Chai Spiced Apple Scones with Apple Cider Glaze
Things have been looking overly orange around here these past couple of weeks. Carrots, squash and deeply hued Fall spices have all taken center stage. Both on the blog and in my real life.
Not that I’m complaining, per se. Because orange is one of my favorite colors. And orange-colored foods are some of my favorite foods. But I think it’s about time we had a little break from all the orange. There are so many other colors worth exploring!
In an effort to try and bring a little green back into my life, I’ve been on a serious leafy green salad kick (look for that recipe coming out next week!). And I’m also attempting to make a dent in an overly ambitious haul of red apples. Which means apple pie, apple crisp and maybe even an apple cocktail or two (or three!) are all going to be on repeat for the foreseeable future.
But for now, we’ve got apple scones.
These Chai Spiced Apple Scones with Apple Cider Glaze are my most recent apple creation and they just scream Fall. Loaded with chunks of chopped apples and cozy chai spices (the combination which was inspired by this recipe from Pastry Affair), they are the perfect baked good to enjoy on a cool, crisp Autumn morning. And don’t skip the fresh apple cider glaze. Because really, what’s a scone without a hefty drizzle of something sticky and sweet on top.
You can use any kind of apple you like. And you don’t even need to bother peeling them. Just chop them up relatively small and uniform (around the size of an almond) so they cook up evenly in the scones. Easy peasy. And on the breakfast table in no time!
I’m sharing the recipe for these Chai Spiced Apple Scones with Apple Cider Glaze as part of our monthly seasonal eating initiative organized by Becky from Vintage Mixer. Be sure to check out Becky’s October Produce Guide for recipe suggestions on everything from pears to pumpkins! And for even more inspiration, click on the links below to see what some of my blogging friends whipped up this month.
Cheers,
Liz
Recipe adapted from my Pear and Ginger Scones with White Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
- For the Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, divided
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chopped apple
- For the Apple Cider Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment, combine the flours, 1/2 cup of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the cold butter and pulse until you have a coarse crumb.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cups of the heavy cream with the egg and vanilla extract. Then add this liquid mixture to your food processor and pulse until the dough has just come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and use your hands to fold in the chopped apple, being careful not to overwork the dough. The dough will be slightly wet and sticky. You can lightly flour your hands to help prevent the dough from sticking.
- Shape the dough into a round disk, flattening it so it’s about 1-inch thick. Then cut the disk into eight wedges. Transfer the wedges to your prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 to 2-inches between them. Then brush the tops of the wedges with the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Transfer the baking sheet to your pre-heated oven and bake the scones for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove the baking sheet from your oven and allow the scones to rest for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, apple cider and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth. Then drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving.
- These are best when enjoyed on the day of baking. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
October Eat Seasonal Recipes
Smoky Pumpkin Black Bean Chili by She Likes Food
Cheddar Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup by Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Apple Cinnamon Scones by Completely Delicious
Instant Pot Red Velvet Beet Soup by Letty’s Kitchen
Roasted Delicata Squash, Fig and Persimmon Wild Rice Salad by Flavor the Moments
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal by JoyFoodSunshine
Spaghetti Squash Shakshuka by Kitchen Confidante
Curried Cauliflower Quinoa and Lentil Salad by Food for My Family
One-Skillet Zucchini Lasagna by Vintage Mixer
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers by Foodie Crush
Summer Stone Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Bowls with Hot Sauce-Honey and Nutty Granola
Guess what?
IT’S STILL SUMMER!
So just slooooow down with the pumpkin and (gasp!) peppermint.
Yup, totally saw peppermint products in the grocery store yesterday. Seriously. I died a little inside.
I know I sound like a broken record with this shit. And I’m trying very hard not to be too preachy about it. But can we please all just stop and enjoy Summer while it’s still ACTUALLY SUMMER!?!?
OK. Thanks for listening. I’m done now.
In celebration of late Summer, I’m digging into these Summer Stone Fruit and Yogurt Breakfast Bowls with Hot Sauce-Honey and Nutty Granola on the regular. The markets are currently full to the brim with multiple varieties of plums, nectarines, peaches and cherries. And that makes for a very happy Liz. But I know this bounty won’t last much longer, so I can’t help but buy them all and put them to good use in recipes just like this one. Which might be overkill (you can stick to just one or two varieties of stone fruit!), but I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to sweet, juicy fruits.
I love making my own granola at home when I have the time. And with stovetop versions, I pretty much ALWAYS have the time. Because they take only about 10 minutes to prepare. And they are easily customizable to whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand. This particular granola recipe was born out of one of my pre-vacation kitchen clean-out sessions. I love nuts. And at any given time, I have at least 8-10 different packages open and laying around. So in an effort to get rid of some of those, I dumped a bunch of nuts into my skillet with old-fashioned oats and a few other ingredients and VOILA – nutty granola was created! I typically buy unsalted nuts, so I’ve added salt to this recipe. But if you only have salted nuts, you might want to go easy on the additional salt.
But whatever you do, don’t go easy on the hot sauce-honey. Seriously, this stuff is so good and it pairs beautifully with the sweet stone fruits and cool, creamy yogurt. Don’t fear the heat!
Since the actual breakfast bowls themselves require so few ingredients, I thought I’d give my recommendations on brands. This post isn’t sponsored. I’m just sharing what I’m using and loving, in case you want to do the same. For the hot sauce-honey, I used Rigoni di Asiago Italian Mandarin Honey and Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce (I love the smokiness from the chipotle!). And for yogurt, I used Chobani Honey Whole Milk Greek Yogurt.
If you try out this recipe, please let me know. I’d love to hear about it! And tell me what other ways you’re savoring Summer this month!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Nutty Granola
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup dried coconut flakes
- For the Hot Sauce-Honey
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- For the Breakfast Bowls
- Greek yogurt
- Stone fruit, pitted and sliced
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- In a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat, combine the oats, nuts, cinnamon and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is fragrant and toasty, about 4-5 minutes. Add the coconut oil and honey to the skillet, stirring to make sure everything is evenly coated, and cook for about 2 minutes more. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the coconut flakes. Then scrape the granola out onto a parchment paper-line baking sheet to cool. Once fully cooled, the granola can be used or transferred to an airtight container for storage.
- Stir together the honey and the hot sauce. Set aside.
- To assemble the breakfast bowls, add yogurt and sliced stone fruit to a bowl. Top with some of the granola, a drizzle of hot sauce-honey and a few fresh mint leaves. Enjoy immediately.
