Orchard News and Chews

Double Apple Scones

Posted on November 21, 2017 Updated on December 13, 2017

Scones. How my world has been brightened by the advent of these crusty, crumbly versatile treats. There are the hearty, oatsy varieties, developed to stick to your ribs as you trek out on the cold, windy Scottish Highlands for a tryst with your ain wee bonnie laddie. There are Irish scones and Dutch scones. Then there are the delicate golden types that you eat daintily, spreading them with clotted cream and blackberry jam while crooking your pinkie as you drink your tea out of beautiful bone china teacups and pretend that you are in the presence of M’Lady England. Yes, mum. I love them all. They each have their place in my multicultural world.

For breakfast, I tend to go for the heartier kinds of scones. I want one that will hang in there until noon; one that I can break off and savour with my freshly ground and brewed coffee while watching the birds flitting about on my feeder.

When I came across this recipe, I was intrigued because it uses applesauce as the liquid ingredient instead of the usual cream, as well as fresh apple chunks. Since applesauce is part of our heritage every bit as much as my long, swinging braids were in my childhood, my eyes perked up at the notion of including it. I expected the scones to be missing their crusty exterior because of the applesauce, but they still had it. Jackpot! It stayed in my file.

Here are a few tips about scone-making that I have learned and will pass on to you. (Yeah, don’t mention it. I’m just nice that way.) As always, click or hover on the images for descriptions and captions.

1. Use well-chilled butter and grate it. This can be done by freezing it for 30 minutes, or using butter that has been kept in the fridge. This saves the step of cutting it in with a pastry blender. Handy-dandy! I made a double batch here because I like to give things like this as gifts.

The key ingredients

I still used my pastry blender to mix the butter in, but i didn’t have to cut it in.

Dry mixture and wet mixture

2. Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients until it starts to hang together in clumps, then tip the mass out onto a heavily floured surface, and knead about 10- 15 turns, just until it forms a ball shape. Divide the ball in two and flatten each half into a 7″ by 3/4″ thick circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and place them on a tray, leaving 1/2″ in between the scone wedges. 

Stir just until it begins to cling together.

After kneading

Rolled and cut

3. Freeze the scones after cutting into pieces and bake them from the frozen stage. The freezing actually relaxes the gluten and causes them to puff up more. This is a huge time-saver; just pull them out of the freezer the morning you want to serve them and bake them. Oh joy, oh bliss! Fresh scones, just like that.

Ready for the freezer; notice the space between each scone to allow for expansion.

Frozen and ready to bake

Baked and ready for consumption

I used my homemade applesauce (remember? it’s part of my heritage) but we do also sell a great home-style unsweetened applesauce at Martins, made with our very own apple supply. 

For this recipe I used the ever-popular Cortland. Its red, streaky skin and pure white flesh make it great for sauces and baked goods, as well as eating out of hand. It has a wonderful old-fashioned flavour that evokes memories of apples stored under blankets in our cold cellar at home. 

How do you pronounce the word “scones”? Well, apparently you may pronounce it whichever way you choose: skahns, skones, or skoons. Take your pick. I pronounce them skahns, because that’s how I mostly heard it pronounced in England.

This post is sponsored by Martin’s Family Fruit Farm. All recipes, views and stories are my own. 

Double Apple Scones

• Servings: 12
• Print

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( you can substitute half whole wheat, if you like)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice (1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon cloves)

 

• 1/2 cup very cold or frozen butter, grated
• 1 cup fresh apple, washed, unpeeled and cut into 1/2″ chunks (I used Cortland)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional, but we sure like the addition!)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• cream or milk for brushing on top
• 1/4 cup coarse or fine sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then grate the frozen/chilled butter and stir it in with a fork. Add the chopped apples and cranberries and lightly stir them in. Whisk the eggs, add the applesauce and vanilla and whisk again. Stir the liquid mixture into the bowl until the mixture begins to clump together. Turn it out onto a heavily floured surface and knead lightly for 10-15 turns.

Divide the mixture into two balls, flatten each into a 7″ circle, about 3/4′ thick, then cut each circle into 6 wedges with a knife dipped into flour or run under cold water.  Try to have the edges the same height as the middle; not thinner. Brush the tops with milk or cream, then sprinkle them with the cinnamon-sugar. Place on a tray covered with parchment, leaving at least 1/2″ between each scone, and freeze for at least 30 minutes (overnight works great).

Before baking, preheat oven to 425° F. Once it’s hot, bake the scones without thawing them for 18 – 22 minutes. Let them cool on the tray for five minutes before serving. Eat them plain, or spread with butter or honey. Or… slather them with a dab of apple butter like we do and turn them into Triple Apple Scones! Delight in every bite.