Bake these delicious Irish Apple Cream Scones for a quick and simple breakfast treat or afternoon snack. Serve warm from the oven for a moist and buttery tender scone full of tart apples, and add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top for a crunchy topping that adds just the right amount of sweetness. So good and so easy.
“laughter is brightest where food is best”
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
This page may contain affiliate links; please see my full DISCLOSURE for policy details.
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! In honor of the Cassidy family women and the recipes they made throughout the years, I am sharing Grammy Cassidy’s rustic apple scone recipe for you to enjoy.
The Cassidys are a traditional Irish Catholic family that likes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day; 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
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. This is what you get with this recipe, and it is truly the easiest scone recipe with apples you can make. The delicious smell of apples will bring everyone to your kitchen.
Why apples for Irish scones?
Apples are the perfect fruit to use and were one of the most prevalent fruits in Ireland. Since Irish recipes use simple and inexpensive ingredients, they use lots of fresh apples. I am using Granny Smith apples today, but your favorite apple will be just as delicious.
Pippin apples are similar to Granny Smith apples but are just a bit sweeter. They still have a tartness and a great apple flavor.
Making scones is very easy. For this recipe, the dough goes directly into the baking pan, so no kneading, rolling, or cutting is required.
Apple Scone Recipe ingredients
- Flour – I use unbleached all-purpose 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
- Heavy cream – adds a nice flavor and is my preference over buttermilk for this recipe.
- Egg – adding an egg to scones binds the ingredients, adds moisture and a fluffier texture along with a richer taste.
- Sugar – I prefer using 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. I happen to love tart apples.
- Turbinado sugar – is a crunchy, coarse sugar.
What are scones?
- Many countries have their own variations of scones. There are British, Scottish, Irish, and American scones; 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.
- Scones should be moist inside and have a golden brown outer crust with crumbly edges when baked.
How to make homemade scones
Remember I said this is the easiest scone recipe. So grab a bowl, two knives or a pastry blender, and a wooden spoon.
Scone baking tips
- The secret to tender scones is using cold butter. Cut the butter into tiny cubes and freeze it while you are prepping the other ingredients.
- Keep the cream in the refrigerator until ready to pour into the dough so it stays cold.
- You can substitute buttermilk or whole milk if you don’t have cream.
- Cut the apple pieces into small cubes so they bake evenly. The small pieces also 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 it will make the scones dense and tough.
- Chill the scone dough before baking; you want that butter cold so you get a nice flaky texture.
- Watch your baking time, and don’t overbake them.
Let’s Bake Apple Scones
Step 1. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and keep chilled.
Step 2. On a cutting board, cut the apples into slices, cut the slices into sticks, and cut them into small cubes. Basically, dice the apples.
Step 3. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Next, cut the cold cubed butter into the dry ingredients.
I like using two knives, but a pastry blender works well too. When using the knives, criss-cross them to cut the butter into the flour until the butter is in small pieces the size of peas.
Step 4. Mix the cream and egg and add to the flour/butter mixture. Using a heavy spoon, preferably a wooden spoon, lightly mix to incorporate the cream mixture. Before the dough forms, add the diced apples and continue to mix until the flour is incorporated.
Step 6. For these scones, the batter goes right into the baking dish. I use a 9″ pie plate, but you can also use a 9″ cake pan. Once your dough is formed, turn it out into a greased baking dish.
Step 7. Gently pat down the dough into the baking pan, then bake at 450 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes.
Step 8. When done, brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar or coarse sugar.
Step 9. Let cool slightly, and cut the scones into wedges.
Serve these scones warm from the oven and cut them into nice big wedges. Keep leftover scones in an airtight container for several days.
And here is a scone especially for you using our favorite baking apple.
And, since we are celebrating all things Irish, try this Irish Coffee that tastes exceptionally good with our scones or our favorite Irish Soda Bread.
Variations
- Try using half and half instead of using cream.
- Dried cranberries or raisins add a nice flavor.
- You can make apple cinnamon scones by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.
- Add fresh or candied ginger for Ginger Apple Scones.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with my favorites
- Tea and scones are classics, and Taylors of Harrogate Irish Breakfast Tea is a favorite.
- The Irish Shamrock Tea Towel is perfect to give as a gift, along with a batch of these Irish Apple Cream Scones.
Scone FAQ’s
Make the dough and put it in the baking pan, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to two days. Bake per the instructions.
More scone recipes to enjoy
- Orange Cranberry Scones with Sweet Orange Topping are filled with tart cranberries and lots of sweet orange flavor for a moist and tender scone; these scones are always a favorite.
- Blueberry Lemon Scones with Lemon Glaze has the favorite pairing of lemon and blueberries baked into a delicious golden brown scone with a sweet icing drizzle.
- Sweet Mandarin Orange Scones use this favorite seasonal fruit for a tasty scone.
- Chocolate Chip Peppermint Scones are delicious anytime, but these colorful scones are perfect to serve during the holidays for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert.
If you don’t want to make scones, bake this Apple Cranberry Baked Oatmeal for breakfast, or try this 30-minute Apple Fritter Hawaiian Rolls Sticky Buns recipe. They are super easy to make.
Recipes with fresh apples
Subscribe here for more great recipes, and follow One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes! Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook
Irish Apple Cream Scones
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups AP flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and chilled
- 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 5-6 ounces Apples Pippin, Granny Smith, Gala, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° f. Grease an 8 or 9" pie plate or 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.
- Let the scones cool slightly then cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm.
- These scones will keep for several days. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap.
Notes
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
First published: January 1, 2021. Last updated: December 18, 2024, for better readability.
If you are looking for something delicious for an afternoon tea or an Irish dessert, these apple scones are perfect to serve.
Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog!
Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Do you have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!
About Jere’ Cassidy
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place. I am glad to be sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
These were incredible! I’ve always had problems with scones turning out too dry or crumbly for me but these were super moist and perfect. I added some dried cranberries and my family wolfed them down. going to make some of these to give away to neighbors for Easter.
One thing is these scones are never dry or crumbly, all of the apples make them moist. I’m going to try adding cranberries next time too!
I can’t wait to make this. Last time I made scones was years ago and that was a savory one. I did for them as this article states, keep the dough cold. I even set mine in the freezer for a short period before baking to get really cold.
Can you use almond flour for cluten free
I have not tried using just almond flour in these scones, so I don’t know how the scones would come out. I would suggest using Bob’s Red 1 for 1 Flour for a gluten-free option. I find this flour works well as a replacement for all-purpose flour.
Hope this helps.
Cream Scones are a family favorite. The addition of apple simply took them over the top. My husband is head over heels for them! Thanks for the recipe!
Perfect recipe for my afternoon cup of tea. Loved the texture and flavor of these scones!