During my first sit down with this cookbook from Baked I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it.  Two (plus) years later and I’ve finally gotten around to it!  I am glad I did.  While these little gems were baking my house smelled incredible and I was instantly in a better mood.  Baking does that to me a lot of the time, but there was something about the sweet carrot, toasting oats and coconut that was more magical than usual.  We all have a special thing that makes a bad day better, and baking (and the promise of something delicious) is mine.

I put off making these most recently because of the ingredient “carrot puree” and the extra step of making it.  Turns out it’s one of the easier parts of the recipe and should not deter you.  It will make a mess of your microwave, so next time I might try it on the stove top.  Also, don’t worry about it being super duper smooth.  Mine was a little chunky and it worked out fine.  I used baby carrots, about a handful, and had no issues.  I pureed them in my mini food processor, and think a stick blender might be a better choice.  Looking into getting one of those…

As with all scones, you don’t want to overwork the dough.  And if you don’t overwork the dough, the dough will be delicate, so be careful when transferring it to the baking pan.  Use a wide rigid spatula to move them so they don’t fall apart.

Scones are best the day they’re made.  Day 2 or 3 is still ok, especially after a nice warm up in the microwave or quick toast in the oven and with a nice smear of softened butter.  Day 4, you’re about to cross the line into hard as a rock and inedible.  I kept mine in a sealed container in the fridge after the first day and we ate them in a few days with the exception of one scone who was sadly tossed out.  You could easily freeze these and warm them up one at a time or warm the entire batch for company.  If you do freeze them, glaze them just before serving.  Enjoy!

Carrot and Coconut Scones

Courtesy of Baked Explorations

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients

Carrot Puree

• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into chunks (or a handful, 6-8, baby carrots)
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Scones

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup carrot puree
• 1 egg white, beaten (for egg wash)

Citrus Glaze

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Carrot Puree

1. Place the carrot and the orange juice in a medium microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave for 5 minutes on high.  Check that carrot is fork tender.  If it’s not, microwave for 30 second intervals until it is.
2. Blend the carrot and orange juice until smooth and set aside.

Scones

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, salt and coconut in a large bowl.
3. Add the butter and use your fingertips to work it into the flour until the butter is pea sized and the mixture is coarse, not worked too much.
4. In another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and carrot puree.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until the dough just comes together.  Turn it once in the bowl and knead gently once or twice to bring it together.  Be careful not to overwork the dough!
5. Lightly sprinkle a clean surface with flour and turn the dough out of the bowl.  Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour if it looks sticky.  Flatten the dough into a disk about 1 3/4 inches high.
6. Cut the disk like a pizza into 8 slices and transfer the scones to the parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Whisk egg white with  1 tablespoon of water and brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotate baking sheet after 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are slightly browned.
9. Cool scones completely on a wire rack.

Glaze

1. Sift powdered sugar (to get rid of any lumps) into a bowl, then whisk in the juices until smooth.
2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and allow it to set before serving.