Caramel Apple Scones

Here is the most delicious recipe for scones:  Caramel Apple Scones

Watch the video showing you how to make these scones, then you can print out the complete recipe to make these at home!

Caramel apples aren’t a big deal in my house for a few very-good-reasons. Personally, I can’t seem to get behind the idea that biting into a round and sticky surface is somehow going to work out all right.  My son isn’t allowed to bite into anything hard with his front teeth since he knocked part of his tooth out with a baseball bat last year. The caramel would latch onto that temporary tooth and suck it right out of his mouth. And my husband just isn’t into getting messy at all.

I had to compromise with a fall caramel apple treat that would please everyone in my house- these Caramel Apple Scones.  They are a tender scone flanked with fresh cinnamon apples, and there’s a caramel icing drizzled generously on top.

Here’s all you need for this recipe.  And here’s how you make them:

First things first: prepare the apples.  Cook them in a little butter until they are softened, mix in cinnamon, and let them cool.

Next:  prepare the scone dough. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

Add cold chunks of butter and mix it again…

…until rough crumbs form.

Stir in Greek vanilla yogurt and your spiced apples.

On a floured surface, form the scone dough roughly into a 14 x 4-inch flattened log.  Use a sharp knife to cut triangles (you’ll get 11 or 12).

Gently pull the triangles apart and set them on a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet in the same shape, leaving about 1/2-inch between scones.

When they bake, they’ll have some room to spread and crowd into each other, as pictured.

After cooling for a few minutes, use a knife to coax them apart and move them to a rack over a baking sheet.

Next: make the caramel icing.  Melt butter, add brown sugar and milk.  Stir, then transfer to a bowl.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar, and beat with an electric mixer until it turns creamy.

Drizzle the caramel icing onto the warm scones.  As much or as little as you want.

I went for “much” drizzle, of course.

And then you can enjoy them for breakfast… with coffee or tea or hot chocolate.  Revel in the fact that you can eat them without getting a face full of sticky caramel and apple juices dripping down your chin, unless you like that sort of thing.

Click below to watch a short video showing you how to make these scones, then scroll to the bottom to print out the complete recipe.

Print Recipe

Caramel Apple Scones

Yield: 11 or 12 scones

Prep Time:30 minutes

Cook Time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

APPLES:

• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 large Gala or Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

SCONE DOUGH:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt (choose a creamy variety- nonfat is fine)

CARAMEL ICING:

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
2. Prepare the apples: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples- stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until apples are softened. Stir in the cinnamon and set the apples aside to cool (or to speed up the cooling process, remove them from the heated pan and into a bowl).
3. Prepare the scone dough: In the bowl of a mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and mix again until coarse crumbs form (you can also do this step in a food processor). Stir in the yogurt and apples until the dough comes together (it will be dry, so you may need to eventually use your hands). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form roughly a 14 x 4-inch flattened log. Use a sharp knife to cut triangle-shaped scones (11 or 12). Gently pull the triangles apart and set them on your prepared baking sheet in the same rectangular shape, leaving about 1/2-inch between scones. When they bake, they'll have some room to spread and crowd into each other.
4. Bake the scones: Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are cooked through and no longer doughy in the middle. Let the scones cool for a few minutes, then gently coax them apart with a knife and move them to a rack over a baking sheet.
5. Ice the scones: In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool the mixture slightly. Stir in the vanilla and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more powdered sugar for desired consistency. Drizzle icing over warm scones.

Tips:

• These scones are best eaten the day they're made, but they're perfectly good eaten the next day too (keep them in a covered container).
• If you'd like to make these the night before, that's totally okay- keep them in a covered container. But add the icing in the morning, just before serving.
• For creamy Greek yogurt, I like to use Oikos or Voskos.

SOURCE: RecipeGirl.com

Here are a few more recipes for scones that you might enjoy:

• Summer Strawberry Scones by The Little Epicurean
• Cinnamon Bun Scones by Recipe Girl
• Cape Cod Blueberry Scones by RecipeBoy
• Berry Scones by Recipe Girl