Brown Sugar and Spiced Apple Scones with Salted Maple Glaze

I have a special relationship with scones… they are my baking solace. By that I mean, they are my go to in times of need…

If it’s been a long-ass day or I find myself in a vicious circle of overthinking myself to death, and I just need something to ease my mind… You best believe I’m going to bake myself a batch of buttery scones.

Why scones? Because for me, there is just something so calming about the process of working the butter into the flour. I know that sound so specific and probably super strange, but there is just something I find so serene about it. The feeling the butter between my fingers as I gently work it into smaller pieces, taking care to not over work it, and thinking about nothing else in the world but just that – the simple technique in the movement of my hands, the comfort in that familiarity.

In those moments my mind is always still; it’s just me alone with nothing but my mixing bowl lost in a moment and taking so much pleasure in the pure tranquility of knowing in the back of my mind that something buttery and delicious is about to come out of my kitchen… those are the kind of moments that I live for;  Completely frivolous moments of pure and simple bliss.

The other day I needed those kind of moments. I needed to find calm, and so I made scones. I found just what I was looking for in a batch of these apple scones. The only difference this time, is that it wasn’t just me; No this time, I chose to share the moment with you in a live video post on my instagram account.

Normally I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing – because showing myself on live video on social media is quite anxiety inducing for me. But for some reason the other night I felt compelled to do it. I think more than anything I wanted to share how care free baking can be. I know baking can sometimes seem like a very daunting task, so I think I wanted to share how soothing it can be, if you just let it take you there.

So I hope if nothing else, the video brought you a bit of joy, and maybe the next time you are struggling to find a bit of peace, you will remember it, come back here and search for this very recipe, so that you can find a bit of carefree happiness in a batch of apple scones. There really is nothing that would make me happier than that.

Happy baking lovelies <3

KP xoxo

Brown Sugar and Spiced Apple Scones with Salted Maple Glaze

Things you need…

Spiced Apples
1 tbsp butter
2 medium apples, cored and diced
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Brown Sugar Apple Scones
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp maple salt (or regular salt)
2/3 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

Salted Maple Glaze
1 1/ 2 cup icing sugar
2-3 tbsp maple syrup, + more if needed
1 tbsp flaked sea salt (optional)

How to make…

Spiced Apples
Prepare your spiced apples first.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1 tbsp of butter & add the chopped apples to the pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & toss everything to combine. Cook the apples over medium heat, until tender but not mushy  – about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat & set aside to cool completely to room temperature. Once cooled, place in the fridge for at least another thirty minutes.

Scones
While your apples chill in the fridge, prepare your scone dough.

Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg & vanilla. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt, until evenly combined.

Add in your cubes of cold butter and lightly toss to coat each of the butter cubes with the flour mixture. Begin working the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers or with a pastry cutter until most of the butter chunks are the size of peas, with a few larger almond sized chunks. Add the cooled apples and toss to evenly distribute.

Drizzle the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients and use a fork or spatula to gently fold the wet into the dry ingredients until a ragged dough forms.

Turn the ragged dough out onto a cool lightly flour work surface to fold the dough. Gently fold the right half of the dough over onto the left half; repeat this process 3-4 times to create those flaky scone layers!

Now divide your dough into 2 parts. Dust the top of your dough with a bit more flour and gently shape each half into a disk. Use your fingers or a rolling pin to press each disk into a 1 1/2 inch thick disk. Use a sharp knife to cut each disk into 6 equal parts, so you end up with 12 scones in total.

Place the 12 scones onto your prepared baking sheets – 6 per sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Place one tray at a time into the center rack of your oven and bake for 20-23 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tops spring back to your touch. Set the tray on a cooling rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Salted Maple Glaze

Simply whisk 2 tbsp maple syrup, icing sugar & salt together until smooth and creamy – depending on the consistency you may need a touch more maple syrup.

Once the scones have cooled for a few minutes, drizzle with the glaze & sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt. Serve and enjoy!