This is pretty much October on a parchment-lined baking sheet. They want to be packed in a basket so they can go apple picking with you and to sneak in the car to join you for a leaf-peeping drive. They want to come to brunch with you and deserve to be served with warm apple cider, whether getting lost in a corn maze or searching for the best pumpkin to carve.
Have we spoken this week? If we have, I’ve probably gone on and on about them, about how I never really was into that whole apple-cheddar thing but these, these changed things. They’re absolutely fantastic. They’re from The Perfect Finish, which is a dessert cookbook by Bill Yosses, who is now the executive pastry chef at The White House (but not when he wrote this) and Melissa Clark, who I suspect you’re already quite fond of. When I first saw the recipe, I rejected it as fussy for making you roast apples (in one-sixteenths!) just to let a stand mixer bang them up. I snorted over how chefs always like to boast that their recipes are “fairly simple” for home cooks but then use weights measured to the one hundredth of an ounce, fooling nobody.
And then I made them. And I shut up because these are blissful. Just a little sweet with a shaggy sugared lid, a not-too-intensely cheddar background with random chunks of baked apples throughout. All that! In a scone. Oof, I’m obsessed and about to make my third batch because I don’t think I’ll be able to go anywhere this weekend without some, fresh from the oven. Suddenly, it wouldn’t be October without them. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
One year ago: [To the day, I also made a cheddar based scone]
Two years ago: Noodle Kugel, Meatballs and Spaghetti
Three years ago: Hello Dolly Bars and Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Four years ago: Classic Brownies
Apple and Cheddar Scones
Barely tweaked from The Perfect Finish
Makes 6 generous scones
2 firm tart apples (1 pound or 2 454 grams)
1 1/2 cups (6.75 ounces or 195 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling (total of 2.2 ounces or 63 grams)
1/2 tablespoon (7 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams) plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams)unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment
1/2 cup (2.25 ounces or 65 grams) sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended, I assume for aesthetics)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) heavy cream
2 large eggs
Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Peel and core apples, then cut them into one-sixteenths. (I assumed this meant chunks, not slivers.) Placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. (You can speed this up in the fridge, as I did.) Leave oven on.
Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.
[Don’t have a stand or hand mixer? I’d rub the cold butter into the flour mixture with my fingertips or with a pastry blender, hand-chop the apples coarsely and mix the rest together with a wooden spoon until combined. It might feel awkward, but it should all come together. Again, don’t overmix it though it will be harder to do this by hand.]
Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.
Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Before you eat one, make sure you realize how addictive they might be. Once you’ve got that down, go for it anyway.
Do ahead: Scones are best the day they are baked. However, they can be made ahead of time and stored unbaked in the freezer until you need them. Simply brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them still frozen for just a couple extra minutes. This way they are always freshly baked when you want them. These scones were passable on day two and terrible on day three.
I think that apples and cheddar make the perfect pairing! I really want to try this recipe I have for an apple pie with a cheddar cheese crust. Savory and sweet, yum :)
You and Bittman, obsessed with the scones this week! I can’t blame you though, I have a weekness for scones. And apples. And cheese. Uh oh, I think I have a new weekend project…
ooh! i think i’ll try these next week. of course, add these to the list of recipes i continuosly save from your website! :)
Thanks for thinking of those of us who don’t own a mixer! These look great.
Hi there, these look great! What kind of apples did you use? I must admit I’m a bit of an apple newbie and generally just eat whatever looks the best. Do you have any specific recommendations for these scones?
Thanks! :-)
Karla — The recipe suggests a firm, tart apple. I used Granny Smiths. However, at least in NYC, I haven’t seen them yet. They seem to be later into fall if at all. I also like Golden Delicious for baking. Not as tart or firm, but not so juicy that you run into wetness issues.
I find most of the comments on this site are from people who haven’t tried the recipe, which is not helpful. I made this and it was really really really wet .., too wet to pat or roll out. I had to add so much flour and then could only do a drop biscuit. Taste was ok, but too much flour. So this was super disappointing and I went to the comments to no avail,
i want some scones….yum, yum, yum!!
Pastry cutter and spatula work great. The mixer is kind of unnec in this recipe. To save an egg, I brushed the scones with a bit of cream.
First reading the title, I didn’t want to make these at all. But after reading your description and how much you loved them? All of a sudden I can’t wait to make them!
Do you think these can be flash frozen like regular scones? Do you think the apple will get gross if I freeze them before baking?
I loove freezing scones and biscuits but I do it before I bake them. They’re best on the first day. Passable but not as great on the second. Terrible on the third. I’ll update the recipe to note this.
These are going on the menu for breakfast tomorrow, even though I have a super easy non finicky scone recipe we all love, somehow these look worth it. Plus there are the bags and bags of apples I could not stop picking at the orchard.
I hope my oldest likes them. I made the Gourmet cheddar sour cream biscuits you recently posted and he happily ate 2 1/2 of them before asking if it was my usual recipe. When I told him no they had cheddar in them, he said they were awful, he hated them and he felt a little sick. OY! Everyone else loved them all the way through.
-Robin
Darn it! I just made cheddar dill scones (no lie)! I would have rather roasted some apples and made these with that deliciously sharp aged cheddar. It’s all about timing, I guess. I’ll just have to send hubby to the store….again.
Fall bliss is right! This recipe will help me whittle down my pile of apples! I have never thought of roasting them in the oven before baking them into goodies, sounds tasty.
Thanks for the tip, not wanting a really juicy apple is definitely not something I would have considered, but now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense. Can’t wait to try them!
Oh goodness…well the apple baking does sound like a chore but the cheese totally makes up for that. These look divine…as we drag out the food scale…
I remember the first time I heard about putting slices of cheddar on apple pie and thinking my friend was out of her mind (“Is that a northeast thing??”). Since then, the pairing of apples and cheddar has grown on me, but don’t think I’ve actually tried it yet. These sound like the perfect intro to get me hooked!
Oh I like how you roasted the apples first. Great idea!
I have so many apples from apple picking this would be a great recipe!
A scone tip I learned from America’s Test Kitchen is to freeze the stick of butter, then grate, and refreeze. When making the scones, you roll and fold a few times as if making pastry. This makes amazingly moist, light and melt in your mouth scones – wondering if I can incorporate that here.
I agree with the freeze grate method. Works like a charm…I have been doing it the last few years for scones and biscuits. Perfect.
I’ve always loved the apple-cheddar combo – it is one of my favorite fall snacks. These look absolutely to die for. Thanks for the standard measurements as well!
Right, I was thinking I would bake them after freezing. But I worried about the apples because you have to semi-bake them first. I wasn’t sure if it would work out for the apples to be baked, frozen, and then baked again.
I’m with the pther people here in saying that apple and cheddar is a fab combination and scones are always good to have in autumn. The Jacob pumpkin vid is just gorgeous.
Ah! Last week I made cheddar scones, and this week I made apple muffins (with your deeeelicious caramel sauce). Now I’m going to have to get back in the kitchen and make these! Which is fine, because I have a bushel of Granny Smiths sitting in my garage. Oh, and I have good luck under baking scones just a bit (just before they brown) and freezing them then. Thaw, then finish browning in a 350 oven. Brown and serve scones, if you will.
This sounds divine! It sounds like the perfect combination of sweet and sharp. Ready for fall indeed ;)
Sounds so good! I will be making these this weekend!
Can’t wait to make them – perfect for fall.
FYI – for those in Boston, we just went apple picking, and lots of delicious apples, but no Granny Smith… Yet.
I wonder if I should let this recipe ease me into the world of cheese and fruit…together. I mean, I love them separately but am scared of them when put together – traumatic childhood experiences you see…
These look divine! Wonder if you can split the recipe (or double it, ha!) and make half apple/cheddar and half pear/gorgonzola?
Ummm. YUM! I have an apple tree and cheddar is on my grocery list. Combine that with my recent obssession with baking scones (I made oatmeal scones last night), these will be made within the week. ;)
this combines three of my favorite things – cheddar, apples, and scones! such a delightful combination.
Tart apples – check
White cheddar – check
just need to pick up some heavy cream. Can’t wait to try them.
My family is most definitely not from the northeast, but my mom used to serve us Hostess apple pies with a slice of cheddar melted on top. It sounds iffy to me now (mostly the Hostess apple pie part), but we loved it. I have an entire basket of empires, northern spies, and cortlands waiting to be used. Also, I have an adjustable apple slicer that can produce either 8 or 16 even slices, depending how you set the slicer thingy. I grumpily scoot the thing out of the way in the drawer all year long, but when apple season arrives, I’m really happy I bought it.
Oh, I can smell the taste of these… Definitely have to try!
I dig this combination!! Apples & cheese, ohhhh yes!
i am not really into scones, but these are very intriguing!
Oh wow. These are going to be making my mouth happy sometime very soon. Yum!
I love you for adding tips for us standmixerless poor souls! And, as we just moved in, I think the new place needs just this recipe to become a proper home :)
I have wanted to make apple cheddar scones forever! But the recipe I had called for dried apples which is not really my thing. These, however, look great.
Cheese + apples = amazing deliciousness.
In the South, we put a slice of cheese on apple pie. Ever heard of that? Sometimes I make my apple pie crust with a little shredded cheddar in the dough.
scones are my fav dessert/snack! i bought the blueberry scones from trader joes yesterday and have already eaten all four of them. the cheddar and apples in interesting….this could be my next baking project.
Hi Deb! I plan on making this this weekend, or maybe this evening if I can’t wait! One question: do the apple chunks get further “chunked” in the mixer? I notice that you suggest coarsely chopping them if not using a mixer, but not if you are. My KitchenAid isn’t very fierce on low speed, so I’m wondering if I should chop them before putting them in?
That butternut squash and caramelized onion galette was what brought me to your site for the first time! It’s fun to see it up there again.
I like to cut the scones but bake them without separating the wedges too much. By cutting them, they’re individual, but they don’t crisp up as much at the edges. Though, it does make them crumbly when you re-cut them.
I have a strange urge to somehow incorporate goat cheese here. I’m not big on sweets, but cutting them with something savory makes me love them. Any idea if that would work here?
Oops this comment ended up in the wrong place – pls ignore! Meant to ask about apple mosaic tart :)
My grandpa used to say that “apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.”. Thanks for the memory-jogger, Deb.
These sound DELICIOUS, definitely going to try them. Small thing – 254g comes to 9oz, definitely not 1lb. Not sure where that number came from unless maybe you halved the recipe or something?
Looks oh so good! I have to agree, cheeddar and cheese go perfectly together. I also add them on my apple pie. Soooo good!
Thanks for sharing this! Love ya!
I have a huge bag of apples at home. And I already had a day of apple pie baking. I think this is next on the list to tackle!
These look great. I’m headed to the state farmers market tomorrow specifically for NC grown apples, and perhaps this is their fate.
oy! I’ve been on a scone kick lately…dark chocolate chip scones, fig scones…can’t wait to try these.
I once made an apple cheddar loaf, and wasn’t a fan at all. That one didn’t have me grate the cheese though, just pop it in in chunks. Maybe this one should get me over that, since I really do believe it’s an amazing combination, just can’t get it to work!
I have over 50 lbs of apples still left…and we northern’rs love our apple and cheddar!! GREAT scones! *saving*
and today we’re celebrating the Granny Smith Festival in Eastwood in Sydney, Australia. Great timing!
Oh dear god I salivate with every new recipe! I’ll def try this and freeze some for later!
OMG- the video of Jacob in the pumpkin patch is adorable! Love the scones, too!
Very autumnal. I’m jonesing to make apple turnovers!
Ok, possibly a stupid (or lazy) question, but could I just grate the apple instead of chopping/roasting/chopping? Or does the roasting bring out the apple flavor? I suppose it probably would, given the way roasting brings out the flavor of all kinds of vegetables, but I’m not sure I’ve ever tried it with apples.
Jacob is too cute! Nicely edited, very Charlie-Chaplin style with the backwards tumble at the end :) Also, I’ve been craving apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese lately… maybe these will be the solution.
Jacob video!!!!! OMG, the adorableness. Perfect choice of music, too.
— What? Recipes? This is a recipe site? You’re kidding me!
Nice, I love this combination. Apple and cheddar grilled cheese and cheddar apple pie. Scones seems to be perfect medium for tart apples and cheddar!
I love apples and cheddar. Do you think I could make the dough at night, pop it in the fridge, and bake them in the morning?
Sara — I’ve only tried keeping them in the freezer overnight, not the fridge.
Megan — You’d lose the big baked apple chunks. They don’t get pureed by the mixer, just bashed up a little. They’re only half baked when they come out of the oven.
OK…these go on my list to make –SOON. I have a favorite Cranberry-Orange Scone but I’m thinking that these Apple-Cheddar Scones will be great to make for stay-over guests at Thanksgiving. I’m hoping to test drive this recipe for freezing/baking. Yum!
Wow! I love the idea of taking these on a leaf-viewing drive. They’re so autumnal and delicious!!
Wow, you have just created a scone out of a classic combination: cheese and apples. This looks delicious. My brother, who still eats wheat, would love these!
I’d guess the recipe was intended to be 452 grams, which is nearly a pound.
Now I just need to figure out what heavy cream translates to here in the UK.
Would these work well if I had to make them ahead of time and freeze?Being scones, I assume they would, but wanted to ask. What would you recommend for baking in that case? Thanks!
I’ve never tried the combination of apples and cheddar. I wonder if I’m the only one? Come to think of it, I’ve never made scones either, so I’m starting to think I’m missing out on something!
These look amazing! Any thoughts to lessen the calories? I do it with muffins all of the time, but scones are a bit trickier!
Applesauce instead of some of the butter? Do you think it could work? I worry it would seriously mess with the texture.
I just recently made the drunken apple cake on Leite’s site that had no flavoring except apples and rum. I used some jonagolds and you could actually taste them in the recipe. Imagine, no cinnamon or nutmeg..it was a delight! The jonagold is my new favorite apple for baking. It holds it shape and has some sweetness like the Golden Delicious, and gets it’s slightly tart backnote from the Jonathan. Very flavorful. It’s like the perfect baking apple. I still have some, so I’m going to test them on these scones. Thanks, Deb.
YUM! Going apple picking in a few weeks. I’ll have to try this recipe out :)
These look delicious! Just one thing (and I hate to nitpic), but you list the weight of your apples as 1 pound or 254 grams. I think you made a typo; a pound is 454 grams.
Thank you for bringing Fall to far-to-warm North Dallas! Your recipes are delightful and this one reminds me why I love football, jeans, chili, and everything pumpkin! Cheers!
Have you thought about adding bacon? Last year, Burgerville (a local slow-ish fast food chain that uses a lot of locally-sourced ingredients) featured Apple Bacon Cheddar Scones on their menu. I loved them so much I tried to recreate them at home, and they were even better. I caramelized the apples a bit too much, but gosh they were good. I used my favorite scone recipe as the base, from the All Around the World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins. You can find the recipe on my blog in the December 09 archives. And I’ll apologize in advance for the woefully un-updated state of my blog.
The Jacob pumpkin vid is beyond great. You’ve totally upped the bar on the non-food content of the site. Rock on.
I like that I can make this without a mixer (wish I had space in our tiny kitchen for one)! Looks like a fantastic recipe. :)
It’s looks delicious, and easy to do :)
Should I cut the baking time for mini scones? Or just keep a watchful eye on them? These look amazing – my work is having a fall dessert contest and this looks like a contender :)
Great recipe. This looks soo good!
Are you tired of hearing how absolutely adorable Jacob is?! If I lived nearby, I would babysit him for free – would even be able to pass up these awesome scones – he is that adorable!
Would you believe me if I said that I never baked, possibly never even ate a scone? It’s true. I should make some. In fact, I should make these! Perfect autumn breakfast/brunch recipe!
These were the remedy to my horrible day. I halved the recipe (went on what I happened to have in the house) subbed sour cream for heavy cream, and lightly salted as well as sugared the tops before baking- and they were wonderful! My roommates were begging for more. I think I will bake these for some client meetings next week!
yum! this would make a lovely breakfast :)
Excellent recipe just tried it and it is soooo good!
These are in my oven now, baking for a little after dinner treat – they smell so delicious the 10 minute cooling time is going to KILL me.
If I wanted to make these with whole wheat flour could I do a whole substitution or would partial be better? I can never figure out if the gluten content will be vastly different… thoughts?
Mmm, scones. I’ve been a long-time lurker but limited commenter. These scones reminded me of an apple cheddar cookie recipe I love. Good for fall!
Great recipe. I wonder if i can replace the cheddar with blue cheese. Apples and blue cheese…Love this combo.
Whoa!!! Never had that combo before! Mmmm I can already smell the apple + cheese duo from this computer =)
Are you sure 1 pound is 254 grams ?!
This is brilliant…i am going to try this ASAP.
I had a apple, ham and cheddar scone at a B&B and it was delicious…will this recipe support something like little cubes of ham?
I love this idea. I’m trying to figure out a gluten free scone recipe so I can play with it.
I adore scones, and this flavor combo sounds delicious!
They look absolutely delicious! You’ve specified tart apples but did you use a particular kind? I’m guessing good old English baking apples would suffice.
Oh yes…. Apple & Cheddar are made for each other in scones. Thanks for this one Deb, its a must do :)
Another baking recipe that went straight to the printer and will be served up for lunch tomorrow (only because it’s now afternoon here). If they last as long as the mollasses ginger cookies let’s just say they won’t go stale. Thinking of a spicy tomato soup to go with them.
These are both my first attempt at scones and my first try at combining apple and cheddar…and they were great! Moist, flavourful and oh so addictive. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I have sooo many fresh, organic apples right now and although I need to tweak your tweak and make these gluten-free, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. These scones sound delicious and you’ve inspired me to take on adapting the recipe to gluten-free. Can’t wait. Off to the kitchen right now! Thanks!
Melissa
Deb~ Sounds like they also want to make an appearance at the annual pumpkin carving contest and possibly come back at Thanksgiving! What a honest and comforting combination. Saving this for sure!
I read this post, got in my car and drove to Whole Foods for apples, returned home and immediately made these scones. So good … so very very good.
I check in here every day and almost never post but I do want to take a moment to tell you that I have made many of the recipes posted here and greatly enjoyed virtually every one. I should have said thanks for both the recipes and the inspiration to get cooking before now. So thanks!
“Shaggy sugared lid” – love that image! Apples and cheddar cheese is a well-loved combination in my house – not just as apple pie, but as a snack. These scones make me want to bundle up with a mug of hot apple cider in hand.
Oh my, a moving Jacob!! I love that you have shared video with us!! I bet these scones would be great made with my new favourite apple too – “Honeycrisp”
Thank you for the do-ahead directions…so helpful! I borrowed that cookbook from the library and am desperate for my own copy. It was lovely.
Hey Deb,
I don’t what I like most about your website the food or the writing. Both make me smile out loud (if that exists) regularly. Don’t know about apples and cheddar thow. I’m from Bruxelles in Belgium and this combo is not so common here. We’ll give it a go one of the coming weeks as I went a bit overboard last week picking my own apples on a farm nearby.
I just found Honeycrisp apples too – they really are the most fantastic apple. I will definitely need to try these!
OK – what am I missing. Where’s the link to Jacob’s video? Am I skimming and just not seeing it. BTW – making the chili for friends next week. JT’s Test Kitch strikes again. Fingers crossed.
You had me at apple… and cheddar… and SCONES!! YUM!
Typo alert. One pound does not equal 254 grams :-)
I never understood the apple and cheddar thing. Apple pie and ice cream? Or cream? Yep, I get it. But not cheddar. I made these, though, because I actually had all of the ingredients, and I had never made scones before.
Yum. They were very, very good. And for those of you who aren’t too sure about the combination, the cheddar is far from overwhelming; it is definitely not the the dominant flavor. Thanks, Deb, for another yummy (and easy) recipe.
I love when I wake up on a sure-to-be-lazy Saturday morning and find that Deb has given me something delicious to do!
Just taken a batch out of the oven and they are delicious, you’re right about them being more-ish! My batter was far too wet to roll out (I swapped half the butter for oil, which might have something to di with it…) so I just dolloped it on the tray in 8 portions and although a little lumpy looking they still taste great! Might cover the tops with cheese next time too, yum!
Wow. I just made some butternut squash butter, and I’m thinking about one of these scones slathered with a bit of it…….gotta get back to the kitchen!
Yummy!
Love,
Cathy B @ brightbakes
will have to try these…i like the technique of roasting the apples…
so the apples will still have a bit of crunch to them…that’s nice…
but what is even nicer & oh so sweet is the “31 seconds” of your jacob in the pumpkin patch! thanks for sharing!
Oh what perfect timing. I took my kids apple picking yesterday and we have bags and bags of delicious apples. I came online to find some yummy apple recipes and found this in my inbox – thanks Deb! it’s raining here in So. Cal, which is a gift.
oooooh great combo!
Baked these this morning with Staymen apples we picked 2 weeks ago. They went into a towel lined basket right out of the oven and an hour later at the pumpkin farm they were still warm. Everyone loved them, especially my 17 month old. Thank you!
You never fail to inspire.
Apples and cheese are like my favorite snack =] I may have to investigate these.
made these this morning. they are amazing!
Just made these for my family and some visitors…a big hit. I knew they’d be fantastic. As soon as I saw the recipe, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. :) Thank you!
I’m a bit puzzled as to this:
“2 firm tart apples (1 pound or 254 grams)”
A pound is approximately 450 grams, so… Well, let’s just say I’m unclear as to what the are you trying say here.
Apple and cheese is one combination I’m in awe o, yet am a little afraid to try. Maybe it’s my very Indian palate that can never fathom cheese with apples!
I have just registered with this site and the Apple and Cheddar Scones were the first recipe I received an alert sbout. I had all the ingredients, so went straight ahead. Absolutely delicious! We ate them with butter and more Cheddar – yum! As I live in the UK I am so glad you do all the conversions of weights and temperatures already. I look forward to the next recipe.
For all those gluten free readers – Gluten Free Girl and the Chef have come up with a foolproof substitute mix (and yes, it really is foolproof. . .sea level, high altitude, hot weather, cold weather, sweets, savouries. . .). I’ve been using it for months in everything and have yet to find a recipe it fails in – my last batch of scones even flaked! The trick is in the ratio: 40% flour, 60% starch. Any flour, any starch, any combination. They say to substitute 140g per cup in gluten recipes, but I’ve had no problems substituting g for g. Add a teaspoon of xanthan gum or guar gum per 200g to improve your texture. . .
I just made these, and the only thing I disliked was how much time I had to wait for them. Also that I ended up using my fingers to mix together the dough because my mixer was too fast, and the pastry cutter kept getting stuck on apples. I wasn’t sure if the somewhat still large-ish chunks of butter needed to be mixed in more or not, but I ended up just going with it. I baked half of them and put the others in the freezer.
I was wondering, when you freeze yours, how do you store them?
Oh, Deb, I just bit into my first apple cheddar scone and am in LOVE! OH. MY. GOODNESS.
A couple things I did slightly differently, first I used yellow cheddar- as God and Wisconsin intended it to be! :) Then, I had some turbinado sugar left from a delectable recipe for blueberry/peach cobbler out of Cooking Light magazine. The larger slightly crunchy sugar pebbles are really good! And sort of shiny and pebbly and pretty. Thank you for this recipe!! I bought an electronic scale last weekend and I busted it out for this. I feel like such a big girl, though I have been baking for 40 years… ;D
Savory + sweet, yum!!
So i have been on a scone mission and made every flavour possible This is ONE i have not made but will surely be trying. I have literally just made a post on Scones and just love love love them….
What a coincidence! 2 things I have an abundance of in my fridge right now – apples and cheddar cheese! AND I have a fall-themed potluck to cook for on Tuesday…yup this will definitely be on my baking schedule. Thank you!
What a fantastic combination!
… and I am already a cheddar-apple obsessive. Pure October bliss.
I must be the dullest knife in the drawer, everyone raves about video/photos of Jacob. Where do I find video of the darling Jacob?
PS: I love Smitten Kitchen; the recipes, your comments and the photos, outstanding.
NATALIE – I subbed whole wheat pastry flour for all the AP flour and they turned out great (not sure about regular whole wheat flour). I got it at Whole Foods.
Deb, these are so so so so good. We had a big fundraiser yard sale this morning (read: earrrrly morning) and I took three batches to share for breakfast. They were a HUGE hit! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
My husband’s daily post-work ritual involves eating a snack of an apple and cheddar cheese so I could not resist making this recipe the moment I saw the title. I do not have a standing mixer but used my food processor to mix the dry ingredients and cut the butter into the flour mixture (I do the same for pie crusts). I then put the mixture into a bowl, added the rest of the ingredients and gently brought them all together by hand. They are delicious and will be thoroughly enjoyed on our beach picnic! Thanks for sharing all the lovely pictures and yummy recipes.
I have these babies in the oven as we speak! The only problem I had was that my apples nearly burned in the oven after only 13 minutes..maybe because I used Honey Crisp apples (which, if you haven’t had, are the BEST apples for baking EVER!)? They looked fine from the top but the bottoms were almost black. I had extra, so it wasn’t a big deal. Can’t wait to try them!
Gram weight is fixed now, thanks to the six of you who noted it! My typo, not the book’s.
I have never made scones before but these look great. I like to eat apple pie with a slice of cheese on the side. I think that this will taste alot like that. I hope it does. The recipe looks really easy.
Should’ve known to listen when you said these are addictive – I’m snacking on my (ahem) third in as many hours as I write this. The only change I made was to use Demerara sugar on top, and OH, is that good! Thanks for another fabulous recipe, Deb!
I’ve made several, actually many, of the recipes here and this one is hands down, absolutely, my favorite! I can’t believe how good these were, even gluten free! Definitely a staple on the brunch menu, or anytime I get the opportunity! Love it. Thanks!
okay – I’m in! Smiled and salivated through your whole post – well done!
I have a favorite recipe for cheddar scones but I have never thought of apple cheddar scones. These look amazing! I’m an apple freak in the fall, when I compulsively add them to everything, including soup. Now I will add them to my scones. Thanks for posting this.
Tried these today….delicious! I used 2% milk, and a 2% chedder blend and they were ( note: “were”) really good. I Will definitely make them again.
Just pulled these beauties out of the oven 10 minutes ago. I tried one, and it was awesome!! Thanks for the post. By the way, it’s my baking day so my eggs are precious commodities at this point. I didn’t want to use one up for an egg wash, so I brushed some cream on them instead. It worked great!
ok, this is clearly genius – i can’t wait to try these. seriously, covered in butter i think i might die of happiness :)
Yum. Scones — you’re talking my language!! I’m making these tomorrow. ;)
I just made these, and even though I messed up they were fantastic! I dumped out the dough, and thought it looked a little dry. Looked around the kitchen and realized I had not opened the carton of eggs. Everything back in the mixed, looked at the ingredients, and added both eggs (did not actually read the recipe). Gave it a quick mix, and now it was super loose dough because of the extra egg. So, even though it was a little work to put them on the tray without a mess, they were still mighty tasty. I used salt on top instead of sugar because I knew I was eating them for dinner. I split one open, swiped on some mustard, and added a few pieces of ham. With a salad, it was a great dinner.
If any of you out there have kitchens that tend to get warm like mine (especially when you’ve already had the oven on for a while to bake the apples), I’d recommend giving these a few minutes in the freezer/fridge once they’re on the sheet pan before baking. Mine turned out a bit misshapen, I think because the butter melted before they had time to set up, and the uneven thickness made it hard to get them evenly cooked. (I even put the cubed butter in the freezer for about 20 minutes before mixing!)
However, don’t think I’m not eating them, because they’re delicious!
is the dough supposed to be like cake batter? i’ve checked and double checked that i used all the correct measurements. i’m confused. maybe it’s because i’ve never made scones before?
Well, I think that says something about cheddar and scones: perfection. But apples? That’s like. Beyond perfection.
I just made these along with the roasted eggplant soup for dinner. Definitely a hit with my husband. His comment – “You would never know there was eggplant in this soup.” Perfect! (I added the cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes – I think I will add more red pepper next time). The scones will definitely become one of my go-to recipes. In fact, I think I will be making a second batch tomorrow. The perfect way to warm up a chilly Alaskan day. Thanks!
Just made these this afternoon. a-MAZ-ing! So delicious! Another Smitten Kitchen keeper!
Tried these today, and they were *wonderful*! Thanks for the tip on refrigerating the semi-baked apples to cool them down. Also, good advice to not overmix – I could feel how light the dough was as I was transferring the sliced scones from the counter to the baking pan. We also took your advice to eat them all on baking day!
I made these tonight to go with a smoky lentil soup. The combination was delicious! My scone dough was not as pretty as yours…and the scones themselves were a little odd looking. I think I may have overmixed the dough and they could have used a bit more flour…but they were absolutely delicious.
Thank you!
Oh these were so delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!!!
I made these last night to take to dinner at my in-laws. I only had super-ripe red delicious apples on hand that I really needed to use up, so the dough came out a little more juicy. I just added a bit more flour to compensate. They were delicious!
Turned out sooooo well!
Just make the apple cheddar scones for breakfast this am. FANTASTIC!!!. I used whatever apples I had in the fridge and Gouda cheese as that’s all I had. Will be making these again very soon.
Wonderful scones, only have had one but they are calling my name!
I absolutely heart the combination of apples and cheese, but I’ve never been big on scones. This is probably because of the hardened bricks that starbucks sells. They are not good.
So I made these on a whim last night, since I had a few friends coming over, and was astounded. So very good. I made a double batch and froze half to bake another time, but ended up baking those for breakfast today. I’ll have to go for a nice, long run!
These were delicious; I made them this morning. I sprinkled them with brown sugar and used a cream wash but everything else was the same. My favorite part was the crispy apple skins sticking out them after baking. YUM.
Yum. I even converted my scone-skeptical boyfriend with my gluten-free version of these. (Substituted a rice flour/potato starch/tapioca blend and added 1 tsp of xanthan gum). So delicious. And LIGHT — I think my rice flour base added to the general levity.
I love apples and cheese together. Great combo that I would not have attempted on my own.
I love Smitten Kitchen! It’s become a real go-to when I need a great recipe! I’m finally de-lurking to ask a question. I loooove apples and cheddar, so I’d love to make these, but I’m not a big fan of big cunks of fruit in my scones. How would you recommend I go about making this with shredded apples? Would it be better to just use freshly shredded apples or should I still try to roast them somehow?
Thanks!
I just made these this morning. So good! I didn’t have heavy cream and used regular sour cream, which turned out just fine. I also topped with some extra cheese to get that cheese crunch on top. These are going to be made repeatedly!
I might try this one with pears. Must taste great too.
Nothing is better than apples and cheese.
Roasting the apples first is such an interesting idea, adds a depth of flavor I would think.
-Brenda
I’ve tracked down some RI Greenings…they’ll be perfect for this! Thank you. I suspect these scones will be breakfast tomorrow.
holy crap. i just made these and they’re out of this world. only i halfed it and made 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat on the flour. but seriously, i only made 4 and i already ate 2.5
ugh, SO good.
Just reading this after serving turkey, apple, cheddar, honey mustard paninis for dinner tonight. I will def. be making these scones soon… thanks!
oh this looks amazing!! i love the combination of the sweet and savory together.:)
I just made these, and they’re incredible! Not that anything I’ve ever made from this site has been less than that, but I’ve been wanting to find a new good scone recipe for awhile, and this may be it. Love the site!
i just made them! delicious. my friends said they are the best scones they ever ate. we had only macintosh apples and i used them, they were good. i followed the recipe as written (except doubled it) but i think next time i would use Louise’s comment (#18) re: the freezing and grating the butter. it would have been much easier to mix the whole thing without a lot of mess. but these were amazing.
I am loving the cheddar cheese and apple combo. And thanks for the note from those of us who don’t have a stand mixer!
I love all your scone and biscuit recipes! And cheddar and apple together is SO delicious in any form, so I can imagine these taste absolutely awesome :)
Yum. I have never paired apple and cheddar having been more afraid of it than enticed by the concept but these are truly delicious. My kitchen smells of baking cheddar. I thought it was a little strange that the chunks of butter were still so big – following the directions to lightly mix just until it comes together. And in fact, it turned out just great.
These look very fluffy. I make mine with McIntosh apples. I love scones and so do my friends.
Thank you for this recipie, I made these to go with a creamy souffle, they were very good, but perhaps a little bland as my chedder was pretty unexciting, i might add a pinch of paprika next time or a few cranberries, or goats cheese or……
wow, this looks amazing. a mix of two of my favorite things: apples and cheese! add carbs and it’s a jackpot!
I made these this weekend and they are amazing! I ate three of them right away and almost got myself sick for eating so many of them, but they were too good to be true! As always, thank you so much for your receipes, they’re easy to make and almost impossible to fail ;)
I made these on Saturday and they are awesome! I only baked 2 of them and froze the rest, thanks to your warning. This will be our Saturday breakfast for the next few weeks! (p.s. posted about them here: http://www.whatmegansmaking.com/2010/10/apple-and-cheddar-scones.html )
These look delicious! I just went apple picking, so will definitely have to try. Thanks for sharing :-)
I made these this morning and they are so delicious. The husband especially loved them because they do not have the typical apple + cinnamon combination (he doesn’t love cinnamon).
I just had a moment of inspiration from this post! How about gorgonzola pear scones! That is one of my favorite flavor combinations. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the inspiration.
It was delicious! Your blog is great!
Deb- I loved this recipe, and had to try it this weekend and was stumped- not once, but TWICE! My dough was runny and watery, and I am SURE I got the ingredients right! Has anyone else had this problem? any suggestions?
Thanks!
This is the second of two of your recipes that I tried this past weekend. They were absolutely amazing and a hit with my family! My favorite part – the little bits of crunchy cheese that collected around the bottom.
I love the rustic-ness of your pictures! I will have to try this recipe : )
oh boy. i’ve been wanting to make scones again, and now i have a good excuse to do so! :)
what a clever twist on the classic apple-cheddar pie!!!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I made a half batch of these on the weekend and would definitely make them again! The taste was good, but my dough looked nothing like your photo. I was too afraid of overmixing! Not only that but I cut my apples into 32s by accident and used the large grate. (I should have looked at your photos before baking!! BWAHAHAA)
Note to self – call in sick to work tomorrow and go apple picking.
@Stephanie: You might be able to toast the grated apple? Spread it out over a baking pan with some parchment paper and stick it in the oven for just a few minutes. It should have the same effect as roasting the chunked apples if you don’t leave them in too long (ie you don’t want the shreds to dry out too much or to burn, obviously).
I never thought that I would like apple and cheddar, but after your raves I will give this a try!
These are fantastic!! Just made them today and there is less than one left. I can’t wait to make them again!
I just wanted to let you know I love the new addition of the weight meaurements. I use my scale A LOT to avoid having to wash measuring cups and spoons (I’m lazy like that).
I can’t wait to make these scones! Yum!
YUMMY! made these this weekend and they were heavenly. it was my first endeavor to making scones but these came out beautifully. i ended up cutting them into 10 pieces instead of 6 and they are the perfect size. next batch I’ll probably make even smaller so they’re bite size and easy to eat on the run. if you haven’t made these, you should!
This is my first comment to Smitten Kitchen! I love the site and the recipes. We had a cool, rainy Sunday here in Colorado and I had planned these scones. Had all the ingredients so whipped them up. Oh my goodness, they were delicious. Thank you soooo much. I like the suggestion in the comments about adding bacon. Next time.
I loooove apples and cheddar. Especially in a crepe or melted on ciabatta (add ham too!)… mmmmmm. Anyway, I made this recipe right away of course and they are SO yummy! The sugary crust really makes a huge difference in the overall flavor. The only thing I would do differently is mash the apples up a bit before combining them with everything else. Maybe it’s just because I used a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer, but if I hadn’t sought out each apple piece and intentionally smashed it with the blenders I would have had huge chunks throughout. Like others said though, do leave some good sized chunks. You don’t want it totally pureed.
Delish! I just ate the first one still warm and it’s definitely hard not to eat a second! I made them with whole wheat flour – added just a splash of extra cream – but they were still melt-in-your-mouth fabulous and, perhaps, a teensy weensy bit healthier for you?! Thanks for another great recipe!
Amazing. I made the batter on Sunday, cut it into wedges, and froze in bags of 2. Popped 2 in the oven for dinner tonight and they came out perfectly. Best baked good I have ever made. The fact that the rest are still frozen kept us from eating all of them. Thanks for the recipe.
Hello!
(Long-time drooler, first-time commenter.)
I made these yesterday. The flavours are indeed beautifully paired, but I did run into wetness issues.
Perhaps I used too much apple, or was a bit too lax on the measurements in general (highly likely: my pah!-attention-to-detail-schmetail nature is probably responsible for a fairly high rate of baking failure), but I ended up having to add a heap of flour just so I wasn’t working with glue, and pretty much plopping them individually onto the board to work into something that resembled scone-shape.
I feel so disappointed when my baking attempts go awry!
Lesson of the day: an enthusiatic, gun-ho attitude does not always apply itself well in the kitchen, especially where baking is concerned. The devil’s in the details, Claire.
Deb I am firmly obsessed with your blog. And I think it has been responsible for igniting my obsession with taking photos of anything myself/friends/scared strangers are eating! Thank you.
PS. We shall overcome! There will be a glorious baked something-or-other produced by the end of the this week, I’ll see to it!
Claire and others that have been concerned about the sticky dough — Yup, it is correctly a sticky dough. The best thing to do is not to fight it or add flour to it (which will make them as dry and stiff as those nightmares you can buy at coffee shops) but to toss a lot of flour onto your counter, throw the dough on top, flour the top of it and pat or roll it out in as few motions as possible so not to disturb the flour underneath and allow the dough to stick. Use a spatula to transfer them (or your fingers, if you think you can do so quickly) and you can brush off any excessive excess (can you use these two words together?) flour before you brush and bake them. That soft dough makes a wonderfully light, moist and shaggy scone. Embrace it. Hope that helps.
Thanks for giving metric information as well! Will this be a standard from now on?
I always lose so much time looking for converters and also always forget to print them out or at least save them on my computer…
I made these on the weekend, exactly as written, and they were better than amazing. They were awesome!!!
Deb, OMG…these were soooo good. My husband ate THREE all by himself. He had no clue what a scone was (UGH…raised by wolves I guess). Now he wants me to make them every weekend. He says they are a good carb and gives him lots of energy when he weight trains. I don’t know what’s worse…this recipe or your pumpkin pie recipe (you know, the one that you use both pumpkin and yams?!). My husband was bugging me to make a pumpkin pie in the dead of summer. Thank God they don’t sell canned pumpkin then or else I would have been baking all summer long! ;)
@Holly, Thanks! That’s exactly what I was thinking. I just needed someone to back me up! I think I’ll try it out tomorrow and let you know how it goes!
I made these last night as a midnight snack/pre made breakfast. I didn’t like them at first-they were way too dense. But this morning I ended up eating 4 more without realizing it. I’m stuffed and satisfied :) Thanks!
PS- I sprinkled more cheese on top and it got deliciously crispy. Yum.
These scones look so yummy they might even convert my scone hating husband! I know- who hates scones? Well these should help. Yum!
I am eating one of these as I type this- they’re awesome! Thanks so much for having such an amazing website- it’s definitely expanded my cooking/baking horizons. :)
Yup. Made 2 batches. Had one for breakfast (and almost had to physically restrain myself from grabbing more). Cut them in half and brought them to the potluck and they were gone within 45 minutes. Success!
Also I remembered to do the egg wash but forgot the sugar sprinkle…oh well! Guess I’ll just have to make them again :)
I have a lot of apples from one of the local farms that I need to use before they become too sad for applesauce, so I think I will try to find time to make these tonight!
I love scones, however I have never had apple cheddar scones. Growing up my sisters and I would eat pounds of apple slices with a piece of sharp cheddar on each slice. I definitely think these scones would be a big hit for Thanksgiving! Thank you!
I love that line “Suddenly, it wouldn’t be October without them.” Great job capturing this amazing recipe! I am now counting down the minutes to the weekend so I can make these.
I just got back from Apple hill and I think we purchased about 100 pounds of apples (im not kidding or crazy its really cheap there) and we don’t know what to do, we have done all the classics, I like this because it’s something a bit more savory, thank you!
confession number one. i love scones. confession number two. my favorite late night creperie treat features baked apples and cheddar.
my mouth is literally watering right now. this is like two of my favorite food indulgences combined and i cannot WAIT to try these!!
though i have only attempted scones once before…and they were a bit finicky and so i won’t lie, i’m a bit apprehensive to attempt scone dough again. it seems like a balance between delicacy and being the boss. my dough kind of became the boss last time…and then after all that time and effort and frustration i took them to a work meeting…and left them on a curb in the parking lot for a few minutes while we grabbed supplies. and, well, when i came back a swarm of crows had attacked the tray, leaving shreds of plastic wrap and crumbs of my sad blueberry scones on the asphalt.
lesson learned: do not leave hard earned scones on a curb in the parking lot. ever.
thank you for this little gem! so excited to bake some scones…i can smell them now.
Yay! These tasted amazing. Except for the part where my totally unreliable oven burned the bottoms. But they were too delicious to throw away, so we just cut the bottoms off. Presentation wasn’t the greatest but they still tasted great!
And, I made them with 1/4 c nonfat plain yogurt instead of the cream. It worked wonderfully!
Made these this past weekend and they are definitely gush-worthy. I knew they’d be excellent based on your enthusiasm and the fact that they’re based on a recipe from The Perfect Finish. The Plum Galette from that book is out of this world!
so basically i had to make these as soon as i read the recipe. i too am not always a fan of apple and cheddar combos, but i had a feeling when you said you loved them that maybe i might too. and as luck would have it, i had almost everything on hand to make them, so horray!
roasting the apples wasn’t that annoying, and it definitely gave me ideas about other fruit scones that might need some roasting before baking (to reduce water?). i used half and half because i didn’t have cream, and actually only had one egg, so i “washed” the scones with half and half instead. they turned out beautifully. my fiance was skeptical but said he would try them, and even he was won over.
another hit deb – thanks!
rose — My guess is that the apples are roasted first because the short baking time wouldn’t be enough to cook them. Plus, chunks of cooked apples are always fun to find in a scone!
These scones look so good (I come from a scone devouring family). I love fall cooking all around and the pastries are no exception. I saw a recipe the other day for a pumpkin and feta muffin that looked so good I wanted to cry. This delicious looking munchy has achieved the same result. There is a great farmer’s market near where I live too that has some of the best apples that will be perfect for this. And I went to Washington State University where they make a delicious cheese and I’m due for a visit.
i should remember never to read your blog on an empty stomach. all i can think about now is rushing into the grocery store to buy heavy cream & white cheddar… soup & sandwich be damned, i’m having scones for lunch! and perhaps dinner.
Made these last Sunday and they were delicious. Our local grocery was having a cheese festival and had some really good 15 month old white cheddar. It was perfect for this recipe. I will definitely be making these again. They were pretty easy and quick too considering the exta step of roasting the apples. thanks.
Has anyone tried this with blue cheese instead of cheddar? I love blue and apples together.
Agh, these sound delicious… I want in on these.
i have a weakness for scones, and these were absolutely delicious! thank you so much for the yummy recipe.
Hi!! I’m a new reader, feeling so grateful I found your blog. I have a huge pile of recipe printouts already!! This is the second recipe I’ve tried, with yummy success (the grape focaccia was to die-for!! I need to search for an adequate replacement for concord grapes because I simply can’t imagine waiting until they’re back in season to make that again!)
Just made these scones this evening and am in heaven after sitting down with a chai latte and a warm scone. My husband just keeps looking for more in the kitchen! (I froze 3 and baked 3 – not telling him about the ones in the freezer…) I actually cut and roasted the apples On Sunday, but ran out of time before soccer to bake them. They’ve been in the fridge since then and it didn’t seem to matter at all. I used 2 fairly large granny smiths, cut into 16 pieces. I was wondering though – was I supposed to cream the butter, apples, etc before adding the flour mixture? I didn’t have trouble with the dough – I did it exactly a you described in a comment above, just sprinkling with flour and handling as little as possible. But even after mixing in the mixer, the apple pieces still seemed so huge. I actually had to almost force the dough all together – it sure didn’t look close to as smooth as your photo above. Mind you – I loved the apple chunks in the finished product, but was just wondering.
I also didn’t notice a very strong cheddar flavor. I grated the cheese (which was just sharp cheddar from Trader Joe’s) using the larger holes on a box grater. Next time (oh, there’ll be many mores next times!) I’m going to try using a finer grate and a stronger cheddar.
Thanks so much!! Tonight I make my grocery list for the roasted eggplant soup. Can’t wait!
These were just delicious. I was a little worried about the size of the apple pieces, so cut each (large) Spygold apple into 32 pieces. Roasted them for the full 20 minutes. Just barely mixed the dough and they turned out perfectly. I think next time I will make smaller scones, though, maybe making two smaller rounds and cutting each into fourths or sixths. I served them to my new neighbor, who had never had a scone, and she raved about them. Thanks so much for the recipe!
So Yummy! I made these last night and wish I brought more to work for snacks. I substituted spelt lfour and milled flax for the regular flour and used a scant 1/4c milk. Came out perfect!
I LOVE this site!!
Wow! Just made these and the are SO good. I added a little bit of thyme and that was gorgeous. Thanks Deb!
Again, another GREAT recipe! They are (were) AWESOME!!! Will make again and again! Dang-keep it up!!! Do folks not understand you wouldn’t post a good recipe!!!!
I made these yesterday using shredded apples and they were fantastic! I shredded the apples, then roasted them for about 7 minutes, just to dry them out so the dough wouldn’t get too wet. I didn’t have any problems with a too-sticky dough, but I wonder if it’s because I used sour cream instead of cream. I also used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
These were so delicious! Just the right balance between salty and sweet with a craggy crust and a moist, soft inside.
I’m planning on making them again this weekend when my in-laws come in town. Thanks so much, Deb!
I tried it with a mix of half apples, half pears, and it was delish! Such a nice breakfast treat. The 3 year old even ate one without complaint.
I can never, ever make these again – EVER. Why? Because I ate them all in two days (my fiance helped and ate one). Seriously, these are incredible – the cheddar apple combo is tart and amazing and everything I needed on these two chilly, rainy October days. The texture was perfect and the cheddar flavor was not intense – the scones were not too dry, not too dense (hey, I made a rhyme!). I used 3 apples, not 2 (they were pretty small green delicious apples) but followed everything else as suggested. I used regular sharp cheddar, not white (I had a ton of regular sharp cheddar in the fridge just waiting for a home) and it was fine and didn’t even look weird.
Wow! These look amazingly delicious :)
Love love love these scones. I should have used either more cheese or sharper cheese or both, but they are still delicious! Instead of an egg wash (out of pure laziness), I just dabbed some more cream on them and then sprinkled the sugar. They came out great and I definitely know how I want to tweak this recipe next time. My dough was pretty dry for some reason, but I just used a biscuit cutter – I said, hey if the dough is dry enough, why not make them look pretty! When they were done, they weren’t dry at all, a little biscuit-y though. I had to do this by hand with my pastry blender, maybe that had something to do with it. Also, I only cooked them for 15 mins.. Not sure why mine were so different, but it doesn’t matter because I love em. Thanks!
These were good, but turned great when topped with dulce de leche (http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/11/dulce-de-lechec/) and then paired with a nice, rich scotch.
made these tonight and SO GOOD. OMNOMNOMNOMNOM. my only problem was that the apples leaked and the juice kinda burned. but still. holy crap. awesome. <3
Made these tonight. A-ma-zing.
Made these this morning before work to include in a care package for a coworker. I made a double batch so we could enjoy some at home too. I flash froze 4/6 of each batch, and baked the other 2/6. The house smelled amazing and my “test” scone was delicious!
I’m eating my freshly-baked scone this very moment, and it is TO DIE FOR. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Deb! Love you so much! I’d also like to comment to #235-the idea of a scotch + dulce de leche ice cream added to these golden crags of deliciousness would probably push me over the proverbial edge.
I am going to go against the grain and say these were just so-so. The dough mixed up well and the scones looked just like your picture. The scone was good in texture but really lacked flavor. I used Criterion and Golden Delicious apples that we picked the day before and a heaping half cup of sharp cheddar. I probably won’t make these again.
Just made them- delicious! And pretty easy!
I sometimes wish that my sister-in-law had never introduced me to your website however, those thoughts never last for long! You’re killing my diet but your recipes are just too good to not try. I love baking but having moved over here from England (where the flour is all different) I find a lot of my old recipes don’t work. Your website is such a joy because now I can bake again, knowing that the recipes will be successful!! These scones are heavenly and now I’m glad I picked so many apples two weekends ago ‘cos I get to make these again…..and again…..and again! Thank you!
Hi Deb! I’ve been a fan for a few years now, but hardly ever post…until this morning when I made these scones for my family! Everyone loved them. The crispy exterior and soft-fluffy inside made for a perfect scone texture. The apple-cheddar mix was great, but seeing how I used Gala apples (only ones we had); I did find them a little on the sweet side, which may have been a little over-powering to the cheddar. Also, I used 1% milk instead of cream. I don’t know if the texture would have been different with the cream, but regardless they were devoured alongside our egg and tomato-baked bean breakfast!
Thanks for the great recipe (I’ll be making these again) and blog site! Smitten Kitchen is one of my go-to sources for culinary inspiration. :)
OMG!!! These are amazing! I used 2 1/2 med honeycrisp apples. Took from Cook’s Illustrated and used the food processor to incorporate the cold butter into the flour mixture and then poured everything into a bowl and incorporated the cream, egg, cheese and apples gently with a wooden spoon. Patted the dough into and circle and made 8 scones. Baked as instructed and these beauties came out most fantastically!!! ENJOY!
Yum! Just made these and they were amazing and as addictive as you said. I used half-and-half instead of heavy cream and maragarine instead of butter (i’m too poor :( ) but they still tasted divine. I’m so glad it’s apple season!
these were incredible! my oven was a tad too hot at 375, but none the less, awesome! thanks for posting.
I dreamed of these for a week before making them. Finally I made them yesterday and they were so good. I had them for breakfast and then one for lunch with some black forest ham. That was amazing!!
Made these last week and they were absolutely fantastic and so easy to make. Decided to make them for my daughter’s first birthday party next week, so I doubled the recipe last night and made a large batch to freeze. They were a disaster. No idea why — the dough was far wetter than last time. I added a bit more flour but was worried about over-mixing. They’re in the freezer now, but they look terrible. I will try baking a couple this week to see if they taste the same, but I wondered if doubling the recipe caused my problems or if I just had bad luck?
Oh my! I made these for breakfast and I am not sure if I should put you on my naughty or nice list. I guess you did forewarn us how addictive they are so the nice list it is. They truly are delicious!
My sister made these for me this weekend and they are AMAZING. The perfect scone…
i too eat my second scone as I read the comments and type. I want to eat another, but will practice the self control that you mentioned was needed! The scones are very good. At first I was a bit irked also to have to bake the apples prior, but it adds a lot of flavor and half baked apples taste pretty good on their own. I think the scones would be great with a little onion in the batter, to make them more savory. Or maybe with a few scallions cut up. Thanks to the reader who mentioned that whole wheat pastry flour works well. Will do that next time also. Love to use whole wheat whenever possible. Thank you Debbie for the blog and the photos of possibly the cutest baby in NYC! He needs an agent…
I made these for Sunday breakfast. Have to tweak the ingredients because at the age of 58 and having eaten like Deb (and Pioneer Woman) when I was younger, must substitute the no-fat, low fat stuff. But OMG, were these delicious. Thanks for another great recipe (and darling baby pics).
Loved these–I want to throw a brunch just to have a reason to make these for company! We, too, have tons of apples from a trip to the apple orchard and this was the perfect way to use them up. I made the dough the night before and baked them fresh for breakfast this morning–my kids and husband went nuts!
I am glad to see that people used yellow cheddar; I had to go to 2 stores to find white, and it was significantly more expensive than the lovely orange sharp cheddar right next to it! I’ll try orange next time. Thanks so much for these!
These are absolutely amazing!
I was a bit dubious about the whole apple and cheese thing but have so many apples and am so fed up with sweet stuff that they were a must to try!
I’ll definitely be making more of these!
Just made these today – absolutely delicious! I don’t have the stand-mixer, so I used a pastry blender ($10 at my local kitchen store) and found that hand-mixing changed the way I need to add things together a bit. I roasted the apples (cut them smaller than recommended since the hand-mixing would keep the pieces intact) and let them cool, and set my flour mixture aside in a bowl. Then in a separate bowl I beat the egg and added the cream and the cheese and cooled apples to that, setting it aside. Used the pastry blender to combine the flour and chilled butter pieces, then poured the flour/butter mixture over the egg/cream/cheese/apple mixture and used a dough whisk to mix until just incorporated. I cut and froze the scones the night before and they turned out great. I used coarse Hawaiian sugar for sprinkling – very nice! I will be making these again and again, I am sure.
LOVE scones, and these were wonderful! Thanks for the recipe. I think next time I will drastically reduce (if include at all) the sugar and add some spice (thyme, rosemary, something) to make a savory scone and let the apple be the sweet. Thanks!
I’ve made these twice, and they are wonderful. 1st time I think I added more apple and cheese and kept thick, and they looked pretty wet during the baking-but ended up fabulous. Yesterday I baked em by the book-a bit thinner. Either way, you really do think alot about them…before, during & after. Better than..oh, you know…!
My daughter and I made these Sunday. They are the best scone’s I’ve ever had, very much better than the hard bricks I usually get.
These were the first scones I’d ever made, and I had to call my Much More Experienced Than I Baker Friend to make sure a sticky, gooey dough was what I was supposed to get. They turned out amazing! I made them a day ahead of when I needed them, freezed them raw on my cooking trays, and baked them up late last Wednesday for a Bible study. Leftovers (there weren’t many!) kept in Tupperware and were delicious the next morning, likely because they were cooked so late the night before.
When I make these again, I’m going to use a much stronger cheddar. I used a sharp white and added a little more than was called for and could still hardly taste it. The SMELL of cheddar was strong with the scones, but in the scone itself the cheddar seemed to do nothing more than make the dough savory rather than sweet. I wouldn’t add more cheddar to the batter, since my scones were already evidencing the browned bottoms that only toasted cheese can produce, so I think strong, strong cheddar is the way to go. I’ve heard Tillamook Black label is pretty good…
These were the first scones I’ve ever made, and I was disappointed. I’m sure I must have done something wrong, but not sure what. My dough came out way too sticky and gooey….after beating them far more than I think was intended (several minutes), the dough still didn’t seem to have “come together.” Dumped it out on the counter to pat into a circle, and added more flour then in an attempt to get it to a state where I could cut it into triangles (still didn’t really work), but the dough was still so soft and oozy that the scones didn’t hold their form and spread out a lot while baking. Still tasted pretty good, but definitely not the right texture.
Do you remember by chance about how long the whole process took you? I’m thinking how great these would be for breakfast with the family and am trying to guess how early i need to get up before the house awakens! :)
Sara, you should make and shape and cut the dough the night before and freeze or refrigerate over night. Take them out when you pre-heat the oven and coat with the egg wash and sugar, then bake (add a few more minutes if they are frozen).
It took me less than 60 minutes to make the dough which included: 20minutes to bake the apples, 10 minutes to cool the apples in the fridge another 20 minutes or so to mix and shape.
These scones were very good and I don’t particularly like scones. Scones tend to be dry and dense. These were neither. However I would change the recipe a little. The apples should be cut to the size you want them to be in the scone. I also used the technique of freezing the butter and grating it. I think it helped the dough be a little less gooey. Since I had to run out of the house for an hour I cut the dough and refrigerated it and cooked them when I got home. Everyone liked them.
I tried another batch (double) last night without cheese but I had cooked the apples the night before and since I prefer the American sweeter pastries cooked them with some sugar and a little cinnamon and sugar in the dough. I think I probably over worked the dough it was pretty gooey. The pastry came out tasty but they weren’t really scones.
Now that I know I can make scones and they can taste good I will try different combinations. Thanks Debbie for helping me to be daring.
I want to make these for a crowd for a post-Thanksgiving brunch. Do you think the apples should be cut smaller for mini scones? Chop smaller pieces to begin with and roast, or maybe follow the first part of the recipe and chop each one-sixteenth a few times after roasting? Thanks!
My husband is a lifelong scone hater, but he completely gobbled these up and said they had changed his mind about scones. Great texture without being too dry, and the apples are lovely. Also, Louise’s suggestion to grate the frozen butter has totally changed my life! They came together beautifully and I didn’t have to overmix them to incorporate the butter – perfect! I froze some to bake later and I’m already dying to take them out of the freezer!
Made them the last week and brought them into the office – a big hit! I thought they were fairly quick and easy and definitely delicious!
These look amazing- definitely worth a try. Love your blog, great writing and the photographs are beautiful!
-Becky
These are amazing – just enough sweet and with just the perfect amount of cheddar in the background. I made these yesterday and already have plans for a second (and third, and fourth) batch.
Sidebar: my very dear, very English husband was quite concerned that these are even called scones (Cheddar?! In a scone?! My darling, I don’t know about this. *grumbles* They aren’t even properly round…) which was simply exacerbated by Mark Bittman’s very properly round scone in the NY Times a week or so ago. But, as he has learned to appreciate left sided road rolling and chilled beer, so too was he wooed by these bad boys. Take that as some inspiration for truly awesome pastry.
These are spectacular. I consider my scones some of THE BEST out there. But I can tell just by the pics that these are NICE scones. You’re right about pastry chefs – we get kinda fussy about measurements. But then, it isn’t rocket science!
Thank you so so so so much for this recipe! I made it this morning in a flash and they are delicious! I love them!
These are AWESOME! Made them twice this week and they were huge hits. Don’t care what you call ’em – they are fab.
These were great! This was my first non-vegan baking experiment in 4 or so years, so obviously something about this recipe sounded really appealing :)
these are perfect. hubby finished the baking while i tended to baby and even his method of not reading the instructions but dumping ALL ingredients into the bowl (including both eggs) still made great scones!
Made these this morning, with my three year old helpin gme, and they were delicious – took much less time to cook than you suggested though, and yes I did check the oven temperature. Not sure why but no harm done.
One quick thing – I wanted to thank you for putting weights in your recipes rather than just cups etc as most american sites do. Made it so easy for us to follow. But on eg baking powder and tiny weigts like that, even us brits use teaspoons. 1/2 a table spoon is not a measure I have – is it common in the US? Luckily I know that 3tsp=1tbsp so I just did 1 and a 1/2 tsps. But interested to know how you measure this when you are cooking.
Thanks again, off to make my second batch!
It took me 2 weeks to have time to prepare these but I have to tell you…my husband and I loved them. You were right, they are addictive. Thank you so much, the recipe will become a standard in our home.
Karen
Long time recipe stealer, first time recipe obsession rave:
I made these scones for a Sunday brunch using a really nice (ridiculously expensive bah!) Avondale Cheddar, and some crisp Braeburn apples.
I tried my darndest to stick to the recipe exactly but I can never seem to do that, and used golden yellow sugar instead of white, because i like the depth of flavour in darker sugars, and also used about 1 cup of grated cheddar (seemed scant 1/2 cup..)
Anyway, they turned out delicious and I’m so grateful for your recipes, your site is always the first place I head to for inspiration in the kitchen. Thank you!
Chrissie :)
I doubled the recipe, made the dough on Wednesday and froze until Saturday morning. I baked them about 34 minutes, switching the top tray to the bottom half way through the baking time. One of the best scones I’ve ever had! I was nervous that the apple chunks seemed too large and the butter didn’t get 100% fully integrated, but neither issue was a problem at all in the end! Yum!!
YUM! These were delicious and quite easy to make. Will definately make them again.
Wonderful scones. A bench scraper really helped with the sticky dough. Thanks for using weight measurements, especially with the apples and cheese. There are just some things that don’t translate well using measuring cups.
I am still reeling from your jalapeno cheddar scones! Can’t wait to make them. Thanks!
I made these – added cinnamon and nutmeg while roasting apples – they got raving reviews at a friends house! Thanks for sharing…next time I will roast apples the night before to let me cool for the following morning.
I made these for the second time last night and would like to say they are equally delicious if you half the sugar in the dough and don’t add any to the top, and add one small onion, diced and caramelized. It’s a bit more savory, but still awesome.
best scones i have ever tasted
Hi! Just wanted to tell you that your blog has inspired me to finally attempt being brave in the kitchen. I’ve always been unsure of my skills when it comes to cooking, but your easy directions and inspiring photos encouraged me to be bold :). I made these scones and they turned out SO amazing!! It made me feel good about my beginner’s skills…and now I’m in the kitchen as much as possible! Thanks!!
These are SO GOOD. I made a batch earlier this week, and I’m making one right now! The recipe might seem fussy, but it’s honestly not. I’ve avoided attempting scones for ages because it seemed so complicated, but this was easier that most things I bake in the kitchen! Thank you for an AWESOME recipe!
Deb, I have made these four times now. Doubling the recipe the first few times and tripling the recipe the fourth time. They turn out fantastic too if frozen. I plan to make a huge batch this afternoon and freeze them for later use.
One question: have you ever tried grating frozen butter rather than dicing for this recipe? America’s Test Kitchen suggests that method for some of their scones, and I plan on trying it today.
These scones were FABULOUS. I used a mix of apples and froze them. I actually thought they could use a touch more salt, and maybe even a sprinkle of cinnamon — that might tie together the sweet/savory combo.
Lindsay, for good measure, I diced the butter up and froze it before mixing. As a result, when I used the mixer to bring everything together, I was left with huge chunks of frozen butter that I could not incorporate into the batter without risking overworking it all. I was really worried about overworking the batter, which was incredibly sticky/wet, so I went ahead and baked the scones. I was so surprised that the large chunks of butter didn’t hurt in the slightest — the texture of the scone was perfect. I’ll be curious how your scones turn out with the grating technique.
Any suggestions for upping the “health” factor of these scones? These would make amazing breakfast treats if the fat content wasn’t so high. I was thinking of replacing the flour with a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and finely ground oats (this substitution works wonders in quickbread recipes). Think I could swap out the cream with milk or buttermilk?
Yum. I made the recipe straight the first time; today I added a third apple and upped the extra sharp white cheddar. So delicious!
Deb,
I love your blog. I decided to make these this morning on a lark, and I hand mixed them since I don’t have a mixer. But the dough came out super-sloppy and unworkable, even after adding a ton of flour! Did I do something wrong?
Wonderful recipe. Even better when the apples come right off your own trees :) Only mistake I made, which I will correct the next time, is having a bit too much flour on the butcher block.
Michelle, re:sloppy dough, yup, its kinda supposed to be that way. One of the reasons you put a bit of flour on the counter, and sprinkle on top, so you can form your “patty.” Also, heed the directions on not mixing it too much!
i made these and they were wonderfully tasty! took em to work and they didn’t last very long :) thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I don’t have a mixer, so I “hand” made the dough. These were so delicious!! Very easy recipe, and possibly my favorite thing I’ve made from smitten kitchen. I can’t wait until I visit home for Christmas and can make these for my mother, who puts cheese slices on her apple pie.
looks yummi – I will try that! Thank you.
I’m another convert to these scones :-) These came together perfectly. I’ve made them three times, and everyone loves them! The first time I made them I was visiting a friend who didn’t have a mixer, and the dough came together so well with a pastry cutter that I’ve used this method since. And I love that in this cool weather I can just put the tray of half-baked apples outside, and they’re perfectly chilled by the time I’ve cut the butter into the flour and grated the cheese :-) Also, I used a biscuit cutter instead of making the six triangles, and the recipe made 8-9 biscuits, which baked in about 25 min, if anyone wants a variation (or just more scones…). Delicious!
I made these this weekend adding thick cut bacon and cutting back on the sugar – they were fantastic!
I made these today – using red apples and mild cheddar (which was just what I had to hand)…and they were GORGEOUS! Thanks so much for this recipe.
Look delicious! Definitely going to give those a try!
Love your site! So inspiring!
Rachel- I have made them with half white whole wheat and half white, 2 % milk but still used real butter and they came out tasty but not as good as the original. They also didn’t rise nearly as much–even with the baking powder. When you use milk, they come out lighter like a biscuit instead of heavier like a scone.
My first attempt ever at making scones and did it by hand. They turned out sweeter and fluffier– not as dense as I expected, but that certainly didn’t make them any less delicious. They were a hit with the family. I’d make them again!
I made these on the morning of Thanksgiving at my in-laws and they were fantastic! I don’t think of myself as much of a scone person, since my previous experience has been with dry lumps of starch… but these were moist, flavorful, sweet, and buttery. I’m already planning to make them again for Christmas at my family’s house.
Add crispy chopped bacon to the recipe. You will not regret it . . . amazing!!
I have made these four times alreday – addictive for sure! I second the suggestion to use turbinado sugar on top, the crunch is a nice contrast. Also, my last batch with Fuji apples was the best by far.
Just made these and took the first bite not a minute ago. They are amazing! I upped the cheddar a little (I’m an addict…) and did a 1:1 swap for 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour instead of 1 cup of all-purpose. I was too afraid to swap all the flour, but now I think it would have been awesome. Thanks, as always!
So I made these according to recipe not long ago… and they were great! For my second attempt, I replaced the cheddar with chopped cranberries instead, my market recently having had a sale and me being unable to resist. I happily anticipated this delicious, delicious flavor contrast.
Unfortunately, while putting the dough together, I realized that I’d misread the recipe and put BOTH EGGS into the batter. I panicked, but just added enough flour to make it its normal consistency and skipped the egg wash, proceeding as normal in hopes that everything would turn out okay.
And… I gotta say… best culinary mistake I’ve ever made. The scones are much more rich and moist, and they keep for nearly five days. Not to mention the taste combination is just phenomenal. I think I may make my mistake variation more often!
Just made this this morning and ate one just now…these are amazing! Thank you so much!
I have made these a few times now, and they have never lasted in my house for more than 24 hours! They are incredible and dangerous to have around! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made these for our New Year’s morning breakfast and they are AMAZING. Thank you!
How delicious! Scones are my favorite and this recipe was super easy to make!
umm..
you warned me.
having friends for breakfast tomorrow morning
and it will mark the forth time
i’ve made these scones in two weeks.
love (and a little bit of hate for introducing me to this recipe) from paris,
julie
Made today and loved loved loved it! I think I baked a little too long because they were a bit brown but beautiful on the inside.
Anna, How much cranberry did you add?
Ive made these several times now and they are always deliciously addictive and the most moist scones i have ever made!
they are destined to become a regular fav of mine.
thanks!
These were so, so delicious! I made these with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose; I might go to 3/4 cup of each next time to fool myself into thinking they’re healthy. I also added about 1/3 cup of chopped pecans due to a ridiculous pecan surplus at our house. Due to an equally ridiculous excess of apples that are slightly past their prime, languishing in a crisper drawer, I see several batches of these wonderful scones in my near future. (I love so many Smitten Kitchen recipes: clementine cake, meatball sub, carrot-harissa salad, anything with asparagus…can’t wait for the cookbook!)
Gorgeous stuff! I made them with 2/3 wholewheat – or is it wholemeal, I cannot get the hang of it – still they had enough rise and came out a wonderfull golden brown. The dough was ridiculously sticky, it was nigh impossible to cut the wedges. But I just scraped every bit that stuck where it didn’t belong together and slapped it onto a wedge – makes for a wonderfully imperfect rustic look.
Made a note to increase the cheddar a bit. I do like the gorgonzola/ pear combo suggested in the comments, but would def forgo sugar with that. On this more savoury note I plan to do a cherry tomato/ goat cheese version with rosemary.
i have been hanging out to make these since October last year when it was spring for me and not optimum – i wanted to wait till real autumn to make real autumn food. it’s three days into march and i’m about to start. so excited!
I am so obsessed with these things. I made them for the first time for a brunch back in November, and people are so enamored with them (understandably so) that I have made them multiple, multiple times since then. Thank you so much for sharing!
I am wondering if this would work for manchego cheese and apricots…let the experimentation begin!
OMG i just made these and ate one….. and then another…. right when they were fresh out of the oven. What a great and easy recipe — i didn;t have any cooking supplies besides a wooden spoon and they still turned out GREAT… thanks for this recipe!
DELICIOUS! After the first try, these have officially made it into my repertoire. They were neither too cheesy, nor were they too sweet. These scones were well-balanced and amazing. They are indeed addictive. Thanks!
I just made these this evening to serve to a friend who was stopping by for tea. These scones were incredibly addictive! I did have to substitute light cream for heavy cream since that was all I had in my refrigerator. Despite the substitution, they were still nice and moist. A great way to use up the many apples from my apple tree. I can’t imagine these will last more than 2 days. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
I just baked a bunch of these (mini scones) for a party and sampled one — a big mistake. Now I think I’ll only have half of them available for the guests…
Fabulous! Tried them this morning and they were great! Thanks for a great recipe, as usual!! :)
I’ve never posted on a blog before but I just made these and I love them so much I cant help myself. I used 3 very tiny granny smith apples and for some reason, an additional egg (reflex second egg adding from making a few too many batches of chocolate chip cookies maybe?). Also just used my fingers and a big wooden spoon – thanks for the no mixer tips!
anyway – they were wonderfully awesome. cant wait to make them again. maybe right now.. maybe more cheese.. the world is my scone
I just thought I’d finally update on my question (comment 264). I ended up chopping them really small before roasting. They turned out great, though I didn’t get a strong cheese flavor. It was more of a pleasant back note, like, “Hmm, what is that??”
Made these last weekend in an effort to try every apple or pumpkin breakfast-type recipe on the face of the Earth before the season’s over. Loved them! So yummy! Forgot the egg-wash but to no ill-effect (except maybe less sugar stuck to the top) but gorgeous and delicious anyways. Thanks again, Deb!
I made these this morning for my family and we ate them all! Thanks for the perfect recipe!
I never commented on a blog before, and I know that this post is a while back. But after making this recipe tonight ( this is the tenth recipe I try from this website) I had to comment on how incredible each and every recipe is. My husband ( who hates apples by the way) was already stuffed when he decided to taste only a bite, and he ate three. Thank you deb for the recipes you share, when I try one I am always sure that the result will blow me away.
These were a huge hit! I was so proud because I’m not known for my baking skills but these were extremely tasty and the consistency was perfection. I’m glad I took the step of freezing a batch for the soon-to-be-arriving holiday house guests.
I made these back in October when I finally got a KitchenAid stand mixer. Since I had been whipping up many biscuits, scones, etc. that week, I froze these scones. I baked them today, and they are delicious! They have imparted a wonderful smell in my kitchen The apple/cheddar combination works very well and is very balanced in this recipe. I am now interested in making your other scone recipes as well!
just made these with granny smiths and beecher’s flagship. so good.
I’ve made these twice and am about to bake another double batch for a Christmas gift. They’re fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
These scones are looking absolutely perfect. Fluffy and delicious, There is right combination for apple and butter and that is very important to make these Apple scones. Thanks for the Recipe
These were fabulous! I made them with 1/2 whole wheat flour, sifted several times to add air and added a tablespoon of applesauce just incase the wheat flour made the batch too dry. I only needed to cook them 23 minutes but they turned out perfect. Will for sure bake these again. Thanks!
I made these over the weekend. The dough was so sticky that I was pretty certain they were going to be awful but they turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. Next time I will try them with 1/2 whole wheat flour.
Definitely a great thank you for including a bit about those of us who do everything by hand.
These were delicious and so easy to make. I’ll try them without the sugar next time as I think the apples add enough sweetness.
Is it possible to use light cream instead of heavy. That’s all i have on hand
Sure, not a problem. They’ll be a bit less rich, however. But I am sure still tasty.
Dear Deb,
Just three thoughts I would like to share.
I love your spirit of exploration in your work, right down to the how to on food photo taking!
How amazingly thoughtful and considerate of you to reply to a random strangers question about light or heavy cream! I wonderful hint at more of your character.
And finally that this was my first recipe of yours that i made (year ago now) and my wife loves it.. honestly what more could i ask for!
Good luck to you, your family and to the success of your book We love your work.
Sincerely,
W & N and two little munchers
The smell of these while they were in the oven was ridiculous!
I’m making these right now and am a bit confused…
the directions call for salt, but the recipe doesn’t. I skimmed the comments and it seems no one else has noticed this? Am I just going crazy? I’m going to assume it should be 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt?
help!
alexis — You are totally correct — it is missing! I’m always amused that a comment section can get as long as this one without me hearing about it. Here’s the clincher: I don’t have this cookbook anymore. But, your estimate sounds like the right addition. Good luck!
Deb- do you think it’d work to have a batch of these make 12 smaller scones instead of 6 large ones? And just adjust the cooking time? Thanks for any input you can offer!
Jenny — You can definitely make them smaller but I cannot estimate the baking time. I’d just start checking them at the halfway or 2/3 point.
These were amazingly good!!!! A couple of weeks ago I had friends visiting and staying over. When we woke up the morning after the Radiohead concert, I opened my tiny freezer, popped half of these in my tiny oven, and oh my, huge deliciousness emerged from my tiny kitchen, ideal for a post-concert not-tiny-at-all breakfast :p!!! They smelled heavenly as they were baking, I loved the apple and cheddar combination, but that was no surprise. The biggest surprise came the next day, when the boy and I shared the other half for breakfast. The boy isn’t such a lover of cheese in baked goods, but he found these surprisingly good!!!
So, thanks again for spying and trying and making up and sharing deliciousness!!
Eliza
Deb,
I am a long time fan! I go here whenever I have to impress – boys, family, co-workers, classmates, etc. And I impressed I have with your chicken and dumplings, all variations of empanadas, and so many more.
I just made these and LOVE them. I added brown sugar and cinnamon to the scone lid = heaven (but what with butter is not?!)
I can’t wait for your cookbook to have its rightful place on my (very, very) small kitchen counter!
You inspire!
Yours,
Lauren
Deb- Thanks for the input; I appreciate your time. I went the safe route and tried it with 8 to start, and it worked well. (I also put some bacon drippings in for a TBS of butter… definitely made it healthier.) Best of luck on your book tour. :)
Hi!
we dont have cheddar cheese in Israel…
got an idea about what can I replace it with?
thanks!
Hi Chen — Have you had cheddar cheese? See if you can find something else with the same flavor profile. If not, you’re looking for a semi-firm cheese that will melt evenly in the heat.
These scones turned out great! I made them and froze to bake a couple days later, which worked beautifully. Next time I’ll take them full savory, with green onions and crumbled bacon and more cheese instead of sugar on top. This recipe is a keeper, thank you!
I’ve wanted to make these for ages and had a go at them tonight, to have with roasted pumpkin soup for dinner. I used one Granny Smith and one Jonagold; a mixture of creme fraiche and natural yoghurt instead of heavy cream; and a Lancashire cheese instead of cheddar. The dough was extremely wet so I added a bit more flour, but still struggled to cut it and transfer it to the baking sheet without it flopping apart. Nevertheless, the resulting scones were delicious, although I don’t think the sugar is needed (certainly not on the top, at least). Maybe I was just expecting a more savoury scone – either way, I’ll probably make them again. They were definitely autumnal :)
Deb,
I am obsessed! I have made six of your recipes in two days. All were amazing but the apple and cheddar scones were so delicious that I had to tell you thanks.
My name is Ingrid and I have an apple cheddar scone problem. There. The first step is admitting that I have an addiction, right?
I just made my second batch of these because I couldn’t stop thinking about the first batch! SO. GOOD.
This is the best recipe, thanks for this.
Thank you for providing the method w/o standing mixer. It worked out great. This is a keeper!
These are ridiculous! Better than I thought they’d be. I am a cheddar with my apple pie kind of girl. I decided to give the apples a dusting of cinnamon sugar before I cooked….YUM! This is sure to become a recipe that I’ll use often.
These are ridiculous! Better than I thought they’d be. I am a cheddar with my apple pie kind of girl. I decided to give the apples a dusting of cinnamon sugar before I cooked them…YUM! This is sure to become a recipe that I’ll use often.
Any idea if these will hold up baked, then frozen? Or should they be assembled and frozen unbaked? I have a ton of apples to use up but no one to eat scones at the moment ;)
Shelly — I usually freeze scones unbaked, bake them off as needed. No need to defrost them first, though some people feel they rise more if you let them.
Deb, Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes. You were the first blogger I ever started reading, and you’re still one of my absolute favorites. These were delicious!
Here in Munich, it’s getting to be about this time again. These scones are one of the things I specifically look forward to when the weather cools off :)
I just made these for the first time. Not only does my kitchen smell like heaven, the scones were flaky, light and wonderful!
I made these yesterday to rave reviews across the brunch table. I have made various scones from probably a dozen other recipes, and my husband says these the best I’ve ever made. I was a bit worried when I looked inside the oven near the end of the baking time (I was baking them from frozen and had made them half-size, so I kept a close eye) and saw liquid butter pooling all over the pan, but when I pulled them out, the scones seemed to slurp it back up. This recipe is a keeper — thanks, Deb :)
I’m wondeirng if anyone has tried Deb’s Jalapeño Cheddar Scones (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/10/jalapeo-cheddar-scones/) – I have and they are a total favorite! Given the time of year and abundance of apples, I was thinking of trying something new and making these scones for a work potluck. If anyone has tried both the Apple & Cheddar and the Jalapeño Cheddar Scones, which do you prefer, which is most impressive/tasty? Thanks :)
Made the scones. A very unique idea. However, a couple of notes:
1) too much baking powder. 1/3 teaspoon is enough
2) They are too big. I made 8 and they were still big. I think 10 scones would make an ideal size.
My daughter and I made these tonight for her to bring with her to school tomorrow. We doubled and added Bacon, and left the cheese in tiny chunks. Delicious, wish we didn’t have to give them all away. Oh, and your florentine cookies were outstanding. I love your blog and am always inspired. Thank you
Hi Deb! I plan on making these scones for a party tomorrow night but I won’t have time to prepare dough after work tomorrow. Can I prepare the dough tonight, wrap it tighlty (if so, in what?), then when I get home from work tomorrow cut into scones and pop in the oven? Do you think the dough would dry out overnight in the fridge? Have you ever tried prepping scones a day in advance of baking?
Thanks so much!
kristina
Hi Kristina — Sorry I missed this sooner. As I mentioned in the footnotes, I prefer to freeze scones if making them in advance, even overnight. It helps keep the baking soda/powder from activating until needed.
Hi Deb,
I love this recipe and I’ve made it several times. I want to make a big batch and freeze it for later use. Here’s a question: How long can they remain in the freezer and still be fresh/safe to eat?
Diana — Theoretically, most things are supposed to be good in the freezer for a couple months. But it’s more about your freezer. I get a freezer-y taste after a few weeks with mine, so I don’t put things in very long.
Hi Deb!
I’ve never made scones before. Tried one (different flavor) from Starbucks and i found it too dry for my liking so i was put off in making any types of scones.
This totally changed how i see scones. Making them was a breeze, nothing very technical. I took a bite after (impatiently) waited for them to cool..I was in love! It’s THAT good! And yes, they are the best the day they are baked! I found that they are not as good the next day I reheat them in the oven. Maybe I should just baked how much i want to eat and freeze the rest.
To anyone who’s still contemplating whether to try this recipe or not. Don’t. Just go out and get all the needed ingredients, baked and eat one (i’m sure you won’t stop at one). Come back and tell how good it was! :D
Thanks for the awesome recipe share, Deb!
Marcus
We have almost October and I just found your website here in the right time! Amazing recipies for the cold days of autumn and winter. Really phantastic: Thank you very much!
These are my favorite scones in the whole universe. They’re just so balanced. I’ve made them so many times now I can’t count, but what would really help is if by the ‘two eggs’ in the ingredients list you put decided or something; almost every time I put two eggs in instead of one haha! Still delicious though!!! Love, Victoria
Sorry I meant ‘divided’ not ‘decided’ ;)
Hi Deb! Thanks so much for this and all your recipes. You have never steered me wrong. I’ve made this one so many times and its always a huge hit. Today though, I had leftover CSA plums – leftover because their texture was meh – and tweaked it a bit . . . roasted plums with herbs d’provence instead of apples and then swapped out fontina cheese instead of cheddar. So friggin yum! Slightly wetter than usual but otherwise worked beautifully. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This scone was my first. It’s great… the last time I made them, I had to improvise, added a little coconut flour cause I was low on all purpose. And added ground almonds. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoy your website and all the recipes you share, the pictures and comments. If my Christmas wish comes true, I will have your cookbook to top my collection. Again Thank You sooo much!
I don’t have a website. I am just someone that enjoys your blog and all the new things to learn and try and enjoy. Once again thank you.
So glad you bumped this one again in Sept 2015, as I had not seen it. Just whipped up a batch and they are delicious! Your recipes are so dependable Deb. Light and moist scones, not the usual dense brick.
I made the apple chunks slightly smaller than picture and cubed the cheddar (just my preference) and that worked out fine. Used turbinado sugar on top for crunch.
Next time I might try for a more sweet & savory combo by adding green onions, maybe ham.
Thanks Deb!
It annoys me when people give recipes high reviews and then say “but I changed x,y and z!” So I’ll preface by saying that I’m 7 months pregnant and was craving apple and cheddar scones, and this recipe, written as is, really, *really* hit the spot!
But not quite my craving. I made them again last night, but added half a lb of ground pork sausage and just diced the apple (the first time my hand mixer pulverized them, and I wanted to chunks of apple). I mixed the butter, egg, cream and cheese together with the hand mixer, and then stirred in the diced apple and sausage with a wooden spoon before adding the flour mixture (also with a wooden spoon). The first batch I made flattened quite a bit, so I put them in the freezer overnight and baked them this morning. Perfection.
Definitely saving this one, thank you!!!
Whoa, these scones are unreal. I forgot the egg (d’oh), and they still came out spectacular. I’ve had the book The Perfect Finish sitting on a shelf collecting dust (it was a thrift store find), and now that I’ve finally made one of the recipes, I’ll be giving it more attention. I also really liked the technique of using the stand mixer, which I never heard of for scones before. I cut the dough into 8 pieces, which I think makes a more reasonable size (ie, you can eat 2 fresh from the oven and not feel too gluttonous). Love these scones and love this site.
Serving cheese with apple pie is a custom in Yorkshire (Northern English county). We even have a rhyme “apple pie without the cheese, is like a kiss without the squeeze”. Try cheese with fruit cake too, it’s delicious……
made these using quark and some milk, to substitute the heavy cream, and instead of bothering to roll it out, i just used my hand to plop 6 roughly round blobs of dough onto the parchment paper. but next time, i would up the salt and cheddar content, cheddar flavor was a bit mild. any suggestions on a sharp flavorful cheese is cheddar is not readily available? i live in Germany and while there are tons of sharp cheeses, cheddar ain’t usually one of them :) maybe aged gouda? oh and i also used maybe 15-20 gm of sugar, because 60 seemed like too much to me for a sweet/savory scone.. does the sugar bring out the cheddar flavor?
I used this scone technique to make blueberry scones with frozen blueberries. They needed a touch more liquid, so I added about 1 tblsp milk. I like finding new ways to make scones that aren’t so labor intensive. Success!
I also have started baking scones in one big disc and then cutting after baking. I find my triangles get misshapen when I try to maneuver them onto the pan for cooking. Also, like someone above, I get pools of liquid butter as it bakes, but no worries, they taste wonderful!
I make these everytime I get my hands on fresh apples! But like some have commented above, I frequently read through the directions too quickly and mistakenly add both eggs to the batter. Perhaps the ingredients could be more “idiot-proof” for someone like myself ;) if you listed the second egg, for the egg wash, separately? Just a thought. Still one of my all-time favorites of your recipes!
Seconding this!! Especially since the instructions for mixing by hand just say to “throw all the remaining ingredients together.” I make these all the time so I don’t even bother reading the instructions for using a hand mixer. Just made a double batch to freeze away for my mom before flying home and used 4 eggs. Added some extra flour to compensate and really hoping they still turn out.
I’ll edit the recipe in my app, but hope the recipe itself gets changed to save others from this mistake!
These are simply incredible! I forgot the cream once and they were literally the same taste and texture! Not sure if I put slightly more apples or cheddar to bring in enough moisture to compensate, or what exactly happened, but for those looking to make a slightly less chaloric scone, it does work!
I just made these, but decided to make my own flavor combinations:
Mushroom and rosemary
Kale and Parmesan
Chocolate and coconut
Cherry and almond
Because you said your dough made 6 large scones, I thought I could make 12 small ones. But (granted, omitting the apples and cheese), this dough only made four medium / normal sized scones! One flavor of each – now my husband and I can fight over them.
Baked these today! Very tasty. Nice to have a savory scone to eat with soup. The technique of roasting the apples is brilliant! A few suggestions however. #1 I think using a stand mixer is really unnecessary and just results in another bowl to clean. Scones are easily made by hand. #2 The timing is definitely off because by 25 minutes my scones were starting to get very dark on the bottom and they were bordering on overdone. I took them out at 25 minutes, but next time I would do even less. #3 The egg wash and sugar on top are also really unnecessary.
YES! Mine were overdone at 25 minutes. I wondered at first about the long cooking time – twice as long as any other scones I make, or more. Darn it.
Gluten free version!
What I did:
1. Substituted oat flour for regular flour (I made mine with rolled oats in a lower-end ninja blender), including some for the counter-top.
2. Added 2 generous tablespoons of just-cooked oats to liquid mixture before combining with dry ingredients.
3. Substituted honey for sugar.
Why I did it:
1. I’ve made deb’s oatmeal pancakes with just oat flour, and they are amazing (one of those recipes my friends and family can’t tell is gluten free).
2. Because deb does this in the oatmeal pancake recipe, and I figured it may help everything stick together after removing gluten.
3. I was out of sugar, and instead of waiting I decided to try this, again for the stickiness factor (no gluten).
4. I forgot the egg wash! Oops.
5. I pulled the scones out at 25 minutes, when I saw that they were nice and browned on top and felt firm to the touch.
The result: The dough was a little like batter (and was delicious by the way) so I sprinkled extra flour into the mix. Probably used closer to 2 cups of flour in the end, if you count the counter-top flour. Almost turned these into muffins, but the dough kept together enough to cut into 8 wedges (I’ve made this recipe 15-20 times over the years with standard flour, so I had an idea of how the dough should look and feel. This dough was on the sticker side but still worked). When baked, the scones were a little too dark on the bottom, somewhere between caramelized and burned. I let them cool for 20 minutes. They were a little crumbs-y, but stayed together fairly well. They tasted awesome. A little on the dry side, but the center was nice and moist. Really great texture, in my opinion.
So for all you gluten-averse folks, any thoughts on how I could improve on this adapted recipe (other than remembering the egg wash…)?
I made these today using whole wheat pastry flour and AP flour (1 cup WW, 1/2 cup AP). They didn’t need to cook as long (20-ish minutes) and looked good. The texture was a bit crumbly and there was a nutty undertone. If I was making these as a mushroom / cheddar / thyme I would try the WW again, but if/when I make this apple cheddar version I’ll stick with AP so the cheese and apples can shine on through.
I agree 30 min is too long. Mine were done at 20.
A friend of mine brought a large batch of these into work this morning, and they are INCREDIBLY delicious! I immediately ate two, and have been eyeing a third one, but I know I should save some for other people… I will definitely be making this recipe myself. I can see it becoming a go-to recipe for weekend baking. Highly recommended!
Just want to suggest an edit to the intro — the weights in this recipe are to the gram, or one hundredth of an ounce, not to the one hundredth of a gram.
I have made these three times already and am planning to stock some in the freezer because they are so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Loved these! I used 1% milk instead of cream and made 12 small ones instead of 6 large ones. Next time I will chop the apples into smaller pieces and mix by hand because my hand mixer didn’t do a good job of smashing up the pieces. They were sweeter than I was expecting and I couldn’t really taste the cheese. For my next batch I think I’ll try adding more cheese, less sugar, and maybe even leaving the cheese in chunks, similar to your gruyere biscuits. Thanks Deb!
Man, these are good. I’ve made them a few times and are making them this weekend (seasons be damned!) If you can find it, Seriously Sharp Cabot Cheddar is the way to go. I bake off a few and freeze the wedges unbaked, so they’re always fresh. Make these. Be happy.
Absolutely delicious. I made 12 small scones instead of 6 regular-sized ones, and baked for only ~25 min. Yellow cheddar works just as well as white, and you can use the large holes on a box grater.
what is going on with this recipe? first sign of it being bad was the first ingredient; since when do two apples weigh one pound? um no, in what world? second, baking the apples cut into 1/16ths and then baking for 20 min at 375 leaves you with literal applesauce. i was left with a super wet dough for my scones which i didn’t even put in the oven, there is no way those would have come out as anything edible. what a waste. time and money spent on this recipe now forever gone.
Has anyone tried making these with buttermilk instead of cream (I noticed one question about this, but no answers)? I have buttermilk in the fridge and it is so packed that buying cream is not an option ;)
I haven’t tried with buttermilk but you should! And post the results! It’s so little heavy cream, I think it will be fine.
well, this was 1 disappointing recipe. 30 minutes overbaked them, but even so they weren’t good. no cheddar taste, not enough apple taste, the scone wouldn’t hold together. i’d never make this again
I loved these but agree that 30 minutes was too long. Needed 23-25 minutes at the most
Are you going to publish nutrition info in your cookbook…I see none of that here on the website
No, I don’t publish it in either place. Servings are variable; it’s easier to use tools online. (Here is one I like.)
DEE-LICIOUS. I got distracted while making these .. my family will assure you this is not the 1st time .. & forgot to add the cream. Also, I cut the apples into 16ths in wedges, rather than chunks. Neither oversight had any deleterious effect on the finished products. I got 8 medium sized scones. 4 are in the freezer waiting to be baked another day. Thanks for another yummy recipe – my bridge friends are gonna love these almost as much as they love the Roasted Pear & Chocolate scones.
My husband who swears he does not like scones loved this. I made a double recipe and froze half. My mistake was not reading the instructions for mixing by hand. I should have added/cut the butter to the flour mixture before mixing everything together. I ended up with large chunks of butter in the mix, which proceeded to weep and pool around the scones during baking. I scooped the melted butter with a spoon and drizzled them back into the baked scones. It seems to not make a difference in the finished product (by this, I mean, no greasiness). Next time, I will probably cut the apples a tad smaller and grate the cheddar a little bigger.
Deb, do you have a stance on eggs in scones? I’ve been anti-egg for a while, they tend to make more cakey scones and I love a more ‘crumble-in-hunks’ texture. Just curious!
Great recipe for apple. I can’t wait to make it.
I made these yesterday following the recipe exactly and was surprised at how soft and sticky the dough was. I must have added at least an extra 1/2 cup of flour before they would form a circle I could cut. My husband liked them, but I am surprised so few mentioned this. Any ideas for next batch?
I also found the dough pretty soft and sticky, but I was able to cut/shape it anyway. Certainly couldn’t have used a rolling pin on it, though. My best guess is that this happens when your apples have higher moisture content? I think next time I’ll bake the apples for longer.
Made these does my girls and their friends while they were watching a Harry Potter movie marathon….they devoured them, and named them “The Sorcerer’s Scones!” Magic!
Ooops! Added both eggs to the dough!! I was listening to a TED talk while making these scones, & didn’t check with the instructions. (The take home lesson is to not try to do 2 things at once … but I have SO MANY ‘TED talks’ waiting in my email file!) While I accept full responsibility, it would be good to note, in the list of ingredients, when one is used in different parts of a recipe (divided). The good news is that adding the second egg to the dough did not change the results in any appreciable way! They were delicious – as always.
I made these and they were delicious! I love how they are deceptively monochromatic.
Oh my, these are good! Concerned that the butter wasn’t fully incorporated and didn’t want to over mix…but they were fine. Made 8 instead of 6 and they were a perfect size. Debated the sugar on top but it is really the finishing touch. These will be on “repeat” for sure.
Just made these as written (with whole milk instead of cream and skipping the sugar on top). They are AMAZING. I think I’d make them half the size next time because they’re pretty rich. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Craggy, sweet/savory, not too fiddly. I’d be sad that they don’t keep very well but I’m not sure there will be any left tomorrow regardless.
I have made these twice using heavy cream and they were still wet, but I soldiered on and my husband thinks they are the absolute best and I have instructions not to change a thing They are not as puffy as some scones I have made, but delicious nevertheless. I make them exactly as written. Thanks Deb!
Mine were extremely wet too! I completely gave up on rolling or patting and just made drop scones. They’re in the oven now, we’ll see 🤷♀️🤷♀️
I have these in the oven now! I found the dough to be very wet. I made them drop-scone style because it was so wet. I used whole milk instead of heavy cream, so maybe that’s why. They smell delicious! I plan to check them at 20 minutes and go from there.
I found that with my grater, 2.25 oz of cheese was closer to a full cup than half a cup. That might be why some commenters find they don’t taste cheesy enough. My dough was very wet, but they baked up nicely, and contrary to the experience of others in the comments, they really did need 30 minutes.
Just wondering if you meant a half TEAspoon rather than a half TABLEspoon when adding the baking powder? Or is baking powder what we call baking soda over here (Ireland)?
I added a half teaspoon and they turned put beautifully. I think I’d use a sharper cheese next time. Great recipe, thanks Deb!
Baking soda and powder are both available in North America and different. I think she means 1/2 tablespoon which is 1.5 teaspoons. HTH!
I just made these and they are delicious but not very apple or cheddar flavored. I also had quite a bit of butter on the baking sheet when the scones were done. Not sure why?
Just made these and added a little chopped sage to the flour mix, delicious!
These scones are so wonderful, cheesy and sweet from the apples. I give this my highest recommendation. It takes a bit of time but they are worth it.
I really enjoyed these. So easy to make, and great flavor. I may up the ratio of cheese and apples next time I make them (hopefully it won’t change the texture too much).
Anyone use frozen chopped apples in this? Wondering if it will work.
I think it would. Might need less roasting time.
Cooks Illustrated had a blueberry scone recipe that has you freezing the sticks of butter and then grating them, like cheese, which works a treat.
That’s how I make my scones, too Flakier and lighter?
Wow! These were indeed delicious. I did add a little more cheddar. And I completely agree with the comments about needing less time, and the egg wash probably not being necessary. This recipe is a keeper for sure, and I appreciated learning about how to freeze the scones before baking.
These are great scones. I used sharp cheddar (not extra sharp) and wished I had gone extra as the cheddar flavor wasn’t super strong. Alternately next time I might throw in some shredded parmesan.
I added a handful of chopped walnuts, which I recommend. Chopping the apples a little more before mixing might have helped as I, like other reviewers, didn’t find the mixer broke them up very much. On the other hand the large chunks of apple were not unwelcome.
Just made these!! Amazing!
Girl- these were amazing! If we weren’t already married I think my husband would have proposed again!😂
Second time making these! (They’re currently in the oven.) I love them! They’re super easy and forgiving, I think. I use an apple peeler/spiralizer because it makes my life easier, I use a little less sugar, crush the butter into the flour mix with my hands, and I don’t bother rolling out afterward. I also use milk instead of an egg wash to save myself an egg and skip the sugar sprinkle. I’m a lazy cook, but I love these!
The apples should have been given a cup measurement. I used two very large granny smith apples and had a hot mess. I had to keep added more flour when mixing. 1 lb of apples would be about 4 cups (way too much) and 454 grams equals just under two cups. I had to end up spooning these onto the bake sheet as I could not form into a disk. They were tasty, but what a sticky mess. (and yes I kept everything cold till the last moment.)
These were tasty but as others said, I could barely taste the apples or the cheddar (I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp), which was strange! They also tasted way too sweet. Next time I will dial back the sugar and try using chunks of cheese and apples instead. I used a food processor to make these and even though I pulsed only a few times, everything blended too smoothly. I was hoping to bite into some larger bits of apples or cheddar. Will try again soon!
I have recently started grating frozen butter into my dry mix. I think the recommendation I’m following suggested that this helps deliver flakier & lighter scones with less danger of overmixing. Have you tried this? I would love to hear your thoughts. Your recipe is in my oven right now!
Made these for breakfast, and everyone loved them. Perfect scones for fall. Next time, I might add a little minced sage to them. Great recipe!
You are not kidding when you say these are addicting. I made dough for a full batch and froze half. I baked three, tried one immediately and saved the other two for the next morning for sweet and savory breakfast sandwiches. These were phenomenal with smoked bacon, a fried egg, and more sharp cheddar. Thank you! (I went with the hand mixing method based on other comments and was very pleased and cleanup was easier!)
I love another commenter’s name for these; the Sorcerer’s Scones! They really are a perfect fall treat. Soft, buttery, not overly sweet and pretty easy to throw together on a Sunday morning. I had only honeycrisp apples (they’re a sweet apple, not tart) Dubliner cheese (which is cheddar-adjacent but I think not technically cheddar), and half and half instead of heavy cream, but using those things yielded a delightful batch of tender, flaky warm scones that were delicious!! I will make it again using the tart apples and a sharper cheddar as intended. Like other people, I found they were done after 20ish minutes, NOT 30. Don’t miss out, whip these up!
Just made these, the dough seemed very wet and sticky, so I tried adding more flour…and more flour….and more…they were just so sticky. Any tips? I used the 195g as the recipe calls for? They still came out delicious! so I want to try again, maybe I’ll try with volume instead of weight next time?
This is one of my favourite recipes from this site! I’ve made it for picnics, brunches, to take to work…
Instead of rolling and cutting the dough, I just spoon it straight onto the baking tray, with the help of my hands to keep the little masses together, then continue with egg wash and sugar topping. Easier, and creates very textured little biscuits with lots of crags to brown up.
oh my god, these are amazing. i accidentally forgot the egg, did have cream so used yogurt and milk, and used more apple, cheese, and butter than required. i regret nothing.
*am eating my first one as i type one-handed.
I have made these so many times in the last ten years- always a favorite! (I just popped on to mention that I was looking up this recipe again this morning, and realized it is not listed under “breakfast” section.)
Thank you — I will fix!
I thought these had too much sugar. Didn’t add the eggs. Why isn’t the cream in grams?
I’d love to try this use my sourdough starter. Any tips?
So yummy!
Just finished making and eating these (two!!). Super easy, amazingly tasty. Will definitely make again. Thanks!! ❤️
I noticed that the recipe doesn’t mention adjusting the oven temp after baking apples at 375. I baked scones at that temp, and they got over baked and too brown on the bottom after 20 minutes. Just a suggestion to recommend a lower baking temperature for the scones.
Do you think I could sub buttermilk? I have a ot buttermilk to use up and heavy cream has been hard to come by lately.
Love these scones. But I must have overmixed in the stand mixer because the dough turned into batter… Next time I will use a pastry cutter!
I mixed the butter and flour mix in my food processor, cut up the apples like you suggested, and then mixed all ingredients together. They came out really well! Thanks!
Darn – didn’t listen to myself when 30 minutes was the instruction. They are quite overbaked. And my oven doesn’t run hot. Anyhow they will still be good.
I measured out everything to the exact gram, mixed by hand. Rolled out to exactly the dimensions but they came out much more flat. Anyhow I am going to eat one in a minute and know they will be delicious.
Thanks Deb. Will try this with mushrooms and other stuff as another commenter suggested.
Holy cow are these delicious!
Used orange sharp cheddar rather than white, which gives them a nice autumn-y tinge, in my opinion. Didn’t have heavy cream so thinned out some Greek yogurt with almond milk. My apples needed about 25 minutes and were cool enough to add to the batter after five minutes of cooling in the fridge. Scones came out perfect after about 28 minutes at 375, nicely golden brown with a crisp outside and pillowy inside.
So much more tender and tasty than any other scone I’ve ever met!
We have tried this twice and both times the butter wept out of them like crazy. The dough was also extremely soft, even after a night uncovered in the fridge. I am in a very humid climate but still is this something other people are experiencing?
*when cutting the cold butter into the flour, nothing should be bigger than pea sized clumps.
Have you tried freezing then shredding butter on a box grater? This will get your butter to optimal size without too much fuss. And bake them right away or freeze raw dough instead of refrigerating. Also, I live in the south and would suggest weighing the ingredients (like flour especially) because sometimes a humid environment can throw off cup measurements.
These are fabulous and what a great balance to the too much sweet stuff all around this time of year! If you haven’t made these yet, do it!@
I wish I’d listened to my gut and used the food processor rather than my KitchenAid with paddle. The mixer didn’t do the job of incorporating the butter. Instead the chunks of butter were too large, in order to make them a bit smaller, I would have had to over mix. The flavor was only just “okay” and I purposely used a very sharp cheddar. I was really looking forward to the finished scone, sady I was disappointed. I, also, agree with a previous post that reading comments from people who’ve not made the recipe, is not helpful.
Soooo good and pretty easy! I am not a baker but I am a Vermonter. When I see a recipe with cheddar and apples at the beginning of October, I am completely unable to resist. Put these together while waiting for a beef stew in the instapot. The dough came together quickly, was easy to prep for the oven, and cooked perfectly. Love it!
I tossed the apple slices with a little bit of maple syrup and a dash of cardamom before roasting them. Yum!
I wonder why the recipe does not call for cutting in the butter into the flour before dumping in everything else. I followed the instructions and found that the dough came together quickly, leaving the apples and butter in big chunks — then melting all over during baking. Is this what’s supposed to happen? My first batch is in the oven right now, so I cannot attest to how they turned out, but I’m still optimistic!
Deb, you will go down in my personal version of history as the woman who made scones accessible. I know cutting in flour isn’t that big a deal, but it’s annoying enough that I would never do it before. Now I make your Irish brown bread scones all the time, and these guys are so easy (and decadent) that they’ll be my go-to fall brunch favorite from now on. The kitchen smells amazing, too. Love you a bushel and a peck (of crunchy apples, of course!)
I made these years ago B.M. (before mixer) and they turned out amazing. Tried them again last night in the stand mixer as written (no rubbing butter in first), and they dough was wet enough that it came together before the butter mixed in at all. After forming the wedges I ended up balling each one up, squishing the butter cubes and mixing them in a bit (so the butter wouldn’t all just pool out when baking), and flattened into pucks. Skipped the egg wash/sugar step too, since my foraged apples were sweet enough.
In the end they turned out great, with minimal leakage and great flavor (can definitely recommend using Cougar Gold cheese!).
Hi! I love your recipes and I’m excited to try this one. But I can’t digest heavy cream. (Butter and cheese are fine.) what alternative can I use? Yogurt? Thanks!!
I used unsweetened, unflavored almond milk without issue.
I used half &half but buttermilk would work too
Hi Deb, made these today and they are so good we ate three right off the bat. The scone part is light and tender and the chunks of roasted apples and the sharp cheddar are a match made in scone heaven. I mixed it by hand because the mixer seemed unnecessary. I grated the cold butter into the flour mixture, tossed, put the grated cheddar into the flour/butter mixture, tossed, then mixed the egg and cream together and added to the flour mixture. Tossed lightly with a fork and added the apples towards the end. Needed to use my hand at the end and force the mixture together – as quickly as possible because i know overworking equals tough scones. Brushed with cream and topped with demarara sugar. Baked 6 large scones for 20 minutes. Excellent!! (I used Cosmic apples and seriously sharp cheddar by Cabot.)
Made ½ recipe today, including dividing 1 egg in half by weight. Absolutely scrumptious— not too sweet, tender inside and craggy on top. Next time I will add a bit more shredded cheddar but really they were perfect as is. I used a stand mixer and mixed ingredients only until they sort of came together then dumped the pile onto a well-floured counter and pressed it all together with my hands. No rolling pin. My husband just went to buy some clotted cream to serve alongside them! Wonderful recipe!
I grate in the butter with a good old box grater and then add the liquids. I mix by hand, and then divide the batter into large scoops, and fill the 8 sections of my scone pan. Works every time!
I made these again today and they were a big hit again. I made eight as I usually do. My husband is hoarding the leftovers. Thanks.
My daughter made these scones for us. They were fantastic. I’m going to try my hand at making them now. Would it be okay to add bits of dried cherries and/or chopped pecans to the batter?
These are amazing, I have made them several times and always a hit! One note of caution, I would suggest watching them pretty closely after about 20 minutes. I set the timer for 30 minutes and didnt keep a good eye on them and after 30 minutes they were very overdone! Would depend alot on youe oven of course, but it’s a shame to lose these as they are SO good.