Carrot Spice Scones

These scones are simple to make and full of warm, earthy flavor. Make sure you use cold butter to ensure the scones are flaky!

Scones are anything but boring.

In fact, when properly made, scones are incredibly tender, delicate pieces of pastry that ought to be celebrated more!

I think that scones get a bad reputation because in America, we often think of the dry, crumbly pucks found sitting in glass cases in coffee shops. This is far from the ideal scone, my friends, and it’s a shame that we’ve gotten used to doughy disappointment.

The Inspiration

When studying abroad in England, I grew to appreciate the humble scone (how could you not? also, they pronounce it “scon” like the word on) after eating buttery, flaky piece after piece. Accompanied by the traditional clotted cream and jam, it was an indulgent-but-vital part of my like for those wonderful few months.

On a recent grocery run, my roommate—who was abroad with me in London almost seven years ago—and I ran into a petite jar of clotted cream in the British section of the store. We had to pick it up, not seeing it often in stores state-side and being overwhelmed with the nostalgia. I knew I had to come up with a scone worthy of a proper afternoon tea.

The Details

The most important part of making scones is keeping the butter cold throughout the process. Cold butter creates pockets and layers within your dough, melting in the oven and creating steam that gives you the flaky texture you’re looking for. Grating a stick of butter straight from the fridge is my favorite way to easily create thin pieces that require little handling to incorporate into the dry ingredients, but doing this the old fashioned way with your fingers works, too. Just be careful— if you overheat the butter, you’ll end up with a mealy texture before adding the milk, which will then create a dough with more gluten, which we’re not looking for. Remember, gluten means chew, and instead we want a light, tender scone.

I’ve included grated carrot and warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom which brings a really nice earthy flavor to the scones. If you wanted to include mix ins like raisins or walnuts, they may be reminiscent of carrot cake, which is never a bad thing. You could also add a glaze if you like, but I prefer the delicate sweetness of the carrot not to get overpowered. Instead, I opted for thick, deliciously silky clotted cream, which could be replicated with something like crème fraîche or even a thick sour cream (I love Fage brand) if that’s what you can find.

This recipe is based on the basic scone recipe from King Arthur Flour.

---

Carrot Spice Scones Recipe

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups (325 g) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon (10 g) baking powder

3/4 teaspoon (5 g) salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold

1 cup (75 g) grated carrot

1/2 cup (121 g) whole milk, cold

2 large (120 g) eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional:

2 teaspoons milk or cream for brushing tops

2 tablespoons raw sugar or maple sugar for tops

Clotted cream and jam for serving

Method

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place another piece of parchment paper on the counter and take out a bench scraper or sharp knife. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves.

3. Use a box grater to grate cold butter into pieces into the flour, and stir gently to combine. Alternatively, cut the cold butter into cubes and using your fingertips, smash the cold butter cubes into the flour to create flaky pieces about 1/2 inch in diameter. Continue until there are no large chunks of butter but flaky bits throughout. Stir in the grated carrot. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients, stirring to just moisten flour and incorporate all dry bits. Do not over mix! As you work the dough into a solid mass, it will continue to hydrate.

5. Dump the dough onto the parchment sheet on the counter, and gently flatten into a round disc about 1 inch thick. Use your bench scraper or sharp knife to cut the circle into 8 wedges. Transfer each wedge to the baking sheet, and place baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 425°F. When scones have thoroughly chilled, brush with milk or cream if using, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and tall, 18-25 minutes.

7. Serve warm. Best eaten immediately, but the carrot helps keep these moist for up to 24 hours.