Kinako Chai Scones with a Cream Cheese Glaze
Kinako chai scones pair the warm flavor of roasted nuts with cozy chai spices. A cream cheese glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness that works well with the other flavors in these scones. Plus, they are super quick and easy to make.
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What Is Kinako Powder?
I first tried kinako powder in a drink from my local boba shop. It was a kinako cheese foam milk tea that paired the nutty flavor of kinako with the richness of cream cheese. I loved it!
Kinako powder is finely ground roasted soybeans. It has a light golden brown color, is super fine, and has a unique flavor. Roasted soybeans are toasty with a mild nutty flavor.
Substitutions
I bought my kinako powder at a local Asian market, but I also found plenty of options on Amazon. If you can’t find kinako powder, you can just use more all purpose flour, but the flavor profile and color of these scones will be very different. Still delicious, just not the same.
For the chai spice mix, you can always mix up your own! I used a spice blend from King Arthur Baking, but it’s just ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, anise, and black pepper. Use some or all of these to create your own blend.
Kinako Chai Scones
The unique thing about this recipe is that there is no butter. Heck, there isn’t an egg either! All of the moisture and fat comes from the heavy cream. This makes the recipe crazy easy. Whisk your dry ingredients, stir in your mix ins, add the cream and shape.
Because we don’t have those pockets of cold butter, this recipe produces a cakier scone. It’s not going to be flaky and buttery, but it will be tender and delicious. Although the texture is a bit cakey, it is not sweet. All of the sweetness comes from the cream cheese glaze.
Mix Ins
I tried this recipe with two different mix ins. First I did finely chopped crystallized ginger. This was delicious and added a touch of sweetness, but I felt like it competed with the nuttiness of the kinako powder.
What ended up tasting even better was finely chopped toasted walnuts. I loved the crunch and it only amplified the kinako. You could skip the mix ins, or choose anything else that you feel would work well.
Related Reading: Cranberry Orange Scones
Cream Cheese Glaze
To emulate the kinako cheese foam milk tea I had, I decided a sweet cream cheese glaze would be the perfect topping for these kinako chai scones. Add cream a little at a time until the glaze is to the consistency you like. I kept mine just a little thick so it wouldn’t run down the sides.
If you really don’t want to do the cream cheese glaze, you could just brush the tops of the unbaked scones with some cream, then sprinkle with sparkling sugar. It won’t add as much sweetness, but it still tastes yummy.
Let Me Show You
Even though kinako chai scones are super duper easy to make, I made you a video tutorial! Check it out for those helpful visual cues.
I suggest topping the scones with the glaze just before serving. The glaze must be refrigerated and the scones will taste best at room temperature, or even a little warm. If you do have glazed, cold scones, microwave in 5- 10 second bursts until the bottom is a bit warm and the glaze has not melted yet.
Enjoy!
This autumn, curl up with a hot cup of tea and kinako chai scones topped with a cream cheese glaze. They are nutty with a hint of spice that pairs perfectly with the tangy cream cheese on top.
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Kinako Chai Scones
Ingredients
Kinako Chai Scones
- 225 g all purpose flour
- 75 g kinako powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp chai spice blend
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 85 g finely chopped walnuts toasted
- 355 g heavy cream cold
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 55 g cream cheese softened
- 20 g unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/16 tsp salt a pinch
- 170 g powdered sugar sifted
- 1- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Kinako Chai Scones
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, kinako powder, sugar, baking powder, chai, and salt. Stir in the walnuts.
- Add the heavy cream and gently stir until it forms a shaggy dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. Fold the dough onto itself a few times to incorporate any remaining dry bits.
- Press the dough into an even 6 inch disc. Cut into 8 equal wedges.
- Place the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave space between them. Bake for 20- 24 minutes, or until the top of the scones is lightly browned and the bottom is slightly darker.
- Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before topping with the glaze.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt with a spatula until smooth.
- Stir in the powdered sugar with the spatula until well combined. Add a tablespoon of cream and mix until combined. Add cream one teaspoon at a time until you have the consistency you want.
Assemble
- Top each scone with a dollop of the cream cheese glaze just before serving. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the glaze into an even layer.
Notes
- I had a small amount of cream cheese glaze leftover.
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
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