chai spiced apple scones

ingredients:

scones:

2 cups of all-purpose flour, more for hands and work surface

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of white sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

2-1/2 tsps of baking powder

1 tsp of chai spice mix

1 stick of unsalted butter, frozen

2/3 cup of heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)

1 large egg

1-1/2 tbsps of vanilla extract

1 cup of chopped apples

chai spiced glaze:

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp of chai spice mix

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

2-3 tbsps of milk (more or less to reach your desired consistency)

supplies:

3 mixing bowls and spoons

box grater or food processor

large plate

large baking sheet and parchment paper

wire rack

directions:

in a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and chai spice together. If using a box grater, grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture, combining until it forms small crumbs. If using a food processor, add the flour mixture and butter, and combine until the mixture comes together in small crumbs. place the flour/butter mix in the fridge while you mix the wet ingredients together.

in another bowl, mix heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract together. remove the flour/butter mix from the fridge and drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.add the chopped apples, and mix together until everything appears moistened. 

to make the scones, pour the dough on to the counter and work the dough into a ball with your hands (flour your hands as the dough will be sticky). if the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. if it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tbsps of heavy cream. 

next, press the dough into a round disc (about 8 inches in diameter) and cut 6-8 wedges. place scones on a large plate and freeze for 15-30 minutes. you can also prepare a day in advance and refrigerate the dough up to overnight.

when ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400 (do not remove the scones from the fridge until they are ready to go into the oven; they shouldn’t sit on the counter while the oven preheats). brush the scones with about 2 tbsps of heavy cream (this will help them brown). line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange scones 2-3 inches apart baking sheet.

bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. once the scones are finished baking, let cool on a wire rack before drizzling with any glaze.

to make the chai spiced glaze, mix the powdered sugar, chai spice mix, vanilla and milk together until smooth and pourable. drizzle over cooled scones.

note: scones can be very hard to make. the key is keeping the dough cold. while making them, if you ever feel the dough is getting warm, pop it in the fridge. after forming my dough into a circle, i popped the dough in the fridge before cutting them. then again in the fridge after i cut them. also, if you think your dough isn’t coming together, it might be too wet (add more flour) or too dry (add a little more heavy cream).