Irish Apple Cream Scones

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"

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.

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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 apple scone recipe 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, just a bit sweeter. They still have a tartness and a great apple flavor.

Making scones is very easy. For this apple scone 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 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.

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

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.

Don't forget to Pin!

Recipes with fresh apples

Recipe

First published: January 1, 2021, Last updated: December 12, 2022, 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.

  

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