Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1½ ground cinnamon
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1 in. cubes
• 1 medium Honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Topping

• Heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp Demerara or Turbinado sugar

Directions

Scone Dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add cubed butter, tossing it around to coat with flour mixture. Working quickly, flatten each piece of butter by squishing between two fingers (creating little “shingles” of butter). You'll want larger chunks of butter, which helps the scones rise and get flaky.
2. Fold diced apples and pecans into mixture with a spatula. Make a small well in the center and pour in half of the buttermilk. Gently toss with spatula or your hands until buttermilk is roughly mixed in. Pour in the remaining buttermilk and toss again, until no visible liquid remains. Press dough until it sticks together (don't knead).
3. Dump dough onto a floured surface (it may still be crumbly) and continue bringing it together with your hands. Press in any loose apples or pecans as you go. The whole process shouldn't take more than 30 seconds.
4. Once dough has come together, shape it into a large square and cut into quarters using a bench scraper or large knife. Stack layers and gently press down on the stack to create more layers. Repeat this once more, sprinkling flour over the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking.
5. Pat the dough into a ~10 in. circle and cut into 8 evenly-sized triangles.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place scones on baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.

Bake & Topping

1. Preheat oven to 425º F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cardamom and sugar. 
3. Remove scones from the freezer and immediately brush the tops with heavy cream. Generously sprinkle the cardamom sugar over top.
4. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until all sides are nicely browned and the center is fully cooked.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Scones will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

• Wax Paper: Greased wax paper is the best method to make sure that apples don't stick to the surface while cooling.
• You will need a candy thermometer to ensure that the mixture is the perfect consistency. Otherwise, it may be too tacky or too hard!
• Be extra careful when dipping apples into the hot candy mixture. Work quickly and carefully to coat them, as it will want to set up pretty fast.