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Apricot Scones – Light, flaky, buttery scones layered with chopped apricots and iced with an almond flavored glaze.
Light and buttery, flaky and soft, these are absolutely wonderful scones.  It was love at first bite for me and I feel certain these will make any mom swoon over brunch.  This Buttery Apricot Scone Recipe is so easy to make – even non-bakers can make this happen.  Remember those flaky canned biscuits?  These come apart in soft, lightly sweet layers just like the old canned biscuits, but taste so much better!
Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Â In a 2 cup measure combine the granulated sugar, milk and salt, stir to dissolve. Â Cut in ice cold butter until pea-size pieces form then add the milk. Â Stir with a fork until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and spread on 2 tablespoons softened butter. Â Sprinkle chopped dried apricots evenly over the dough. Â Fold the dough like an envelope, in thirds.
Fold the dough in half crosswise, press together and gently flatten into an 8×4″ rectangle.
Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and bake!
I love they way they puffed up and the layers came apart.  More room for icing to get in the nooks and crannies 🙂
Brush the fresh baked scones with butter or drizzle with a simple icing flavored with almond extract.
Layers and layers of sweet apricots and buttery goodness! Â This is a wonderful splurge and totally worth all the broccoli and salads I ate all week!
I hope you’ll make these apricot scones as part of your mother’s day celebration.  Don’t forget our terrific Crustless Asparagus Cheese Pie to round out a wonderful brunch.
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Buttery Apricot Scones
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 1 cup cold whole milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
- ½ cup diced dried apricots about ¼ pound
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon warm water more or less as needed for desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a two cup measure combine the milk, sugar, and salt. Whisk until dissolved. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder. Cut 10 tablespoons of the cold butter into ½" pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and blend using a pastry cutter until pea size pieces remain. Add the milk and stir with a fork until the dough starts to come together.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and gently roll the dough out into a 14x8" rectangle. Soften the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave and using your fingers, spread the butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the chopped apricots over the dough and gently press so they stick.
- With the long side of the dough facing you, fold the top â…“ of the dough over the center. Fold the remaining â…“ over the top portion, like folding a letter.
- Fold the dough in half, then using the rolling pin, gently flatten to an 8x4" rectangle.
- Cut the dough in half lengthwise, and then into quarters crosswise to make 8 even squares.
- Bake on the parchment lined baking sheet for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove to a rack to cool slightly before icing.
- To prepare the glaze combine the confectioners sugar, almond extract and water in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over scones and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
For all you moms out there – have a wonderful Mother’s Day – whether it’s with your mom, or your children, or that special woman in your life. Â Being a mom has to be the best job in the whole world. Â Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Liza Munson
Has anyone tried this recipe with gluten free flour?
Amanda
These have to be some of the best scones I have ever had! Oh my goodness, I wasn’t expecting them to be this delicious! The only thing I changed was to use fresh apricots. I didn’t have any dried. I chopped up a cup of fresh apricots and used around a tablespoon, maybe a little more of sugar and let them soak it up for a few minutes. Otherwise I followed the recipe as shown.
Thank you so much! I cannot wait to try it with other fruit. 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thank you Amanda! I wish I could find fresh apricots for longer than a week, haha. Enjoy!
Liz
Great scone dough recipe. Really, the best. Not too sweet, yet tender and flakey as all get out! Since it’s apricot season here and all I can find are green ones in the stores, I was attracted to this recipe. Made as is, except doubled the amount of chopped apricots in the dough and added chopped almonds; no glaze. Next time I will add a layer of apricot jam to the large rectangle of dough before adding chopped dried apricots and almonds. So good! Thank you.
Tricia Buice
I love the idea of adding apricot jam Liz. Sounds pretty terrific to me. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.
Debbie P
Have you tried this recipe yet with the Jam? What did you think was it better than the original recipe?
Thank you for your response.
Lynn
Oh my gosh! I have tried SO many scone recipes, trying to find the perfect one! This is it! I had some leftover dried apricots and wanted to use them. After I spread the softened butter on the dough, I spread a couple tablespoons of apricot preserves over, and then the chopped dried apricots. The technique of folding the dough made for flaky buttery layers. Honestly, it was really a pastry rather than a scone, in my humble opinion. The recipes makes 8 pieces, so I baked 4 and froze the other 4 unbaked. Scone OR pastry, it doesn’t matter what you call it, it is delectable with your morning coffee and you will be so happy you tried this!
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Lynn! Love that you added jam. That was brilliant and probably did give it more of a pastry vibe. Enjoy
CDS
Hi Lynn! How did you treat the frozen scones when you wanted to bake them? Did you thaw them first?
Lynn
Sorry I did not see your question until now, but I just baked them frozen and they took a little longer. Just as delicious!
Rachel
These are seriously AMAZING. My husband said, “I don’t like apricots, but I’ll try it.” Ok and wow…this recipe showed out. I used a blend of almond flour and GF flour, subbed granulated date sugar for the white sugar, and goat milk bc thats what i had. For the glaze, I used granulated date sugar again, and a mixture of almond milk and water…didnt use the same measurements and just kinda winged it on that but made sure to make the glaze consistency “drippy” enough. I baked for 25 min and they were already browning a bit on the top edges. Center consistency was like a Cracker Barrel biscuit. Seriously, these are great. My husband went back for seconds. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Rachel! We appreciate you taking the time to comment and for trying the recipe. Yeah!
Liza Munson
Thanks for commenting- going to try with gf flour!
Janet Ligas
I made these once and they were gorgeous but felt like the apricot flavor wasn’t very noticeable. What do you think about using fresh apricots?
Tricia Buice
Hi Janet – I’ve never tried it but I bet they would be terrific. Let us know if you make them! Thanks for the great question.
Sheila
Could I use vanilla extract instead of almond for the glaze? (Allergic to nuts)
Tricia Buice
Absolutely Sheila! They will still be delicious and flaky. Enjoy!