These Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones are the perfect fall dessert! These scones have a simple base recipe with chopped apples and cinnamon chips added for seasonal flare. Then they are drizzled with caramel.
Quick Tips
- Freeze the formed scone dough for 30 minutes prior to baking
- Use cinnamon chips, caramel chips or butterscotch chips for add-ins!
- Brush the scones with heavy cream prior to baking to add some shine to the final bake
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large mixing bowl
- Small mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
- Knife (to cube the cold butter and to cut the scones into the correct shape)
- Cookie sheet (rimmed, half sheet recommended)
- Parchment paper
- Pastry cutter (optional)
- Whisk or fork (for mixing the wet ingredients)
- Pizza cutter (optional, for cutting the scones into their shapes)
- Half sheet pan (smaller is OK, but all scones will fit on this size)
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Butter: salted or unsalted is OK
- Heavy cream: used in the scone dough, for brushing on top before baking and in the caramel topping
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Apples: 1-2, any kind, but a crisper apple is recommended (I like Honeycrisp)
- Cinnamon baking chips: I like these ones, otherwise caramel chips or butterscotch chips work too!
- Caramel baking bits: linked here
Love these Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones? Try these other scone recipes!
- Blueberry Rhubarb Scones
- Raspberry White Chocolate Scones
- Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Scones
- Birthday Cake Scones
- Cinnamon Swirl Scones
How to make Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones
These Caramel Apple Cinnamon scones are very easy to make and require just a few steps.
- Make the scone dough and freeze to set
- Cut into scone shapes and bake
How to make the scone dough
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use the convection bake setting if you have it.
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon) and set aside.
Next, chop the cold butter into small pieces. Use your fingers, forks, or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Any leftover butter chunks shouldn’t be larger than a pea. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (cream, eggs and vanilla extract).
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix together until all of the dry ingredients have been coated to form a dough. *I usually use my hands at the end of mixing to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Fold in the add-ins (cinnamon chips and cubed apples) with your hands or a large spoon.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour the parchment paper.
Next, lightly flour your hands and pick up the dough and place it on the lined cookie sheet. Form the dough into an 8-9 inch circle (about 2 inches thick) using a rolling pin or by just pressing it down with your hands. Sprinkle more flour as you go if necessary.
Place the cookie sheet with the circle of dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.
How to prep and bake the scones
Remove the dough from the freezer and use a knife or a pizza cutter to slice the scone dough into 8 equal pieces.
Evenly space the scones on the large cookie sheet, leaving at least an inch in between each scone. Brush them with heavy cream and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom and edges of the scones are golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before adding the caramel topping.
To make the caramel topping, pour the caramel bits and heavy cream in a medium sized microwave-safe bowl and heat for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth (return to microwave in 30 second increments if the mixture is still lumpy). Drizzle over the scones and enjoy at room temperature!
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Scones
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- small mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- whisk or fork
- silicone spatula
- pastry cutter (optional)
- Cookie sheet (a half sheet size will fit all of the scones)
- pastry brush or spoon (optional)
Ingredients
For the apple cinnamon scones
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (cold, cubed)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cinnamon chips
- 1 cup diced apple (peeled)
For the caramel topping
- ¼ cup caramel bits
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
To make the scones
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon) and set aside.
- Next, chop the cold butter into small pieces. Use your fingers, forks, or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Any leftover butter chunks shouldn't be larger than a pea. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients (cream, eggs and vanilla extract).
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix together until all of the dry ingredients have been coated to form a dough. *I usually use my hands at the end of mixing to make sure everything is well incorporated.
- Fold in the add-ins (cinnamon chips and cubed apples) with your hands or a large spoon.
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour the parchment paper.
- Next, lightly flour your hands and pick up the dough and place it on the lined cookie sheet. Form the dough into an 8-9 inch circle (about 2 inches thick) using a rolling pin or by just pressing it down with your hands. Sprinkle more flour as you go if necessary.
- Place the cookie sheet with the circle of dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and use a knife or a pizza cutter to slice the scone dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Evenly space the scones on the large cookie sheet, leaving at least an inch in between each scone. Brush them with heavy cream and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom and edges of the scones are golden brown.
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before adding the caramel topping.
To make the caramel topping
- Pour the caramel bits and heavy cream in a medium sized microwave-safe bowl and heat for 60 seconds. Stir until smooth (return to microwave in 30 second increments if the mixture is still lumpy). Drizzle over the scones and enjoy at room temperature!
