carrot cake scones with honey pecan butter

for the four mornings after i made these scones, the first words out of my 18 month old son's mouth in the morning were "eat scone". not "morning" or "mama" or even "hi". eat scone. needless to say he was not happy on the fifth morning when i told them they were gone and he'd have to have eggs instead.

while the ingredients list may look a little long, i made these on a sunday morning on a whim. which means i had every single ingredient in my pantry. coconut and pecans leftover from holiday baking, along with the spices. one of my last few jars of homemade unsweetened applesauce went to good use and we always have carrots in the house for salad or an easy dinner side. 

and while the scones themselves are good, the honey pecan butter puts them over the top. i'm glad i have some left, as i bet it would be delicious with other scones - like maple oatmeal, whole wheat vanilla, or cinnamon - and homemade bread.

carrot cake scones with honey pecan butter
adapted from pbs parents
30 minutes, makes 12 scones

for the scones
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
about 1/2 cup granulated sugar

for the butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
about 1 tablespoon honey
about 1 tablespoon finely chopped pecans

1. preheat your oven to 400F. line a baking sheet and set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, mix the flour, coconut, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg together. add the butter and use your hands or a mixer to mix until the butter is in coarse crumbs.
3. in a large bowl, whisk the apple sauce, carrots, vanilla, and egg together. add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
4. place the granulated sugar on a plate or in a bowl. 
5. scoop out about 3 tablespoons of dough (i used my large cookie scoop) and drop into the granulated sugar. use your hands to coat one side of the dough. place the ball of dough uncoated side down on your baking sheet. repeat with the remaining dough.
6. bake 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned. let sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. while the scones are baking & cooling, make the butter by mixing the butter, honey, and pecans together. add more honey or pecans to your liking. serve with the scones.