Air Fryer Recipe
Apple and Cinnamon Scones
A delicious and easy-to-make apple and cinnamon scones recipe, perfect for air frying.
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced and chilled
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the chilled, diced butter into the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the finely chopped apple, ensuring it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring gently until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a 3/4-inch thick round. Use a floured cutter to cut out scones from the dough, re-rolling scraps as needed.
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (356°F).
- Arrange the scones in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring they don't touch each other. Brush the tops with the beaten egg for a golden finish.
- Cook the scones in the air fryer for about 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Allow the scones to cool slightly before serving.
Why this works in an air fryer
Air-fryer convection dries the scone surface quickly, setting the egg glaze before the apple releases much moisture. Cold butter creates small steam pockets as it melts, giving lift, while gentle mixing limits gluten so the crumb stays short rather than bready.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding 5–6 medium scones with at least 2 cm gaps; in a smaller basket cook in batches. In dual-zone drawers, use one drawer per batch or swap drawers halfway if both are loaded, as narrower drawers can brown edge scones faster and may need 1–2 minutes extra.
Common pitfalls
- Scones spreading with shiny butter patches in the basket? The butter or dough has warmed; chill the cut scones for 10 minutes before air frying and handle the dough less next time.
- Dark tops but doughy, damp centres? The scones are too thick or the apple pieces are too large; drop to 170°C and cook 3–4 minutes longer, and cut the apple into small 5 mm dice next time.
- Pale tops after 12 minutes while the bases feel firm? The glaze is too thin or the basket has weak top heat; brush with a second light coat of egg and air fry at 190°C for 1–2 minutes.
- Tough, dry crumb with uneven layers? The dough was overmixed or heavily re-rolled; stir only until no dry flour remains and press scraps together once rather than kneading.
Variations & substitutions
- Swap half the self-raising flour for wholemeal self-raising flour; it absorbs more liquid, so add 1–2 tbsp extra buttermilk and expect a slightly denser scone.
- Use pear instead of apple; pear is wetter, so dice it small, pat it dry, and allow an extra minute if the centres feel soft.
- Add 40 g chopped walnuts or pecans; they toast quickly in the air fryer, so keep them inside the dough rather than exposed on top.
- For a dairy-free version, use block-style plant butter and oat milk soured with a little lemon juice; browning may be lighter, so the egg glaze becomes more important.
Storage & reheating
Store cooled scones airtight for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month, then reheat in the air fryer at 160°C for 3–4 minutes from room temperature or 6–7 minutes from frozen.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
