Rediscover a delightful morning treat in these gluten-free scones made with an essence of fresh carrot cake and drizzled with a sweet citrus glaze.
I have consumed so many scones the past few days, I am *this* close to turning into a walking, talking breakfast pastry. And I’m totally fine with it.
Happy Spring!! Are you ready for everything asparagus-artichoke-leek-lemon-rhubarb? I’m literally going to be living at the farmers market every weekend from now until September. 
These scones are basically portable carrot cakes masking themselves as breakfast pastries. They’re brimming with heart-heathy fats, fiber, and protein, and won’t send you “glazed” over into midmorning nap mode.
They’re my spring gift to you. In all of their melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly goodness.
The texture of these scones is quite different than your average. I find most scones to be too dry unless their dunked in hot coffee or tea. The almond flour lends a buttery texture, making them supremely moist and almost a cross between a scone and a muffin. In true carrot cake fashion, they’re studded with chunks of walnuts, freshly grated carrots, coconut flakes, and warm spices.
The glaze is optional (but highly recommended!). The scones themselves are subtly sweet, so if you prefer your breakfast pastries on the sweeter side, you’ll want the citrus glaze. Plus, it’s only two ingredients (powdered sugar and fresh orange juice), so why the heck not. 
Scones, like biscuits, are most tender when handled minimally. So have your ingredients ready, and use a soft touch when mixing and patting the dough. The dough will still be sticky after mixing, but refrain from adding more flour, as any extra could dry them out.
Instead of wedges, you can also scoop and drop the dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet for easier prep and more crispy browned edges. You can store any leftover scones in an airtight container for three to five days, or freeze up to one month.
Enjoy them for breakfast, brunch, a mid-morning snack, or even dessert with tea or coffee. Easter and Mother’s Day approved!
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup finely grated carrots (from 1 large carrot)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2⅓ cups almond meal/flour
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, softened
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts
- **Fresh Citrus Glaze** (optional)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange or pineapple juice
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Place egg, maple syrup, carrots, and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a larger bowl, combine almond flour, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and sea salt. Mix well. Add the softened coconut oil and combine it with a pastry cutter, your fingers, or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Drizzle wet mixture over the flour mixture and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Slowly and gently fold in walnuts. Try your best to not overwork the dough. Dough will be a little wet/sticky. Work the dough into a ball with floured hands and transfer to the prepared baking pan. Press into a neat 8″ disc and cut into 8 equal wedges with a very sharp knife.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting through into 8 wedges.
- To make the glaze, whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together and drizzle lightly over scones right before serving.
I'm Jamie - A Registered Dietitian, recipe developer, and full-fledged foodie inspiring you to live deliciously. 
Made them so easy can’t wait to taste! But mine didn’t rise much is that how they are.
Hi, Baskuta! Hmm… were your leavening agents within the suggested use date? I hope they still turned out delish despite not rising as much!
Thanks for the suggestion! Yes it’s still within usage date. They were delicious! Shared the recipe with my friends. They all loved it. I didn’t have coconut oil. Made with olive oil. Going to try tomorrow with coconut oil.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review. Cheers!
This is a awesome treat. I substituted the ginger for nutmeg and cinnamon for pumpkin spices.
Also, no walnuts so I used what I had which was
Almonds. I added 1/3 cup brown sugar and it turned out great. Without the 1/3 cup of brown sugar it was slightly unsweetened. We enjoyed!
Thanks,Yah Bless!
Can I substitute brown sugar for the maple syrup in the recipe?
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried using brown sugar myself, but I’d imagine it would work fine.
What can I substitute for the coconut oil? Butter? Or canola oil?
Hi Barbara, canola oil will work just fine!
If I dont add the coconut should I just add more almond flour?
Hi Nicole! You can just leave the coconut out. No need to swap in more almond flour. Enjoy!
These are delish, I made them today to send with my daughter for the weekend because one of her friends is gluten intolerant. This is my first try using almond flour, they turned out wonderfully, very moist and tasty. Will definitely make them again.
Thank you,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy to hear this!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a note. Cheers!
Are the walnuts just for flavor/texture? I’m allergic and wondering if they can just be omitted? The recipe looks delish!
Hi Rachele, you can totally leave them out or sub them for pecans. They’re just for a texture/flavor boost.
The instruction to cut the disk into 8 wedges is repeated twice. Are you supposed to cut the wedges before baking, after baking, or both?
I think when she says cut through the second time, it’s just to separate them.
I can’t eat egg whites… Do you think just an egg yolk will work?
HI Shawna,
I can’t say for certain since I haven’t tried that route, but I would probably use 2 egg yolks in place of the 1 whole egg., and then cut down the coconut oil to 1/4 cup. I hope they turn out!
I love scones. Always looking for a healthy. Low carb recipe. Thank you. I can enjoy scones again.
That’s wonderful, Chrislyn! I hope you enjoy these!