Imagine being in your kitchen, where the scent of freshly baked scones fills the air… These lightly cinnamon spiced, gluten free, apple and walnut scones are a perfect easy baking treat! Have them for breakfast, dessert, or a nice warm treat throughout the day.
If you’re a baking enthusiast, or novice, seeking a delightful scone that combines the fruity goodness of apples with the nutty crunch of walnuts, then this recipe is for you! Let this recipe guide you to creating the most irresistible apple and walnut scones, that not only taste delicious in flavour but also fills your kitchen with comforting aromas.
What are scones?
The basis of a scone is that they are a quick bread, and instead of using yeast they have baking powder. You can make them sweet or savoury. Cheese scones are popular, or a plain scone topped with whipped cream and jam. American biscuits I believe are quite similar to a scone from what I have seen, although I’ve never had one myself.
These have everything to be considered a perfect scone; tender inside, slight sweetness, and golden tops. You wouldn’t believe these are gluten free, they’re soft and moist, far from dry and crumbly scones you may have had in the past! These apple and walnut scones are best served fresh and with a big slab of butter. Each bite is a symphony of textures and flavours that radiate cosy energy.
Star ingredients:
- Granny smith apples – an all year round staple, a delightful mix of tart and sweet. Both comforting and refreshing, the natural sugar in the apples not only infuses into the scones adding a subtle sweetness, it contributes to their moistness, and adds depth to every bite.
- Walnuts – these bring a satisfying subtle crunch to the texture of the scones. Earthy and nutty, they compliment the apples and elevate the overall taste.
- Self-raising flour – using self-raising flour adds convenience to making the scones, as it already contains a leavening agent such as baking powder. It also ensures a consistent rise and texture in the scones.
- Butter – it is crucial to use cold butter when making scones. When the scones bake the cold butter melts and allows the creation of steam pockets, which gives the scones their flakey and tender texture. Warm or melted butter will result in a tougher, more solid scone… and you don’t want that!
What makes my apple walnut scone recipe the best?
Alright I may be a bit biassed… but when it comes to these scones, I can assure you they deserve the attention.
- Flavours – the sweet yet tartness of the granny smith apples, with the richness of the walnuts, brought together with the warmth of cinnamon. Each ingredient plays a role in a perfect bite every time.
- Texture – different from most apple scone recipes you may see, my recipe has grated apples instead of chunks. This helps keep moistness throughout the scone, and a softer texture. It also ensures you get apple in every bite. The texture of the scone is one of the most important aspects to the treat, you don’t want it to be dry.
- Skill level – Even if you’re a beginner when it comes to baking, this detail guide is crafted to make this as easy as possible! Baking isn’t my strongest strength when it comes to culinary skills, but these are so easy. Plus they don’t take too much time either! These apple and walnut scones embrace the simple joys of baking.
How to make these apple walnut scones:
Preheat the oven to 180℃.
Mix the dry ingredients.
To a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the butter.
To the dry mix, add the cold cubed butter. Use your hands to mush the butter and flour mix until combined. It should have formed a crumbly texture.
Add the apples and walnuts to the mix.
Peel the apples and cut close to the core, then grate them. Add the grated apple, any apple juice, and the chopped walnuts to the bowl.
Pour the milk.
Add the last ingredient, milk, to the scone dough. Mix until incorporated.
Knead.
Using your hand, give the scone dough a quick knead in the bowl, only for a minute or so.
Shape the apple walnut scone dough.
Dust the surface of your bench/chopping board with flour. Tip the scone dough out onto the surface, also very lightly dust the top of the dough too. Shape the scone dough into a rectangle. Cut into 6 equal smaller rectangles – or triangles if you’d prefer.
Bake.
Place on a lined baking tray. Bake scones in the oven for about 30 minutes, until they are golden in colour.
How to store the scones?
First allow the scones to cool for about 30 minutes. Then you can store them at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container. To extend storage time, you can keep the scones in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. You can store the scones in the freezer for 2-3 months as well, just let them thaw overnight then reheat.
What to pair the apple walnut scones with?
The classic pairing with any scone is a big slab of butter! Make sure your apple and walnut scones are nice and warm (this could be reheating them in the microwave) and let a big knob of butter melt into them. The other pairing I recommend is a cream cheese glaze. I made one by simply mixing a block of cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar. Store them separately, then heat when ready to eat!
More for your sweet tooth:
- Apple and Peach Crumble
- Lemon Lime Cheesecake
- Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Earl Grey Chiffon Cake
- Mango Sago
- White Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
- Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Alrighty, ready to get started? Time to get stuck in and make these delicious apple and walnut scones, let their heavenly aroma fill your kitchen, and indulge in their warmth…
Apple Walnut Scones (Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups gf self raising flour
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 75 grams chopped walnuts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (cubed)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups apples (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃.
- In a large bowl, whisk dry powder ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt).
- Add cold cubed butter to the same bowl. Use your hands to combine until it forms a crumbly texture.
- Fold in grated apples and chopped walnuts.
- Pour in the milk, and stir until incorporated.
- In the bowl, use your hands to give the dough a quick knead – only for a minute or so.
- Add the dough onto a flour dusted surface.
- Mould the dough into a rectangle, the cut into 8 equal smaller rectangles (or whatever shape you desire).
- Place scones onto a lined baking tray, place in the oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown.
