As you might imagine, St. Patrick’s Day in the Cassidy household is a Big Deal. Us Cassidy’s aren’t that crazy about corned beef and cabbage though. For us, St. Patrick’s Day is a time for shamrocks and limericks, Irish tea and green milk, and, of course, baking! This year I am making our favorite Irish Apple Cream Scones in honor of the Cassidy family women and the recipes they made on St. Patrick’s Day.
Apple Cream Scones and Tea
“laughter is brightest where food is best”
The Cassidys are a traditional Irish Catholic family that likes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. So here are some fun St. Patrick’s Day facts:
- St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland
- He was born in 387 ce and died March 17, 461 ce
- St. Patrick was captured by pirates when he was 14 and taken to Ireland
- He used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity
- He preached and converted Ireland for 40 years
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Scones are my favorite pastry. The perfect scones should be slightly sweet with buttery golden tops that are tender and moist inside with crumbly edges. Add in some spices, fruit or nuts and I am in scone heaven. This is what you get with this Apple Scone recipe and it is truly the easiest scone recipe you can make.
Why apple scones? Because apples were one of the most prevalent fruits in Ireland. Today, I am using Pippin apples, but your favorite apple will be just as delicious.
Making scones is very easy. For this recipe, the scone dough goes directly into the baking pan, so no kneading, rolling or cutting of the dough is required.
Recipe ingredients:
- Flour – I use unbleached AP flour
- Baking Powder – this is what makes scones rise
- Salt – just a little bit adds flavor
- Butter – this is a scone’s main ingredient and what makes the scones moist and tender
- Cream – adds a nice flavor and is my preference over buttermilk
- Egg – binds the ingredients, adds moisture and gives a richer taste
- Sugar – I prefer white sugar here to let the flavor of the apples shine
- Apples – Pippin apples are tart and taste great in these scones but feel free to use your favorite
What are scones?
Many countries have their own variations of scones. There’s British, Scottish, Irish and American. Each uses different amounts of fat to flour. Some are barely sweet while others are highly sweetened.
Scones are a quickbread that uses baking powder as the leavening agent. No yeast is required.
Sweet or savory scones are perfect for breakfast or afternoon teas and snacks.
Scones are more of a biscuit-like pastry that are cut in circles, squares or wedges. However, scones are not a biscuit since most scones are made with sugar and egg. If you want to make biscuits, try this One Hot Oven recipe for Easy Homemade Biscuits.
When baked, scones should be moist inside and the outer crust golden brown with crumbly edges.
How to make homemade scones with apples
Remember I said this is the easiest scone recipe. That’s half the reason these are my favorite. So grab a bowl, two knives or a pastry blender, and a wooden spoon.
Baking tips
- Cut cold butter into very small cubes and freeze while you are prepping the other ingredients.
- Keep the cream in the refrigerator until ready to pour into the dough so it stays cold.
- Cut the pieces of apple into small cubes so they bake evenly and the small pieces make cutting the scones easier.
- When making scones, try not to overmix or handle the dough too much. You want the dough to stay cold and overworking the dough will make the scones dense and tough.
Apple scone recipe
Step 1. Cut the butter into small cubes and chill.
Step 2. Cut the apples into slices and then cut the slices into sticks then cut into small cubes.
Step 3. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to a large bowl.
Step 4. Next, cut in the cold cubed butter into the flour mixture. I like using two knives but a pastry blender works well too. When using the knives just criss-cross them to cut the butter into very small pieces the size of peas.
Step 5. Mix the cream and egg together and add to the flour/butter mixture and lightly mix until the flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms. This is the step where you don’t want to overmix the dough.
Step 6. Before the flour is totally incorporated, add the diced apples and continue to mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 7. For these scones, the batter is going right into the baking pan. I use a 9″ pie plate. You can also use a 9″ cake pan. Once your dough is formed turn it out into the baking dish.
Step 8. Gently pat down the dough into the baking pan then bake at 450 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
Step 9. When the scones are done, brush with melted butter and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.
Step. 10 Let cool slightly and cut the scones into wedges.
What could be better than freshly baked homemade scones that are tender and buttery?
Irish Cream Scones with Apples
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with my favorites
The Irish Wreath Monogrammed Tea Towel is perfect to give as a gift along with a batch of these Irish Apple Cream Scones. If you like celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, baking your scones in a lovely green pie plate adds to the celebration. Tea and scones are a classic and Taylors of Harrogate Irish Breakfast Tea is a favorite.
More scone tips
- These scones can be made ahead. Put the dough in the pie pan and store for up to a day in the fridge before baking.
- Once baked, you can cut these scones into wedges and freeze them. When ready to eat remove from the freezer and let defrost on the counter for a few hours.
- To reheat scones place on a paper towel and place in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, or in the oven at 300 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
If you love scones here are other One Hot Oven scone recipes to enjoy
Orange Cranberry Scones with Sweet Orange Topping
Blueberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze
Chocolate Chip Peppermint Scones
Irish Apple Cream Scones
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups AP flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, cubed and chilled
- 2/3 cups cream
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Apple, cut into small cubes Pippin, Granny Smith, Gala
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° f. Grease an 8" pie plate or 8" cake pan
- Cut the 6 tablespoons of butter into small cubes and chill until ready to use
- Cut the apple into wedges and then cut the wedges into strips then into small cubes and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the cold cubed butter to the flour mixture and toss with a fork. Next, cut the butter into the flour using two knives or a pastry cutter. If using two knives just criss-cross the knives to cut the butter into small pieces.
- Mix the cream and egg together then pour this mixture into the flour/butter mixture and lightly mix. Next, add the cubed apples to the mixture and continue mixing until the flour is incorporated and turns into a soft dough.
- Turn the dough into the prepared baking pan and pat down. Chill the dough in the pie plate for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. If the top is getting too brown cover it with a piece of foil and continue baking until done.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and when the scones are done brush the butter over the top of the baked scones and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
- The scones cool slightly then cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Homemade Apple Scones
If you are looking for something delicious for an afternoon tea or an Irish dessert these scones are perfect to serve.
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I thought scones are hard to make but this recipe looks easy and delicious. Should I need Pie plate to make this or will normal cake pan works?
These scones can be baked in any baking dish and can also just be put directly on a cookie sheet and baked that way too.
You have some great scone recipes! These apple ones are really up my street. I love all kinds of cakes with apples!
Making scones is one of my favorite pastries to make and my family loves them.
These look delicious and must smell wonderful when baking. Going to see if I can make a gluten-free version with apples.
I’m a huge fan of scones but never tried any with apples. These look so good and love that they can be made ahead!
I like putting apples in the scones since they bake up nicely. Sometimes other fruits discolor the dough or make it soggy.
I never tried irish apple cake, but this looks so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
The perfect St. Paddy’s day scone, these look delish and simple to make too! Thanks so much for sharing will be making these for sure 🙂
This looks amazing! My daughter loves scones so it would be fun to try this recipe and bake it together!
This is definitely a kid-friendly recipe. Both my kids like to make these scones since they don’t have to roll out the dough.
That looks incredible. I have some dulce de leche that is just screaming to be drizzled on top. Must make!