My favorite thing in the entire world is pie.

My favorite kind of pie is homemade apple pie.  I will not eat store bought apple pie.  If I’m going to eat store bought pie, it has to be either strawberry-rhubarb, cherry, or pumpkin.  I realize this makes me sound like Sally Albright, but it is just the honest truth.  Something about store-bought apple pie is just so wrong.  I think it’s the filling.  I don’t know.

Homemade pie is always best.  Of course, when I saw this recipe for Apple Pie Scones, I was instantly ashamed of my pie-loving face for not having thought it up myself.  What an amazing idea.  It’s a flaky, buttery scone, filled with cinnamon-sugar glazed granny smith apples and drizzled with a brown butter glaze.  And it tastes EXACTLY like a delicious piece of homemade apple pie.

While we’re on the subject of brown butter glaze, I should also tell you that it is one of my other very favorite things.  A brown butter glaze is always superior to a regular glaze, if you have the extra 5 minutes.

These scones would be perfect for Christmas morning, brunch, Thanksgiving morning, a bridal shower- you get the idea.  They’re fancy.  These are not just every day scones.  Although, I guess I made them on a Thursday afternoon for no reason other than that I wanted them, so I guess they are any day scones.

Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Oh, Sweet Basil

Ingredients:

FOR THE SCONES:
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks
1 cup of heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing over the scones
course sugar (optional) for sprinkling on top of the scones

FOR THE GLAZED APPLE FILLING:
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped up small
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

FOR THE BROWN BUTTER GLAZE:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream

Directions:

Start by making your glazed apple filling.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and toss in the apples.  Stir until apples are cooked and there is very little butter left.  Remove from heat and add in the sugars and the cinnamon.  Set aside to cool.

Now, make your scone dough.  Using a food processor, a pastry blender, or just a good old fashioned fork, cut your cold butter into the dry ingredients until blended throughout the flour like little peas, some larger than others.  Add your apple pie filling to the mixture and mix until well combined.  Add the heavy cream, stirring until your dough comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it 2-3 times until it all comes together really nicely.  Pat it into a disk.  Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and put the dough in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Make your glaze:

Place your butter into a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns a nice, light, golden brown color.  Don’t burn it.  Mix in the sugar and cream, and mix until smooth.  Set aside to drizzle over the scones.

Remove your dough disk from freezer and place onto your baking sheet.  Cut it into 8 equal wedges. Use a pastry brush to brush a light layer of heavy cream over the top of each scone and sprinkle with course sugar (if desired.)

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through **Note** Mine had to bake for almost 20 minutes before they were done.

Drizzle with glaze and enjoy!