Carrot Cake Scones

Carrot Cake Scones
I love these, easy to make and they give you a taste of carrot cake without all the calories!

Scones
3 cups flour (you may need a little more, be sure mix is thick enough to be able to pat out)
2/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c ground walnuts
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c shredded carrots
1/2 c dried cranberries

Mix flour, sugar, salt, soda, b powder, cinnamon, walnuts together. Cut in with a pastry cutter or a fork the butter until small chunks are evenly incorporated. Make a well and add egg, vanilla and milk.
Mix well, stir in carrots and cranberries.
 Heat oven to 400
Pat out dough and cut into circles or use a cookie scoop to form rounds.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet or stoneware and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and done in the center.

Cream Cheese Glaze
1/2 c softened cream cheese
2 c powdered sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
Mix and spoon over tops

Carrot Garnish
Mix 1/2 c shredded carrot with 1/2 c coconut and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, lightly toast in a non sick skillet, sprinkle tops of scones.

Chocolate Hazelnut Scones and Hazelnut Fluff

Scones:
2 1/2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 c finely ground bittersweet chocolate
3/4 c chopped hazelnuts
3/4 c whipping cream
1 large egg
1 egg white, beaten
sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly, stir in chocolate and nuts.
In small bowl combine cream and egg, add to dry ingredients, stir until moistened.
Divide dough in half and form two 8 inch circles on baking sheets.
Cut dough into wedges, leaving circle in tact, do not separate.
Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar and more chocolate if you like. Bake 2- 22 minutes or until browned. Cool 10 min.

Fluff:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c finely grated semi sweet chocolate (or any other you like)
1/2 c finely chopped hazelnuts
Beat cream cheese and sugar, add chocolate and hazelnuts, cover and chill until serving.

Cranberry Almond Scones

Today I am swapping blogs with Momma Chef! Check out her wonderful recipes below and stop over to her blog to see my Caramel Swirl Hunks!

Hi, I am Sheena, otherwise known as Momma Chef from http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com The Best of Momma Chef.  I am very excited to visiting over here at North Dakota Kitchen!  I am a stay at home mom.  Baking and cooking are my obsessions, with a little crafting on the side.  I am a whole wheat FANATIC.  I love whole grains and my thinking is that I can justify eating cookies and goodies if they are 100% whole grain.  

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I decided to make something that would be good for Thanksgiving breakfast.  It is a light on the go type breakfast, since the main focus of Thanksgiving is lunch/dinner.


Cranberry Almond Scones

Here's what you need:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup butter, cold
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 ts nutmeg
1/4 ts salt
zest of one orange, finely grated
1 cup brown sugar
1 ts pure vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 egg

1 can cream cheese frosting or use the recipe http://www.josephsgrainery.com/2010/11/whole-grain-pumpkin-cake.html">HERE to make your own.

Prep:

Pre heat oven to 375*.

Mix chopped cranberries with the brown sugar and let sit, this will help sweeten up the berries.

In large bowl, cut the butter into the flour until it is the consistency of meal.  Then add all other dry ingredients: baking powder, nutmeg, salt, orange zest.

In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg and vanilla.  Add cranberries and sugar.  Mix.

Fold wet mix into the dry mix.  Mixture will be sticky.  Do not overmix.

Spray a plate or cutting board with cooking spray and spray your hands.  Form into a 1 inch thick round loaf. See below:

Cut into 8 piece like you would cut a pie.  Place pieces on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375* for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let them cool.  Then warm up your frosting and using a spoon, drizzle the frosting over the scones to make them extra tasty and extra pretty!!!

Thanks to North Dakota  Kitchen for having me over!!!

Don't forget to come visit me over at http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com/">Best of Momma Chef.  I have a bunch of other holiday breakfast ideas:

http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com/2010/10/whole-wheat-pumpkin-spice-scones.html">Pumpkin Scones
http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com/2010/10/whole-wheat-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls.html">Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumpkin-spice-bagels.html">Pumpkin Spice Bagels

Ooooooo and come over and enter to win a prize in my 

http://bestofmommachef.blogspot.com/p/recipe-of-month-challenge.html">Recipe of the Month Challenge.   

Basically, you make my recipe of the month, send me a photo and tell me how you liked it and you are entered! EASY as PIE!

Cranberry Pear Scones

2 c flour

1c wheat flour

1/3 c sugar

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbs. chilled butter

1/3 c chopped dried pear, or other dried fruit

1/3 c dried cranberries

3/4 c buttermilk

1 large egg

1 large egg white

cooking spray

1 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spray baking sheets or stoneware.

Mix flours, baking soda and powder, 1/3 c sugar and salt, cut in butter by using a pastry blender or a grater.

 Stir in dried fruit.

Mix buttermilk*, egg and egg white and add to mixture just until evenly moistened.  Pat dough into two rectangles on lightly floured surface, cut into eighths. place onto baking sheets and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes. Serve warm.

* if you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can sour your milk by adding 1 Tbs. of lemon juice or vinegar to a one cup measuring cup, then filling to level with regular milk, let stand 3 min.

Blueberry Scones

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 c whipping cream

3 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 c butter, cut into chunks

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 -1 1/2 c blueberries, fresh or frozen

 Put lemon juice in a 1 cup measuring cup, fill to cup mark with cream. let stand a few minutes to make soured cream.

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange oven rack to upper third of oven.

Mix flour, soda, powder,sugar,and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Make a well and add egg, vanilla and enough of the soured cream to make a soft but firm dough. Fold in berries. Knead on a floured surface, form into 1 inch thick brick and cut into wedges (12 approx). Place on parchment and brush each with a little cream. Bake 16-19 min. serve warm or cold.

 this is from one of my favorite cookbooks A passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman