Have carrot cake for breakfast with these tender, warmly spiced carrot cake scones, finished with a tangy cream cheese glaze. Chock full of carrots, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg, these egg-free scones taste like carrot cake in every bite!
Course Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword carrot cake, scones, spring
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 18 minutesminutes
Total Time 48 minutesminutes
Servings 8scones
Author katiebirdbakes.com
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Scones:
1 and 1/2cups (188g)all-purpose flour
1/4cup (50g)brown sugar(packed)
1 and 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
1teaspooncinnamon
1/4teaspoonnutmeg
5Tablespoons (70g)unsalted butter, cold(or coconut oil at room temperature)
Turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top(optional)
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
2ounces (56g)cream cheese(room temperature)
2Tablespoons (30 ml)pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Carrot Cake Scones:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the cold butter (or room temperature coconut oil) and cut it into the flour mixture with a fork, a pastry blender, or your fingers. Stop when the mixture resembles wet sand. There may be some pea-size butter pieces remaining and that's ok.
Stir in the carrots, pecans, and coconut. Pour in the heavy cream (or coconut cream) and stir gently until a shaggy dough is formed.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface or parchment paper, and pat it into a 1-inch (2.5cm) thick disk. With a bench scraper or a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 even wedges. Arrange the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush a little heavy cream over the tops of the scones and sprinkle with coarse or turbinado sugar if desired - this part is totally optional, but delicious.
If you have time, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes or in the fridge for a half hour before baking. It isn't absolutely necessary, but it helps the scones keep their shape and keeps them flaky and tender.
Bake scones for 17-18 minutes, until they are just beginning to brown and smell delicious. Let cool for a few minutes while you make the glaze.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together cream cheese, maple syrup, and salt, until a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle cooled scones with the cream cheese glaze and serve!
Notes
*I find that hand grating the carrots leads to the best texture. I know, it's annoying - but if you have a box grater it doesn't take too long. You can also use a food processor, but make sure the carrots get shredded very finely or else they will still be crunchy after the scones are baked.Scones are best the day they're made, but will keep, covered tightly in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. Freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or 1-2 hours at room temperature before serving.