Warm, homemade scones are our love language! With spice-infused dough and a cinnamon glaze, these pretty scones are perfect for book club, a baby shower, or brunch with friends. Made with freshly-grated carrots and chilled butter, these scones are super moist with just the right amount of flaky, buttery goodness.
For more carrot cake love, try our classic Carrot Cake or our Perfectly Soft Carrot Cake Cookies.
Why Our Recipe
- Freshly grated carrots keep these scones super moist long after they’ve come out of the oven.
- Grated butter technique simplifies the process, making it easier to blend into the flour for perfectly flaky scones.
- From mixing bowl to oven in just 10 minutes—and ready in under 30!
Make a batch of freshly baked scones for the rest of the week with our easy, make-ahead and freeze-for-later options. Whether you’re baking the pre-cut dough from the night before, or you’re warming up leftovers from the freezer, you’ll have warm, homemade scones ready to go in minutes! We love these scones for their versatility and ease. Perfect for breakfast, to take on your way to work, or for an easy after-school snack.
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose is going to be your go to. Can also use bread or pastry flour, but it will change the texture slightly.
- Sugar: Can reduce by half if you would prefer a less sweet scone.
- Cold Butter: Can use a cheese grater (small side), food processor, or pastry cutter. Place in freezer for 15 minutes before grating to help it grate into little pieces.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness to the dough, and when brushed on top, helps the scones brown.
- Shredded Carrots: Finely shred carrots for the best consistency and texture.
- Walnuts: They not only add texture but also complement the flavors of the carrot and spices.
- Powdered Sugar: For a thicker glaze, add 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor. Pure vanilla extract is recommended for the best taste, but artificial vanilla can be used in a pinch.
Glaze and Additions
Drizzle with our homemade, cinnamon glaze. This glaze really brings out the spices in the scone and looks pretty, too.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top for the finishing touch. Topping with walnuts ties this whole recipe together, with the walnuts in the dough. However, you can add pecans instead or use a combination of both.
Adding raisins to the dough or as a garnish is also a great option, keeping in line with classic carrot cake flavors.
Grating Butter vs. Pastry Cutter
Using a cheese grater to add butter to your scone dough is a nifty little trick that can make the process simpler and often more effective than using a pastry cutter. Grating the cold butter produces small, uniform pieces that mix evenly and quickly into the flour, which is key to achieving the perfect flaky texture.
This method can be a real time-saver and is especially handy if you don’t have a pastry cutter. In fact, we like this method even better than using a pastry cutter because it distributes the butter into the flour perfectly for just the right consistency and flakiness.
Make-Ahead Option
This dough freezes nicely to be made later on. Make the dough and cut into wedges, and then wrap in parchment paper and seal in a freezer bag. To make, thaw the dough and bake as directed.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover, baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Consider wrapping in an additional layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn for longer storage. Grab-and-go when ready to eat and let thaw at room temperature which will take about 2 to 3 hours.
Reheat individual scones in the microwave on high in 10-second increments. Remember that baked goods warm quickly in the microwave.
Could you cut these with a biscuit butter to make them a little smaller?
You could make them whatever size you really want! Just note that if they are smaller, they make cook a little faster, so watch closely. I love the idea of a carrot cake biscuit! Covered in a yummy warm, buttery, creamy syrup? Now we are talking!