Caramel Apple Butter Scones

Just five more days before Christmas, and just three more days before we come to the end of our holiday baking series. I don’t know about you all, but the year in general and especially the days leading up to the holidays have just flown by.

Don’t ask me what date it is, or even the time, because more than likely, I don’t even know. It’s all just a countdown to New Years at this point.

Remember a little while back when I made this Gingerbread Flavored Apple Butter, and I told you guys that I got SO MANY uses out of it than just a condiment?

First, I made this.

And then this.

And after that, I made today’s newest recipe: Caramel Apple Butter Scones.

Granted, this is not my first time at the apple butter-scone rodeo. A few months ago, I made scones with a pumpkin flavored apple butter that turned out marvelously. I thought about them while I was making the gingerbread apple butter and knew that it was a perfect way to get another apple butter scone recipe on the blog, and in the 12 Days of Christmas collection.

I first discovered caramel chips a few years ago when I was making another recipe for the holiday series (another scone one at that). I find that they’re perfect for scones in particular, precisely because they’re so sweet. While they do have sugar in their dough, scones themselves don’t typically taste that sweet, as they’re mostly enjoyed with condiments (like jam, preserves, cream), or mix-ins like chocolate chips, or say, caramel chips that are plenty sweet in and of themselves.

One of the best things about using apple butter in scone dough is that it adds not just flavor, but enough moisture to where you really don’t need to add milk, which, along with eggs, is typically the ‘binder’ of a dough. The eggs and the 2 cups of apple butter in this recipe give this dough more than enough moisture. The flavor largely comes from the fact that I used a recipe that was already ‘gingerbread’ flavored, but I did also add Apple Pie spice to the mix, just because I really wanted the flavor to come through.

I’ve been making scones/biscuits for over a decade now, and my soap box argument for them both comes down to two essential steps: freezing the butter, and giving the dough a (preferably overnight) rest. Believe me: if you are new to the scone or biscuit game, following these two steps will be a GAME CHANGER for you. I tried it once and it has worked out so well that in 10+ years, I have never went back to making them any other way.

Freezing the butter all but guarantees that you will not melt it while mixing, and also that it will not leak out evreywhere/evaporate while baking. Preserving as much butter as possible in the dough ensures that the scones will maintain their texture and air pockets that give them height.

Resting the dough will give the gluten in it that you worked while mixing enough time to relax, which will ensure they don’t come out like tough hockey pucks with no rise.

You MUST freeze your butter, and you must give your dough a rest.

When you do, this what you get? Pretty cool, huh?

There are so many tasty offerrings for this years’s 12 Days of Christmas. Make sure you don’t miss the chance to make some for yourself before the Big Day!

Day 1: Holiday Lunch Lady Bars

Day 2: Ginger Thins

Day 3: Chunky Gingerbread Spiced Apple Butter

Day 4: Bakery-Style Apple Butter Cookies

Day 5: Apple Butter Spice Cakes

Day 6: Spiced Polvorónes Cookies

Day 7: Pumpkin Angel Biscuits

Day 8: Malted Sugar Cookies

Day 9: Biscoff Sandwich Cookie Shortbread

Day 10: Caramel Apple Butter Scones

Caramel Apple Butter Scones

Recipe Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
2teaspoon Apple Pie Spice or cinnamon
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
3/4 cup (113g) caramel chips
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup apple butter (I used this one, but store bought will work fine)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, apple pie spice or cinnamon and caramel chips together in a bowl and stir together a few times with a fork.

Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the dry ingredients and stir together with fork.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the apple butter with the eggs and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the apple butter-egg mixture. Use a fork to stir it all, just until it comes together in one mass (don’t overmix.)

Turn dough out onto a clean and lightly floured work surface, and knead once or twice until it comes together; flour your hands if needed. If there are any loose bits, add them to center of dough and knead once more to incorporate.

Pat dough into a rectangle, about 1.5 inches thick. Working from a short side, fold dough in thirds as you would a letter. It doesn’t need to overlap perfectly. Pat dough into another rectangle, then fold dough in thirds like a letter one more time. (You’ll have done the folding procedure two times total.) Pat dough back into an rectangle and straighten up with your hands and/or your bench scraper.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour and unwrap the scone dough out onto it. Use a bench scraper or very sharp knife to trim the edges of the rectangle. Use a square cookie cutter, or a knife to cut the remaining dough into squares, about 2″ each.

Remove the cut scones to the baking sheet you’ve lined with parchment paper, placing them rather close to each other (it will help them rise higher). Freeze until cold, about 15 minutes.

Spray the tops of the scones with cooking spray.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until scones are golden brown and cooked through at the edges (they should not look wet)