Description
Salted Caramel Apple Scones are my favorite fall bake! Flaky, tender, bursting with sweet apples and gooey caramel. A truly comforting treat for any morning.
Ingredients
Scale
- Scone Base:
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cold buttermilk
- Apple & Caramel Core:
- 1 large apple (Gala or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (120ml) salted caramel sauce, divided
- Finishing Touches:
- 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)
- Optional Swirl:
- Extra salted caramel sauce, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients:: Grab a big bowl, the biggest one you have, because things are about to get messy in the best way! Whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Make sure it’s all nicely combined; you don’t want pockets of just baking powder in there. I always give it a good, enthusiastic whisk, like I’m trying to solve a kitchen mystery. This step feels simple, but it sets the stage for everything, honestly. It should look like a soft, fluffy cloud of dry goodness.
- Cut in the Cold Butter:: Now for the butter! My secret (and sometimes my nemesis) is really cold butter. Cut it into small cubes and add it to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender, your fingertips, or even a food processor if you’re feeling fancy. You’re aiming for pea-sized crumbs, with some larger, bean-sized bits still visible. Don’t overwork it, though! I once kept going, thinking ‘smaller is better,’ and ended up with a greasy mess instead of flaky layers. Your hands should barely touch the butter to keep it cold.
- Add Apples & Caramel:: Toss in your finely diced apples and the ground cinnamon. Give it a gentle mix to distribute them. Then, drizzle in about half of your salted caramel sauce. Use your hands to lightly, *gently* work the caramel and apples into the flour-butter mixture. You want to see streaks of caramel, not a fully incorporated dough. This is where the magic happens, the smell of apple and cinnamon starts to emerge, making my kitchen feel so warm and inviting!
- Pour in Buttermilk:: Make a well in the center of your dry mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Now, with a spatula or your hands (my preferred method, mess be darned!), gently mix until just combined. The dough will be shaggy and a bit sticky, and that’s exactly what you want! Resist the urge to knead it like bread; overmixing develops gluten, and we’re after tender, crumbly scones, not tough ones. This is where I have to remind myself to step away sometimes!
- Shape the Scones:: Turn the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a round disc, about 1-inch thick. Don’t press too hard, we want to keep those butter pockets intact. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the disc into 8 wedges, like a pizza. This is my favorite part because you start to see the individual scones taking shape, and sometimes a little bit of caramel peeks out, which is a happy accident.
- Bake & Finish:: Carefully transfer your wedges to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with your egg wash and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Pop them into a preheated oven (check the recipe card for temperature!). Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 18-22 minutes. They’ll smell incredible! Once out, let them cool a bit on a wire rack, then drizzle with the remaining salted caramel sauce. The smell is honestly intoxicating, a mix of buttery pastry, sweet apples, and that rich caramel. Pure bliss!