to chill the dough?
While your scones will still be delicious, they might spread a bit in the oven and/or leak out some of the butter during baking.
Here’s a way to trick yourself into having enough time for a proper chill:
Instead of preheating the oven before mixing the scones, try mixing the scones, sticking the dough in the fridge and THEN preheating the oven!
can i make substitutions?
Yes, you can!
- In place of apples use chopped pears, peaches or shredded carrots. (When using wetter fruits like peaches you may need to reduce the milk.)
- Substitute dried cherries, blueberries, golden raisins, coconut, apricots or mangoes.
- No pecans? Use walnuts, almonds or any other nut you have. Or leave them out altogether.
how to store cinnamon glazed cranberry apple scones
Cool the scones completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Don’t put your scones in the fridge as it will dry them out.
how to freeze scones
Again, make sure the scones are completely cool. Then place in single layers in freezer bags, remove as much air as possible and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let defrost in the bag, then transfer to a baking sheet and heat in the oven.
Cinnamon Glazed Cranberry Apple Scones
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Mixing Bowl
- Dough scoop
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
Scones
- 2¾ cups all purpose flour King Arthur is my favorite
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ½ cup butter, COLD 1 stick
- 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped ½" pieces
- ½ cup dried cranberries substitute golden raisins or dried cherries
- ½ cup chopped pecans substitute walnuts
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk regular, buttermilk or plant based
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
To Make Scones
- Put flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in the bowl of the food processor and whirl to blend.
- Cut the butter into 8 or so pieces, add to the food processor. (If you're using pecans or walnuts and need them chopped, add along with the butter.) Pulse 12 times to cut in the butter and chop the nuts.
- Pour mixture into a largish mixing bowl. If there are any large chunks of butter just smoosh them into the flour with your fingers. Add the apples, cranberries and nuts if you didn't chop them in the previous step.
- Crack the eggs into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add vanilla, then add milk until the mixture reaches the 1-½ cups mark. (This will be about ¾ cup.) Whisk together well.
- Add the egg mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold in gently with a rubber spatula to combine. If you see a lot of flour in the bottom of the bowl after you've stirred a few times you can add a little more milk to make a dough that's moist but not wet.
- Chill the dough for about 30 minutes if you have the time. This step is optional but will greatly improve your scones!
- Scoop dough onto a parchment lined cooky sheet. This recipe makes about 12 scones using a 2 ounce scoop. If you don't have a scoop use a spoon to plop the dough onto the tray.
- Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes until nicely browned.
While the scones are baking make the glaze:
- In a glass measuring cup whisk together all glaze ingredients, adding more milk as needed to make it pourable.
Now back to the scones:
- When scones are golden brown and cooking time is up, remove from the oven and immediately top with Cinnamon Glaze, dividing it equally between the scones.
If you're not serving them right away:
- If you're not serving the scones right away, don't glaze them. Instead, let them cool completely on a wire rack before placing in plastic bags for freezer storage. When you're ready to serve, let the scones come to room temperature in the bag then place on baking sheet in a 375° oven til hot. Make and top with the Cinnamon Glaze as above.
Notes
- Peeled and chopped pears would be nice with dried blueberries and pecans. Make a Vanilla Glaze by just leaving out the cinnamon.