Carrot Cake Scones with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
These carrot cake scones have all of the flavor characteristics of a classic carrot cake! The trick? Freshly grated carrot and just the right balance of spices, including ground cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg - the hallmark spices of a good carrot cake. They're drizzled with a decadent maple cream cheese glaze!
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Scones:
- 2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (110 g) packed roughly grated carrot
- 5 tablespoons (2½ oz; 75 g) very cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup (240 mL) cold heavy cream plus more for brushing
- turbinado or Demerara sugar for sprinkling
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze:
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center position. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Prepare Scones: In a large food processor, fitted with a blade attachment, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Pulse several times until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Add the grated carrot, and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add the cold, unsalted butter and pulse 10 times, or until the butter is no smaller than the size of a pea. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the chopped walnuts.
- Create a well in the center of the ingredients, and pour in the heavy cream. Using a fork, stir the cream into the dry ingredients until the dough just comes together. Scrape the scone dough onto a clean, lightly floured counter-top. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 seconds until it comes together, and pat the dough into a 8-inch disc, roughly 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into six wedges (note: this will produce extra-large scones, you can also cut them into eight wedges, but reduce baking time slightly to adjust for size).
- Transfer scone wedges to the lined sheet pan. Brush the tops of the scones lightly with heavy cream, and sprinkle them generously with turbinado or Demerara sugar. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown. Remove from the oven, and transfer them with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- Prepare Glaze: Once the scones have cooled, prepare the maple cream cheese glaze. Combine the ingredients in the bowl of mini food processor (or use a hand-held mixer) and pulse until the glaze is smooth and all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated (scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary). The glaze should be relatively thick, but pipeable or able to be drizzled. Transfer the glaze to zip lock bag. Press and compress the frosting into one corner of the bag. Using scissors, make a small snip (about ¼-inch) at the corner of the bag. Carefully pipe the glaze in diagonal lines, back and forth, across the tops of the scones. Alternatively, you can use a spoon and drizzle the glaze over the scones. Serve.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 571kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Sodium: 507mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 37g