These deliciously spiced apple cinnamon scones are a quintessential fall treat, perfect with a warm cup of tea. They’re buttery soft with flaky centers, crisp-crumbly edges, and loaded with bits of sweet-tart juicy apples. Crunchy coarse sugar and caramel sauce are the perfect finishing touches!

I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.

One reader, Lindsey, commented: “I’ve made a lot of different scones (including your basic scone recipe, which is also excellent!) and these are by far the most requested! The homemade salted caramel is also 100% worth the effort. My MIL loved it so much, she just eats it by the spoonful. Excellent recipe!”

I learned how to make absolutely delicious scones 10 years ago when I attended a cooking event in a test kitchen. Turns out that I had been making all the wrong scones up until that point! Since that fateful afternoon, I’ve perfected chocolate chip scones, blueberry scones, and even ham & cheese scones.

I use the same basic recipe for each flavor and you can find that base recipe here: scones recipe. It’s my trusted formula to produce the tastiest scones. Readers have loved it for years.

Today we’re making apple cinnamon scones, a top choice year round, and especially when the fall season arrives. Here’s why you’ll love them, too:

• Sweet crisp-crumbly edges
• Soft and moist yet flaky centers
• Crunchy golden brown exterior
• Cinnamon & brown sugar flavors
• An overflow of juicy apples
• Drizzles of salted caramel on top—just how we like our apple turnovers, too!

Grab These Ingredients:

Here’s how all of the ingredients work together to make these scones a delightful success:

1. Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount for homemade scones, but set aside some extra for the work surface and your hands.
2. Brown Sugar: I use either white granulated or brown sugar in my scone dough—it depends on the add-ins. I love brown sugar with apples. Stick with about 1/2 cup. Feel free to slightly decrease, but keep in mind that the scone flavor and texture will slightly change.
3. Baking Powder: Adds lift.
4. Salt, Cinnamon, & Vanilla Extract: These 3 ingredients add flavor.
5. Frozen Butter: Besides flour, cold butter is the main ingredient in apple scones. It adds flavor, flakiness, crisp edges, and rise.
6. Heavy Cream: For the best-tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or whole milk buttermilk. For a nondairy option, try using full-fat canned coconut milk. Avoid thinner liquids such as milk or almond milk—the result is often dry, bland, and flat scones.
7. Egg: Adds flavor, lift, and structure.
8. Apples: Use your favorite apple variety. I love Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji here. Whatever kind of apples you enjoy in your apple pie or apple cobbler, you’ll enjoy here.

Frozen Grated Butter

I’ve learned that frozen grated butter is key to scone success.

Like when we make pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients. The cold butter coats the flour. When the buttery flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, they release steam, which creates pockets of air. These pockets add a flaky center, while keeping the edges crumbly and crisp. Refrigerated butter might melt in the dough as you work it, but frozen butter will hold out until the oven. Timing is KEY! And the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. Remember, you don’t want to over-work scone dough.

I recommend grating the frozen butter with a box grater.

In Photos: How to Make Apple Cinnamon Scones

Because there’s no yeast, these apple cinnamon scones go from the mixing bowl to the oven relatively quickly. First, mix the dry ingredients together. Second, cut shredded butter into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands for this step. A food processor works too. To avoid overly dense scones, work the dough as little as possible. I always use a pastry cutter.

Next, whisk the wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the apples, then gently mix together.

Form the dough into a disc, then cut into 8 wedges.

To obtain a flaky center and a crumbly exterior, scone dough must remain cold. Cold dough won’t over-spread, either. Therefore, I highly recommend refrigerating the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes prior to baking. You can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning.

Before baking, brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These extras add a lovely golden sheen with a bakery-style crunch. After that, bake the scones until golden brown.

The scones are INCREDIBLE right out of the oven, but taste even better with salted caramel on top. 🙂 What doesn’t?!

Other topping options: You can certainly keep the scones plain or dust with confectioners’ sugar. Or try the maple icing from these maple brown sugar cookies, the brown butter icing from these pumpkin oatmeal cookies, or simply vanilla icing.

More Apple Recipes

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Apple Cinnamon Scones with Caramel

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.8 from 28 reviews

• 
  Author: Sally
• 
  
  Prep Time: 30 minutes
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  Cook Time: 25 minutes
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  Total Time: 1 hour
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  Yield: 8 scones
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  Category: Breakfast
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  Method: Baking
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  Cuisine: American

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Description

These apple cinnamon scones are buttery and moist with crisp-crumbly edges and soft flaky centers. Crunchy coarse sugar and salted caramel are the perfect finishing touches. Read through the recipe before beginning. Refrigerate the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes before baking, to help prevent the scones from over-spreading.

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Instructions

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter using a box grater. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs. Place in the refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients together.
2. Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture, add the apples, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Pour the dough mixture on top and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. Dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1 more Tablespoon of heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
4. Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and if desired for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
5. Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet (if your refrigerator has space!) and refrigerate the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 day.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
7. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. After refrigerating, arrange scones 2–3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
8. Bake for 22–25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before topping with optional caramel sauce.
9. Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Notes

1. Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed.
2. Freeze After Baking: Freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with caramel. I usually freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
3. Overnight Instructions: Prepare scones through step 5. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.
4. Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Box Grater | Pastry Cutter | Silicone Spatula | Bench Scraper | Brush | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Coarse Sugar
5. Over-spreading: Start with very cold scone dough. Expect some spread, but if the scones are over-spreading as they bake, remove from the oven and press back into triangle shape (or whatever shape) using a silicone spatula.
6. Apples: I say 1 “heaping” cup because this amount does not need to be terribly accurate. Anything from 1 cup to 1 and 1/4 cups works. Don’t use too much or else the scones won’t hold their shape.
7. Caramel Sauce: If using my homemade caramel sauce, please keep in mind this is a salted caramel. For a sweeter caramel, reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon. You can make the caramel sauce in advance—see make-ahead tip in the caramel recipe.

These high protein waffles are deliciously light and fluffy, with over 45 grams of protein packed into the recipe!

Crispy healthy protein waffles

For everyone who grew up on packaged Eggo waffles, these soft and crispy protein waffles taste so much better!

Seriously, there is no comparison.

The nutrition facts are pretty stellar as well. Just six low calorie waffles give you fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, and even more protein than seven eggs!

If you want a healthy breakfast option that will power your day and keep you full until lunchtime, be sure to give this recipe a try.

Also make this Protein Banana Bread

Ingredients and equipment

The recipe calls for flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt, yogurt or applesauce, sweetener of choice, optional egg whites, and water.

For the highest protein content, choose plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. I like dairy free Kite Hill. You may substitute applesauce or mashed banana for the yogurt if you prefer.

Or to create peanut butter protein waffles, swap out half the yogurt for softened peanut butter. Almond butter and cashew butter work as well.

Sweetener options include regular sugar or unrefined coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, honey, or sugar free granulated erythritol or a monk fruit blend.

Go with any favorite protein powder, such as pea protein, soy protein, whey protein, casein, brown rice protein, or hemp protein.

I formulated this recipe using unflavored, unsweetened protein powder. You may wish to cut back on the added sweetener for savory waffles or if using a protein powder with sugar.

Once you get the base down, have fun trying different flavored protein powders, such as chocolate, chai, pumpkin, vanilla, strawberry, or birthday cake batter.

If you want to make protein waffles without protein powder, increase the flour to half a cup. The waffles still boast more than two grams of protein each or fifteen grams for the whole recipe.

I also love these Protein Brownies

High protein waffle recipe video

Above, watch step by step how to make the waffles

Serving tips and ideas

Serve as you would any traditional Belgian waffles or Eggo waffles.

They are great topped with pure maple syrup or pancake syrup and butter or sliced blueberries, raspberries, and Coconut Whipped Cream.

Try bananas, peanut butter, and mini chocolate chips for an Elvis style breakfast.

Or add fresh strawberries, hot fudge sauce or Homemade Nutella, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert waffles.

Want to create the ultimate protein waffle breakfast sandwich? Press a vegetarian sausage patty, bacon and cheese, or Tofu Scramble in between two waffles.

How to make the best protein waffles

Start by gathering all of your ingredients and a waffle iron.

Step one is to stir the dry ingredients very well in a large mixing bowl. Then whisk in the wet ingredients to form a waffle batter.

Some protein powders are thicker than others and may require more liquid. Add additional water or milk of choice a tablespoon at a time until the batter resembles a waffle or pancake batter texture.

Preheat the iron according to the instructions specific to your brand and model.

Once hot, spray each side well with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into the center of the machine.

Close the top, and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions until the waffle or waffles are light and crispy.

Grease the waffle iron in between each batch of waffles you make, to prevent sticking as they cook.

Serve hot, and enjoy.

Freezing protein waffles

Homemade frozen waffles are super easy to make. And they are great for an almost instant healthy breakfast on rushed weekday mornings.

After baking, allow the waffles to cool fully on a cooling rack or a plate.

Place in a large airtight container, with a sheet of parchment paper in between each layer of waffles so they will not stick together.

Stored in the freezer, waffles should last for at least three months.

For crisp frozen waffles, you may reheat them in a toaster oven or conventional oven.

Another option is to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and simply microwave until hot in the morning.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make vegan protein waffles?

This recipe is naturally egg free and vegan as long as you use nondairy yogurt, plant based protein powder, and water instead of eggs.

For gluten free waffles, I like Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour. Some other brands may work too.

Is the recipe low carb and keto?

Each waffle contains just five grams of carbs and four net carbs. However, they are a flour based waffle and therefore cannot be considered keto. If you experiment with almond flour or coconut flour, let us know how it goes.

What type of waffle iron?

The batter should do fine in most standard machines, whether they yield classic square or round waffles, mini waffles, or other shapes.

The first time I made these waffles, I used a single serving waffle maker. I loved the recipe so much that it prompted me to buy a larger iron for much easier, faster results.

Will my waffles stick to the iron?

A great tip for creating waffles that peel off easily from the iron is to heat your machine first. Then spray both sides liberally with a fat free oil spray before adding any batter.

Repeat this step between batches of waffles.

How many waffles is a serving?

This depends greatly on your personal calorie and nutrition needs.

I like to treat it as a single serving recipe and eat all of the waffles at once, resulting in a very high protein breakfast option.

The recipe provides numerous health benefits, including fiber, B vitamins, optional whole grains if you use spelt flour, and just 300 calories for all six waffles.

These waffles were adapted from my Vegan Protein Pancakes

Energy Balls

Piña Colada Smoothie

Protein Donut Holes

Chocolate Smoothie (Just 3 ingredients)

This baked apple cider French toast combines some of the fall season’s favorite flavors: apples, cinnamon, pecans, and apple cider. Dip slices of crusty bread in a cider-infused custard, and then top with spiced apples cooked in a brown sugar sauce. Serve this delicious dish with maple syrup or salted caramel for an extra flavorful start to a crisp autumn morning.

One reader, Angela, commented: “I love fall apples and apple cider, and this recipe sounded great. It did not disappoint! I made it for a family dinner as dessert—like bread pudding with a lovely fall twist—and it was every bit as delicious as I could have imagined… I’ll absolutely be making this again. A lot! ★★★★★“

The fall baking season is here, and every year, I love diving right in with fresh apples and cinnamon. Have you tried my fresh apple cake or apple cinnamon rolls yet?

Today I’m sharing quite the indulgent breakfast… or should I just call it “dessert masquerading as breakfast”? It’s the apple version of my pumpkin French toast casserole, and certainly a special treat if you’re entertaining guests, or if you just went apple picking. Pick up some apple cider while you’re at the farm market!

Here’s Why You’ll Love It:

• Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, just like apple pie
• Loaded with extra brown sugared-apples
• Prep it the night before and bake it in the morning
• Easier to prepare than regular French toast… no individual slices to cook!
• Satisfies those sweet fall flavor cravings and feeds a crowd
• A wonderful way to use fresh apple cider… have you tried my apple cider sangria yet?

Let’s jump right in.

Best Bread to Use for Baked Apple Cider French Toast

Tip #1: Start with a quality loaf. Bread is the main ingredient in any baked French toast casserole, so don’t skimp here. Flimsy sliced sandwich bread won’t do the casserole any favors because it’s unable to soak up excess moisture from the custard—the entire dish will taste flat, soggy, and wet. And it definitely wouldn’t stand up to the apple topping! I recommend using sturdy, flavorful bread such as challah, French bread, sourdough, brioche, homemade artisan bread, or even this homemade cinnamon swirl bread. Challah is my #1 recommendation and you can usually find it in the bakery section of the grocery store.

Tip #2: Let it get stale. When you have the quality bread you need, let it sit out for a few hours to become stale. As with breakfast casserole, French toast is best when the bread is somewhat stale. Cut the loaf into thick slices, then let it sit out uncovered for a few hours. The less moisture in the bread, the more apple cider custard it can soak up!

Tip #3: Try this shortcut: If you don’t have time to let the bread sit out and get stale, you can lightly toast the slices in the oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes. I do this a lot… so forgetful!

While I love this baked apple cider French toast with thick bread slices lined up vertically in the baking dish, you can slice the bread into cubes if you’d prefer, like we do for this cream cheese French toast casserole.

Here’s Everything Else You Need:

After you have your slightly stale slices of quality bread, whisk together the egg custard.

1. Eggs: You need 6 large eggs.
2. Apple Cider: Apple cider is fresh, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple juice, and it’s deeply flavorful. Don’t mistake this ingredient for alcoholic, carbonated cider, or for apple cider vinegar—that is not a mistake you want to make! If you have extra apple cider, make apple cider chicken next!
3. Milk: I use whole milk in this recipe, but you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk if necessary. Half-and-half or heavy cream would make for a richer, creamier custard, but I find it makes the apple French toast casserole too heavy.
4. Brown Sugar: With its higher molasses content, brown sugar is the best choice for sweetening this apple cider French toast.
5. Orange Zest: A little hint of citrus brightens up all the deep apple spice flavors in this French toast casserole. I tested the recipe with and without orange zest, and taste testers agreed that the hint of fresh citrus really brought out the apple cider flavor.
6. Vanilla Extract, Spices, & Salt: The flavor-enhancers no apple baked good should be without. (By the way, if you love apple cinnamon goodness, and you’re up for a baking project, try my apple cinnamon babka sometime!)

Now turn your attention to the apples; the remaining ingredients you see above are used next.

Briefly Cook the Apples

Peel and slice 4 medium-size apples using a peeler (that’s an affiliate link to the one I use and love!), just like we do for apple cobbler. Not sure which apples are best? See my Best Apples for Baking page. I usually use 2 tart Granny Smith apples and 2 sweet Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples here.

A quick turn on the stove bathes the spiced apple slices in a rich, buttery apple cider sauce that caramelizes the apples as they cook. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the apples are crisp-tender, and the sauce has slightly thickened (and smells incredible). Take the skillet off heat, and stir in the pecans.

Warning: At this point, you may forget all about the French toast you were making and want to just eat the apples with a spoon. Try to stay focused. I know it’s hard!!

Dip the slices of bread in the egg custard. I usually do this before I cook the apples.

And arrange in a greased casserole dish.

Spoon the apple/pecan mixture over the soaked bread slices. I like to press some of the apple slices down in between the bread slices. Pour the remaining brown sugar sauce over the top of everything.

Try a crumb topping: This would also be amazing with the crumb topping from this pumpkin French toast casserole. Feel free to add it if you want to level up your baked French toast game!

At this point, you can cover the apple cider French toast and refrigerate it overnight, or for at least 3 hours so the bread can soak and the flavors can infuse. After that, it’s time to bake:

Serving Apple Cider French Toast

Drizzle the top of the warm baked apple cider French toast (either the whole thing, or individual servings) with maple syrup or salted caramel before serving, and/or sprinkle with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. For a side dish, this is a wonderful French toast casserole to serve with fresh fruit and something you can cook on the stove like bacon or sausage.

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Baked Apple Cider French Toast

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.9 from 9 reviews

• 
  Author: Sally
• 
  
  Prep Time: 4 hours (includes bread sitting out)
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  Cook Time: 50 minutes
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  Total Time: 8 hours (or longer if starting night before)
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  Yield: serves 12
• 
  
  Category: Breakfast
• 
  
  Method: Baking
• 
  
  Cuisine: American

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Description

Start this baked apple cider French toast casserole ahead of time so you can wake up and bake a deliciously spiced fall breakfast or brunch! Be sure to use apple cider, the nonalcoholic beverage, and not apple cider vinegar.

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Instructions

1. Slice the bread into 1-inch-wide slices. Let the sliced bread sit out uncovered for a few hours or up to 1 day. (If you don’t have enough time, see recipe Note below for a shortcut.)
2. Grease a 9×13-inch (or any 3.5–4-quart) baking dish, or spray with nonstick spray. The pictured red pan is this one, but either a metal or glass pan works just as well.
3. In a medium bowl preferably with a pour spout, whisk the eggs, apple cider, milk, brown sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt together until combined. Set aside. 
4. Dip each slice of bread in the egg custard mixture, soaking both sides. Place in the prepared baking dish, lining the slices up next to each other. Pour any remaining custard over the top. Set aside.
5. Cook the apples: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples have slightly softened. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans.
6. Spoon the apple mixture over the top of the bread slices, and pour any remaining sauce from the skillet over the top of everything.
7. Cover the casserole tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. This gives the bread a chance to soak up the custard and is a key step in this recipe.
8. Remove casserole from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
9. Bake casserole uncovered for 20 minutes, and then cover with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25–35 minutes or until center appears set and is no longer runny. The total time this casserole takes is 45–55 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Casserole deflates slightly as it cools. Feel free to sift a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top, and/or drizzle maple syrup or salted caramel sauce on entire casserole or on individual servings.
11. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the French toast casserole through step 6 up to 1 day in advance before baking. Cover tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while your oven preheats. You can freeze leftover baked and cooled casserole for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat to your liking in the microwave, or cover and bake in a 300°F (149°C) oven until warm throughout, at least 20 minutes.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | 9×13-inch Baking Dish (or any 3.5–4-quart baking dish such as this one) | Glass Mixing Bowl or Bowl with Pour Spout| Whisk | Sieve
3. Bread: Crusty, somewhat stale bread is best for French toast casseroles. If you’re in a rush and don’t have time to let the bread sit out as instructed in step 1, lay the bread slices on baking sheets in a single layer and bake in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes.
4. Apple Cider: Make sure you’re using apple cider the (nonalcoholic, non-carbonated) drink, not apple cider vinegar. You can use apple juice instead if cider if you must, but you’ll lose some flavor. Learn how to make a homemade apple cider beverage in a slow cooker.
5. Milk: Whole milk is best because it produces a rich casserole that isn’t too heavy. You can use lower-fat or nondairy milks in a pinch. Half-and-half works, too. I found heavy cream too heavy and rich for this casserole.
6. Nut Free: You can leave out the pecans if desired.