📋 Instructions

1. 1Heat the oven and prep — Preheat the oven to 400F (200C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grate the apple, then press it gently in a paper towel to remove excess juice.
2. 2Whisk the dry mix — In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined. This distributes the leavener so every scone rises the same.
3. 3Cut in the butter — Add the cold cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse sand with a few pea-sized butter bits. Those bits create the flaky layers.
4. 4Add apple and buttermilk — Stir in the grated apple, then pour in the cold buttermilk and fold just until a shaggy dough forms. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains, about 10 to 12 folds.
5. 5Shape the dough — Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 7-inch (18cm) round about 1 inch (2.5cm) thick. Cut into 6 wedges with a sharp knife, pressing straight down without twisting.
6. 6Bake until golden — Arrange the wedges 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, brush the tops with buttermilk, and bake at 400F (200C) for 20 to 24 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. The internal temperature should read about 200F (93C).
7. 7Whisk the glaze — While the scones cool for 10 minutes, whisk the powdered sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time until the glaze ribbons off the spoon.
8. 8Glaze and serve — Spoon the maple glaze over the warm scones, letting it drip down the sides. Let them rest 20 minutes so the glaze sets, then serve.