Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Scones Recipe
To get a great scone, you need a tender, flaky interior and a crunchy top. This recipe gets you there with two key techniques: using very cold butter for flakiness and grating apple directly into the dough for moisture. A coarse sugar crust provides the essential crunch.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 2 large, firm-tart apples (like Granny Smith), peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk or cream, for brushing
- Coarse sugar (like turbinado), for topping
Mix the Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, both sugars, baking powder, salt, and all the spices.
Cut in the Butter
Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to quickly cut the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
Working quickly and keeping the butter cold is critical; those solid pieces will create steam pockets as they melt, making the scones flaky.
Combine the Dough
Add the grated apple to the bowl and toss with a fork to distribute it evenly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour this over the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until a sticky, shaggy dough begins to form. Do not overmix. The dough will be wet.
Shape and Bake the Scones
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead it a few times until it just comes together. If it’s too sticky to handle, add a little more flour.
Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick round. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the round into 8 wedges.
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk or cream and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar.
Bake for ~20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let them cool on the pan for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack. These are great warm, but the flavors meld and improve if you let them sit for a few hours.
Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, very cold and cubed
- 2 large like Granny Smith, firm-tart apples , peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Milk or cream for brushing
- Coarse sugar like turbinado, for topping
Method
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, salt, and spices in large bowl.
- Cut cold butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces.
- Toss grated apple into mixture.
- Combine buttermilk and vanilla, pour over flour mixture. Stir until shaggy dough forms.
- Turn onto floured surface, knead gently until just combined.
- Pat into 1-inch thick round, cut into 8 wedges.
- Transfer to baking sheet, brush tops with milk, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on pan 5 minutes before transferring to rack.
