Easy Carrot Cake Scones With Cream Cheese Glaze for a Perfect Spring Breakfast

Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze

If you love carrot cake, these tender scones bring all of that cozy flavor straight to your breakfast table. They are loaded with shredded carrots, coconut, pecans, raisins, and a little candied ginger if you like a gentle kick of warmth.

The finishing touch is a crunchy sprinkle of coarse sugar on top, plus a cream cheese glaze that you can drizzle over every wedge or skip if you prefer a simpler morning bite.

These scones are not overly sweet, which is exactly why they work so well before noon. They are fairly low in sugar compared with many other breakfast baked goods, so you get the carrot cake taste you are craving without feeling like you started the day with dessert.

Pair one with a strong cup of black coffee and you have a spring breakfast that feels a little special while staying completely doable.

One technique does a lot of the heavy lifting here: freeze the butter. Cold butter is what gives scones their flaky, tender layers, and frozen butter is also much easier to grate. Grate it straight into the dry ingredients and you will see those little shreds scattered through the dough, which is exactly what you want.

Think of these as a cross between a scone and a slice of carrot cake. They are more satisfying than a muffin, thanks to a lightly crisp outside and a tender middle, and all those mix ins mean every bite tastes a little different.

If candied ginger is not your thing, simply leave it out. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves still do plenty of quiet work in the background.

And if you want those same carrot cake flavors in a cooler, make ahead format, a jar of carrot cake overnight oats is a lovely alternative on warm mornings.

If you enjoy fruit filled breakfast baking with a glaze, you might also like these glazed mixed berry scones for another make ahead option. When the weather turns cooler, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins hit a similar cozy note. This recipe is adapted from Crowded Kitchen’s easy carrot cake scones with cream cheese glaze.

Step by step instructions

The single most important rule for good scones is to do less. Overworking the dough develops gluten, and that turns a batch that should be flaky and light into something tough and dense. Mix gently, stop as soon as the dough comes together, and skip any kneading.

Cold ingredients matter just as much. Use frozen butter and cold heavy cream, then chill the shaped scones before they go into the oven.

Chilling keeps the butter solid so it melts in the oven and creates steam, and that steam is what pushes the layers apart. After you cut the wedges, place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. If you are prepping ahead, they can chill overnight.

Here is a quick look at the key techniques:

• Freeze the butter, then grate it on a box grater.
• Keep the cream and the egg cold until you whisk them together.
• Mix just until a shaggy dough forms, with visible pieces of butter still showing.
• Chill the cut scones for 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle coarse sugar before baking for that crunchy finish.

Shaping is simple. Pat the dough into a rough 10 inch disk on a lightly floured surface, then cut it into 8 wedges with a sharp knife or a bench scraper. A bench scraper gives you clean cuts and helps you lift each wedge without stretching the dough.

For the lightest result, pastry flour can stand in for all purpose flour because it contains less protein. If pastry flour is hard to find, mix equal parts all purpose flour and cake flour instead.

Check the label first: most US brands of cake flour contain no rising agent, and you want it that way here because the baking powder is already handling that job.

Make Ahead/Storage Tips

These scones are built for busy mornings. Mix and shape the dough the night before, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, bake the scones straight from the refrigerator, no waiting around required.

For longer storage, freeze the unbaked scones in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Bake them directly from frozen, and plan on an extra minute or two in the oven.

Once the scones are baked and cooled, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you leave off the cream cheese glaze, they can sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. A quick warm up in the oven brings back that fresh baked texture.

These scones taste best the day they are baked, but they hold up surprisingly well. If you are feeding a crowd, bake two batches and set the glaze out on the side so everyone can add as much as they like.

A little planning goes a long way: unbaked scones freeze beautifully, so you can bake only what you need and save the rest for another morning.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 8 scones and uses two simple components: the carrot cake scones themselves and the optional cream cheese glaze.

For the carrot cake scones

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins, golden or regular
• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, pecans work well
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, optional
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 2 tablespoons coarse turbinado sugar, optional, for topping

For the cream cheese glaze, optional

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
3. Add the grated carrots, raisins, coconut, nuts, and ginger, tossing them to coat in the flour mixture.
4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.
5. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the bowl with the flour mixture. Gently work everything together with a spatula or your hands so the butter is evenly distributed, but do not over mix.
6. Add the heavy cream mixture and gently mix just until a shaggy dough forms. You should still be able to see pieces of butter throughout the dough.
7. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. With floured hands, shape it into a roughly 10 inch disk, then cut it into 8 triangle wedges with a sharp knife or a bench scraper.
8. Move the scones to a parchment lined baking sheet. Place them in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, to chill.
9. Before baking, brush the tops with more heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown.
10. To make the cream cheese glaze, whisk or beat all of the glaze ingredients together until smooth and pourable. Let the scones cool before drizzling the glaze on top.

A few small things make a big difference. Keep your hands and your surface lightly floured so the dough does not stick, and use a gentle touch when you pat it into a disk. When you brush the tops with cream, go light, since you only need enough to help the coarse sugar stick.

If the glaze feels too thick to drizzle, add a teaspoon of heavy cream at a time until it flows easily. If it turns out too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar. Either way, wait until the scones are cool, otherwise the glaze will slide right off.

Notes

For a sweeter scone, increase the brown sugar to 1/3 or 1/2 cup. Keep in mind that the nutritional information below does not include the optional cream cheese glaze.

Per serving, based on 1 scone without the glaze:

Recipe details

Preparation takes 35 minutes and baking takes 20 minutes, for a total time of 55 minutes. One batch yields 8 scones.

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Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze

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Easy Carrot Cake Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze If you love carrot cake, these tender scones bring all of that cozy flavor straight to your breakfast table. They are loaded with shredded carrots, coconut, pecans, raisins, and a little candied ginger if you like a gentle kick of warmth.

• Total Time: 55 min
• Yield: 8 scones 1x

Ingredients

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Carrot Cake Scones
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
2 tablespoons coarse (turbinado) sugar

Cream Cheese Glaze
1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened to room temp
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream

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Instructions

Carrot Cake Scones
1-Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C: Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C.
2-In a large bowl, whisk together the: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
3-Add in the grated carrots, raisins, coconut,: Add in the grated carrots, raisins, coconut, nuts, and ginger, tossing to coat in the flour mixture.
4-In a separate medium bowl, whisk together: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla.
5-Using a box grater, grate the frozen: Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the bowl with the flour mixture. Gently work the ingredients together with a spatula or your hands so butter is evenly distributed, but don’t over-mix.
6-Add in the heavy cream mixture and: Add in the heavy cream mixture and gently mix just until a shaggy dough forms. Avoid over-mixing – you should still be able to see the butter pieces throughout the dough.
7-Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly: Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into a roughly 10-inch disk. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 triangle wedges.
8-Transfer the scones to a parchment paper-lined: Transfer the scones to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
9-Before baking, brush the tops with more: Before baking, brush the tops with more heavy cream, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until light golden brown on top.
10-To make the cream cheese glaze, whisk: To make the cream cheese glaze, whisk or beat all ingredients together until you have a smooth, pourable consistency. Let the scones cool before drizzling the glaze on top.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 35 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 scone
• Calories: 421
• Sugar: 19.6 g
• Sodium: 121.7 mg
• Fat: 22.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 51.3 g
• Fiber: 2.9 g
• Protein: 6 g