Description
A delicious and easy Carrot Cake Scones recipe: flaky, tender scones packed with carrots, raisins, coconut, and pecans, finished with a rich, tangy cream cheese glaze. Perfect for brunch.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup raisins (golden or regular)
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)
- ½ cup heavy cream (plus more for brushing)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, frozen
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven & Prep Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir in grated carrots, raisins, coconut, pecans, and ginger.
- Grate Butter: Grate the frozen butter into the dry mixture. Gently work it in using your hands until just combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Do not over-mix.
- Shape the dough: Turn onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a 10-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges.
- Chill the scones: Transfer wedges to the baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Bake: Brush scones with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if using. Bake 20–25 minutes until lightly golden.
- Make glaze: Beat or whisk glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Serve: Let scones cool completely before drizzling glaze on top.
Notes
- Frozen Butter: Grating the frozen butter prevents overworking the dough, resulting in a significantly lighter and flakier scone.
- Do Not Overmix: Mix the dough only until it just comes together. Overmixing develops tough gluten, making the scones heavy.
- Sweetness Adjustment: For a sweeter scone, use ⅓ to ½ cup of brown sugar in the dough.
- Glaze Timing: Ensure the scones are completely cool before applying the glaze; otherwise, it will melt instantly and run off the sides.
- Storage: Store unglazed scones at room temperature for 3–4 days, or refrigerated with glaze for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20–25 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking, Grating, Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: ~390 kcal
- Sugar: ~20 g
- Sodium: ~260 mg
- Fat: ~20 g
- Saturated Fat: ~11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ~8 g
- Trans Fat: <0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: ~47 g
- Fiber: ~2 g
- Protein: ~5 g
- Cholesterol: ~70 mg
Keywords: Carrot Cake Scones, Cream Cheese Glaze, Flaky Scones, Carrot Scones, Brunch Scones, Spring Baking, Pecan Scones, Easy Baking, Homemade Scones, Vegetarian