Salted Caramel Apple Cinnamon (Print)

Tender scones with apples, cinnamon, and buttery salted caramel glaze—perfect for breakfast or a cozy snack.

# Ingredients:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Cold Ingredients

06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

→ Fruit

07 - 1 cup peeled, diced apple (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Salted Caramel Glaze

11 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 1/4 cup heavy cream
14 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
03 - Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
04 - Gently fold in the diced apples.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract.
06 - Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
07 - Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick circle, approximately 8 inches wide.
08 - Cut into 8 wedges and place on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart.
09 - Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra heavy cream.
10 - Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and set. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
11 - While scones cool, prepare the salted caramel glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt sugar until it turns amber, swirling the pan occasionally (do not stir). Add butter and whisk until melted. Slowly add cream, whisking constantly (the mixture will bubble vigorously). Remove from heat and stir in sea salt. Let cool slightly.
12 - Drizzle the warm caramel glaze over the cooled scones. Optionally, sprinkle with additional sea salt.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Perfectly balanced flavors of sweet apples, warm cinnamon, and salted caramel
  • Uses basic baking ingredients you likely have on hand
  • Creates impressive bakery quality scones with minimal effort
  • Makes your kitchen smell absolutely heavenly
02 -
  • The key to flaky scones is keeping all ingredients cold until baking
  • Can be prepared ahead and frozen unbaked for fresh scones anytime
  • The caramel glaze will harden slightly as it cools, creating the perfect texture
03 -
  • After baking hundreds of batches of these scones over the years, I've discovered a few secrets that make all the difference. Chilling the shaped scones in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking helps maintain those beautiful layers.
  • When making the caramel, use a light colored saucepan if possible so you can easily monitor the color change.
  • And finally, don't rush the cooling process before glazing or you'll end up with caramel that slides right off your beautiful scones instead of creating that perfect drizzled finish we're aiming for.