Gingerbread in all of its forms makes me so happy this time of year. My Gingerbread Scones are the perfect excuse to indulge for breakfast.
What gives these scones their gingerbread flavor?
Well, it starts with ginger of course. I used both ground ginger and chopped candied ginger in this recipe. I also spiced these gingerbread scones with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Even more important than the ginger perhaps is the molasses. Molasses gives these scones their beautiful brown hue and distinct gingerbread flavor. I did not skimp on the molasses here! It provides a great tangy sweet flavor any true gingerbread fan will love.
Tips for a successful scone:
- Mix your dry ingredients thoroughly for a nice, homogeneous dough.
- Keep your dough cold. Make sure you’re working with cold butter and cream to achieve that desired crumbly, flaky texture. After I form my scones, I typically stick them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to make sure the butter stays cold.
- Work the butter properly. I find I get the best results when I work the butter by hand. I add ½ inch cubes of butter to the dry ingredients and toss them to coat in the flour. Then I use my hands to flatten and break apart the butter into smaller pieces. Pea sized or slightly larger is what I go for. I think the irregular sized pieces of butter help give the scones a nice texture.
Alternative Topping Suggestions
- Maple butter glaze from my Baked Pumpkin Donuts recipe.
- Fully cover with glaze and add chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Add some holiday sprinkles!
- Try a cream cheese glaze.
Want more holiday treats?
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies
- Quick Panettone (no yeast)
- Panettone Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vanilla Bean Eggnog
- The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies with Chocolate and Jam
- Chocolate Hazelnut Cannoli
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
- Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Marshmallows
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Gingerbread Scones with Lemon Glaze
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 scones 1x
Description
Gingerbread in all of its forms makes me so happy this time of year. My Gingerbread Scones are the perfect excuse to indulge for breakfast.
Ingredients
Scones:
- 3 all-purpose cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (½ teaspoon fine salt)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
- 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1/3 cup candied ginger, finely chopped (¼ cup when chopped)
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- ½ cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3–4 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
Egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Instructions
- Heat oven & prep pan: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
- Mix in butter & ginger: Add butter and coat with flour. Pinch with tips of fingers to form some flat pieces of butter, and some smaller chunks. The butter should be the size of peas or slightly larger. Irregular sizes are okay. Work quickly to keep butter cool. Stir in candied ginger.*
- Add wet ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together molasses, heavy cream and brown sugar. Stir molasses mixture into dough until completely incorporated. Add an additional 2-3 teaspoons of cream if needed to help bring the dough together. The dough should just hold together. Do not add excess cream.
- Form & bake: Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a ball and flatten into a 6-inch round. Do not overwork the dough. Slice into 8 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet and brush tops with egg wash. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Glaze & serve: Combine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk in just enough lemon juice to reach desired consistency. When scones are completely cool, drizzle or spread with glaze.* Enjoy.
Notes
If you’re not comfortable working the butter with your hands, you can pulse the dry ingredients with the butter in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. You can also use a pastry cutter to break up the butter.
I prefer to eat the scones day 1 from the oven with the glaze still unset, but feel free to let glaze set up and dry.
Scones store well in an airtight container for several days at room temperature. If can also store them in the freezer for up to about 3 months. Store in a freezer bag and defrost the night before in the fridge. Pop in the oven to toast up slightly, if desired.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 39mg
Keywords: gingerbread scones, ginger scones, scones, Christmas, holiday
This post was updated with new images, and a slightly adjusted recipe.
These looks so good ~ must try!
Thanks!
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an incredibly long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to
say excellent blog!
Aw, thank you!
Sounds very aromatic and tasty..:D
Thank you!