Carrot Cake Scones with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

When I saw this recipe for Carrot Cake Scones, I knew I was going to make them!  And guess what?  I made them gluten and dairy free.  And better yet--they are scrumptious!  They have more of a cake-like texture than an actual scone due to the carrots being added to the recipe, according to what Laura, the developer of the recipe, wrote on her blog, A Beautiful Plate.

Be sure to read through the entire blog before you make the scones.  I have some tips at the end that will help you when making them gluten and dairy free.

Carrot Cake Scones with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake Scones

• 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour (Note:  I used King Arthur Flour--Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.)
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (Note:  I used 2 tablespoons of Truvia Brown Sugar Blend.)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup packed roughly grated carrot
• 5 tablespoons very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing (Note:  I used Silk Original Soy Creamer.)
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (Note:  I used approximately 1-1/2 packets of Truvia.)

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature--(I used Kite Hill plain non-dairy cream cheese.)
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup (Note:  This is not on plan.  I did use it.  More on this later.)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon (plus 1-2 teaspoons, (if needed) heavy cream (Note:  I used Silk Original Soy Creamer.)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet 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, and pat the dough into a 8-inch disc, roughly 1 inch thick.  Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into six wedges.  (Author's 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 parchment-paper lined baking sheet.  Brush the tops of the scones lightly with heavy cream, and sprinkle them generously with turbinado sugar.  Bake at 425 degrees F 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 completely, prepare the maple cream cheese glaze.  Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor.  Pulse until the glaze is smooth and all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated (scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula as necessary).  The glaze should be relatively thick, but pipeable.  Transfer the glaze to a zip lock bag.  Press and compress the frosting into one corner of the bag.  Using scissors, make a small snip (about 1/4-inch) at the corner of the bag.  Carefully pipe the glaze in diagonal lines, back and forth, across the tops of the scones.  Best served the day they are baked.

Carrot Cake Scone

Now, I know what you are thinking.  Where is the glaze?  I did make the glaze dairy free, but it didn't turn out with the consistency I needed it to be in order for it to pipe.  This could have been due to several factors, such as working with dairy free ingredients.  Also, I did not use a small food processor to combine the ingredients. I used a small whisk.  It may have needed to be refrigerated before piping.  However, the glaze is delicious, and I just dipped my pieces of scone into the glaze.  Please note that the glaze does contain maple syrup, so you can leave it off completely if you are following the Candida plan strictly.

If you have a large food processor, be sure to use it for this recipe.  The batter comes together so quickly.  It is an amazing tool!  The scone batter was sticky, as most gluten free batters tend to be.  I just added some extra flour to my hands and my working space when I was kneading the dough.  Once I moved the dough to the parchment paper, I had to reshape it again.  I actually cut the scones into six large pieces once it was on the parchment paper.  Don't let the stickiness of the dough worry you.  It does turn out beautifully.  I did have to bake my scones the full 20 minutes.

The scones are delicious!  It truly is carrot-cake like because of the combination of spices.  I made my scones in the evening and placed them in a food-storage container overnight.  I actually ate one of the scones as I wrote the blog!  It tasted fresh and delicious!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!