High Altitude Cinnamon Apple Pecan Scones

Tender and flavorful apple scones, made with grated apples and nutty pecans, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Freeze Time 20

Total Time 1

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Servings12

2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
⅓ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
10 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1 large honey crisp apple, peeled, cored and grated
½ cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
¼ cup whole milk, cold
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
Cut the cold butter into slices or chunks, scatter it over the flour mixture, then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until the remaining chunks of butter are no larger than peas.
Peel and core the apple, then grate it with a box grater. Measure 3/4 cup (packed full) of grated apple, and add it to the flour mixture, then add the chopped pecans. Stir with a spoon to combine.
Add the milk and vanilla extract, and stir into a crumbly, shaggy dough.

Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface, and use your hands to finish bringing the dough together until it sticks together. Lightly flour the top of the dough and gently press it out to 1 inch thick.
Use a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds of dough, pressing the cutter straight down and lifting it back up, without twisting it. Gather up the scraps of dough, press it out again, and cut as many scones as you can. You should be able to cut around 12 scones.
Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and set the cut scones on the baking sheet, 1/2 - 1 inch apart. Set the pan of scones in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.

Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter on top of the hot scones.
Combine the sugar with the cinnamon. Let the scones cool for several minutes, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Cool leftover scones completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Keyword Apple, Biscuits, High Altitude, Pecan, Scones