Vegan Apple Walnut Scones with Cinnamon Cider Glaze (Whole Grain Spelt!)
These delicious apple walnut scones are filled with bits of fresh apples, apple spices, and crunchy walnuts and topped with a simple cinnamon apple cider glaze to create an indulgent fall treat! Plus they’re made with nutritious whole spelt flour to pack in extra nutrients and fiber.
I love a good scone - whether it’s carrot cake in the spring or fresh fruit in the summer - but especially one that involves any type of warm spices combined with fall flavors. For the last few weeks, I’ve been pondering the idea of a baked good with apples and whole spelt flour. If you’ve been following along with my recipes, you know that I like to incorporate as many nutritious whole plant ingredients as possible - even into baked goods! But baking with whole grain flours is much trickier than using all-purpose: the texture tends to be grainier, the flavor is much earthier, and it straight up doesn’t work in some concepts (try picturing a whole wheat vanilla cake 😑 - it just isn’t a thing). But there are ways to incorporate nutritious whole grain flours and still get a delicious (and more nutritious!) baked good - and scones are perfect for that since they don’t depend as much on an ultra light texture or crumb! So I turned my apple and spelt flour combo idea into a scone: an apple walnut spelt scone with cinnamon cider glaze. Every bit just as (if not more) delicious as the more traditional all-purpose flour scones, but with that whole grain nutrition! 💪
Why You’ll Love these Apple Walnut Spelt Scones
Maxed out fall flavors. When I think of fall-spiced baked goods, my mind immediately jumps to cinnamon - and looooaaaads of it. 🤤 These scones taste like fall - warming cinnamon paired with a hint of nutmeg and spicy cloves, bits of apples and walnuts throughout, and a delicious cinnamon cider glaze that really takes those apple-spiced fall flavors over the top - because we’re all here for that maximum fall taste!
Perfect texture. These scones are soft and tender on the inside with a slightly crispy exterior. In other words, it’s the perfect scone texture!
Whole grain. One of the great things about scones is that unlike many other baked goods, such as cakes or some quick breads, scones are a lot more adaptable to whole grain flours! Unlike plain all-purpose flour, whole grain flours are made with the entire grain kernel (the endosperm, bran, and germ), which means they retain all the fiber, protein, nutrients, and flavor found in the whole grain! Although whole grain flours are a lot more nutritious than all-purpose, they’re also earthier and don’t typically yield as light and tender results, which makes them harder to incorporate into light and fluffy baked goods (think: vanilla or lemon cake, etc.). But in scones, whole grain flours can totally work!
Here, the spelt flour gives these scones an earthy yet nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the apple and walnut combo. And because the cinnamon cider glaze adds a lot of sweetness to balance out the earthier flour, these scones still taste quite indulgent!
Fiber-loaded. Between the whole spelt flour, fresh apples, applesauce, and walnuts, these scones actually have quite a bit of fiber! The flour alone adds 4 grams of fiber per scone, which really isn’t too bad for a treat - especially since the average American only gets 15 grams per day (😱 yikes!!!!!). Look, I’m not saying that you should be relying on baked goods to meet your daily fiber intake (you already know I’m #TeamWholePlants all day every day), but I am saying that it’s great to have the option to incorporate more fiber and nutrients into treats whenever possible!
Ingredient Overview
Whole spelt flour. Spelt flour provides a slightly earthy yet nutty base in these scones that pairs quite deliciously with apples. As mentioned above, whole spelt flour is far more nutritious than the plain all-purpose flour found in most baked goods! Since it’s ground from the entire spelt grain kernel (which contains the endosperm, bran, and germ), it contains all the fiber, protein, vitamins, and various micronutrients found in the whole grain. (And remember, whole grains are an essential component of a nutritious diet!)
Light brown sugar. To sweeten the scone dough just slightly (more sweetness coming from the glaze on top!). Because brown sugar contains molasses, it has a richer flavor which pairs well with the apple spices.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. To complement the apples with those delicious warming spice notes! Cinnamon is (obviously) key, but a bit of nutmeg and some cloves add more boldness.
Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The leaveners!
Coconut oil (frozen). The fat source! Frozen coconut oil works best in scones because it creates little air pockets that help the scones rise up higher during baking. Just look at the pictures - these scones are nicely domed and absolutely not flat!
Non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Non-dairy milk is mixed with apple cider vinegar to form a “buttermilk” mixture that reacts with the baking soda to help the scones rise and create a more tender crumb! Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the vinegar - it’s just there to provide enough acid to allow the baking soda (a base) to react.
Applesauce. Helps add moisture and tenderize the texture of the scones! Combined with the buttermilk, this forms the liquid base of the scone dough.
Vanilla extract. For warmth!
Fresh apples 🍎 and walnuts. The namesake ingredients! The little bits of apples and walnuts give these scones an extra textural component that maximizes the scone-eating experience. And if you’re feeling extra (like I always am) or just want to make your scones more visually appealing, don’t miss out on topping them with extra bits of finely chopped walnuts!
Cinnamon cider glaze: powdered sugar, apple cider, and cinnamon. To add sweetness and top off the scones with a boost of extra cinnamon and apple flavors! And don’t even think about skipping it - it’s absolutely essential in transforming these whole grain scones into a perfectly sweetened, delicious apple-spiced treat.
Tips for Baking these Scones
Accurately measure the flour. Measuring flour in grams using a food scale will give you the best results in baking! If you don’t have one (you should 100% invest in one - they’re inexpensive and invaluable for cooking and baking), measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method to avoid using too much flour (too much flour = dry/dense scones and no one wants that!). To do this, “fluff” the flour with a spoon to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
Use frozen coconut oil. For the best rise, use frozen pea-sized bits of coconut oil as the fat source! And don’t worry - that’s not as complicated as it might sound. Just measure out some room temp coconut oil (which is usually semi soft or maybe liquid if it’s really hot in your home), pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to freeze, then remove it and chop it! The frozen oil pieces will create little air pockets that will make the scones rise UP instead of spreading out during baking. Science! 🤓
Resist adding more liquid into the dough. Scone dough is on the dry side, so you really only want to add just enough liquid to form a dough, and not any more beyond that. After mixing in the liquid ingredients with the dry, you’ll likely have a few leftover bits of flour - that’s expected! At this point, you’ll add in the chopped apples (and walnuts), which will introduce extra moisture and allow the dough to fully come together as you mix everything in. If, and only if, for whatever reason your dough has dry bits of flour after adding in the apples, mix in an additional 1 teaspoon of non-dairy milk at a time until a dough fully forms.
Freeze the dough before baking. A very cold dough is key in achieving the perfect scone shape and texture. By freezing the dough before baking, it ensures the coconut oil will be solid so your scones can puff up (and not spread out) during baking!
Cool before glazing - and don’t skip the glaze. Let the scones cool for at least 20 minutes before spreading on the glaze to avoid it melting off. And absolutely do not skip the glaze! It’s essential for giving these the extra sweetness needed to achieve their full cinnamon apple flavor.
Best when fresh. Scones are always best when fresh, i.e. within a few hours of baking, so I highly recommend baking these on the same day you’ll eat them! Leftovers will keep for a day or so at room temp but the scones will soften and lose their slightly crispy exterior. They’ll still be delicious, but the texture just won’t be quite as satisfying.
Ok, now that you’ve learned all the scone basics, let’s get into baking these!
Apple Walnut Scones with Cinnamon Cider Glaze (Whole Grain Spelt!)
Vegan
Makes 8
Ingredients
Scones:
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (oat, cashew, etc. - I used oat)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
240 grams/2 cups (spooned & leveled) whole spelt flour
48 grams/¼ cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup coconut oil measured in liquid state, then frozen*
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely diced apple (~1 small apple, measured after chopping into pea-sized pieces), preferably a juicy and sweet variety
½ cup walnuts, chopped
Cinnamon cider glaze:
90 grams/¾ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon + ¼-½ teaspoon apple cider
Topping:
¼ cup walnuts, very finely chopped
Directions
In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar to form a “buttermilk” mixture. Transfer to the fridge to set for a few minutes as you prep the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
Remove the frozen coconut oil from the freezer and use a knife to chop it into pea-sized pieces. Add the frozen coconut oil pieces to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Remove the buttermilk from the fridge, add in the applesauce and vanilla, and mix together to combine.
Add the buttermilk/applesauce mix to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to combine. At first, it will look like there isn’t enough liquid to form a dough, but keep mixing, using your hands at the very end to incorporate everything and form a dough, but being careful not to overmix once a dough forms.
Note: It’s okay (and expected!) if there are a few floured bits left - you’ll introduce more moisture in the next step when you add in the apples. But if you’re still having a really hard time incorporating the ingredients after the next step, you can add a bit of milk (1 teaspoon at a time) and mix until a dough completely forms.
Add the chopped apples and walnuts and use the spatula (and your hands, as needed) to mix until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a flat surface and shape it into a flat disk that’s about 1-inch tall. Using a large knife, cut straight through the disk to form eight even wedges.
Separate the wedges and transfer them onto a silicone mat or parchment paper, then move them to the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes. At this point, pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
When the oven is ready, transfer the silicone mat/parchment paper with the scones onto a metal baking sheet and transfer it to the oven. Bake until the scones are lightly browned and crisped on the outside, about 15-18 minutes (mine were perfect after 17).
Remove the baked scones from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them onto a baking rack to cool for 20-25 more minutes.
While the scones are baking, prepare your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and apple cider until a drizzly glaze forms.
Once the scones have cooled (after ~20-30 minutes), drizzle the glaze onto each scone and immediately top with extra walnuts.
Let the glaze set for a few minutes and enjoy! Best when fresh, although leftovers will keep at room temperature for a day or two but they’ll soften over time and lose their slightly crisp exterior texture.
Notes:
*To freeze the coconut oil, measure it out while it’s in liquid or semi-soft state and place it in a small shallow bowl or onto a plate with edges (or any flat-ish dish that will make it easy to scoop the frozen oil out of) and transfer it to your freezer to set until completely solid. Pinch bowls work best if you have them!
Loving these whole grain apple walnut scones? Why not share them with a friend who would love these too! And I would be very grateful if you took a moment to leave a review in the comments below and tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) if you share them!