Red Prince apples: Apple scones

Disclosure: The apples used in this recipe were provided by the grower.

When my friend Peter of Martin's Fruit Farms told me he had a prince of a prezzie for me, how could I not be intrigued?

What arrived was a series of white hat boxes bound by a festive red ribbon, reminiscent of St. Bride's spire. And inside? A package to help celebrate the marriage of William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: gilded caramel apple chocolate truffles, apple scones and five gorgeous Red Prince apples.

I've heard a lot about these apples as of late--lasciviously rouged, white flesh and sweet-tart flesh, delicious both eaten out of hand and baked.

So I tried one.

Fabulous red wrap. Juicy. Sweet with a bit of sharpness.

Remind you of anyone?

I must admit while the truffles were nice, I really wasn't enamoured with the enclosed scones. The accompanying recipe promised light and moist treats, but the moistness of the samples were from being underbaked. Not necessarily a good thing.

That said, I could tell the apples had kept their shape, texture and flavour. So I did what any self-respecting home baker would do: I baked up my own batch, based on my go-to recipe by Tamasin Day-Lewis..

The results? Lovely, light and golden scones, flecked with red and filled with apply goodness. Perfect warm, slathered with butter or a shwoosh of double Devon cream.

More information about Red Prince apples, including recipes, health benefits and an FAQ can be found on on RedPrinceApple.ca.

Apple Scones

Adapted from scone recipes by Tamasin Day-Lewis and the official Red Prince apple web site.

Yield 9-24, depending upon cutter size

Ingredients
170g (1.66c) baking apple, skin-on, finely chopped (1 apple)
25g (2Tbsp) sugar plus more for sprinkling
1Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
a splash of milk or cream
450g (3.25c/1lb) all purpose flour
0.5tsp salt
1dspn (2tsp) cream of tartar
1dspn (2tsp) bicarbonate of soda
0.5tsp cinnamon
75g (0.33c) cold, unsalted butter (frozen preferred)
310ml (1.25c) yoghurt

Method
Preheat oven to 210C/425F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil.

Mix chopped apple with lemon juice and 2Tbsp sugar and set aside.

Make an egg wash by beating the egg with cream. Set aside.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, bicarb, salt and cinnamon. Grate and then rub butter into the flour mixture. Gently fold in yoghurt and apple pieces, without overworking the dough. Press into a 3.5-4cm/1.5" thick rectangle and cut out rounds of whichever size you prefer.

Transfer rounds to a baking tray, allowing 2.5-4cm (1"-1.5") between each. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Let rise for 10 minutes.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. The scones will be a warm golden colour and the interiors should be flaky and moist, without being damp.

cheers!

jasmine

I'm a quill for hire!