Tender, crumbly pastry with sweet flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg with a subtle spiced pop of clove sleeping under a light blanket of creamy vanilla frosting. Gingerbread scones are giving the traditional scone a warm and cozy twist without straying too far from the classic recipe.
Hurry up and get yourself a cuppa because there is nothing more perfect than a fresh-baked scone and a hot cup of coffee, latte, or tea. Really it’s just a superb way to start the day or settle into an afternoon snack.
There’s also something about snacking on a scone that makes me feel fancy….am I the only one?
Do you know what’s not fancy about scones? Making them. They’re quite down to the point when you get to it and that’s a great thing because the sooner we bake them up the sooner we can snack.
How to make gingerbread scones
Grate. Mix. Roll. Cut. Chill. Bake. Frost.
Got all that? Good.
Kidding, let’s dive just a smidge deeper into it but not so much that you’re scrolling forever. Promise.
The best way to make killer scones is to use really cold dairy, chill your scones, and handle your dough as little as possible. Which, if you’ve made pie dough before, this is pretty similar.
Mix the grated, frozen butter into the dry ingredients finely. I like to use a pastry cutter to do this rather than my hands because the heat from your hands will start to soften the butter. You can also use two forks if you don’t have a pastry cutter.
In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients then pour them over the dry, mixing just until the dough comes together. Then all you have to do is form it into an 8-inch disk and cut it into 8 equal(ish) triangles then chill.
If you don’t have space to put an entire sheet pan with scones in the fridge to chill, you can transfer them to a parchment-lined plate or container.
To get a nice glossy look on the top of the scones, brush them with heavy cream before baking. You need to bake them at high heat (400°F) but they bake fairly quickly about 20 minutes.
So just to recap…
Tips for perfect scones:
- Freeze your butter and grate it frozen. If you need time to assemble the rest of your ingredients just pop the grated butter back in the freezer while you get ready.
- The dough must be chilled before baking to avoid flat, spread out scones. I recommend freezing for a minimum of 1 hour just to be sure that butter is cold!
- The dough should be handled as little as possible to avoid overworking the flour and butter, making tough scones.
- Be sure to let the scones cool completely before frosting or the frosting will become runny since it’s a creamy frosting.
- If you’d prefer to skip the frosting to keep these travel friendly, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar right before baking.
What will you be serving with your gingerbread scones? Might I recommend sticking with the gingerbread theme and trying out this rich gingerbread cashew coffee, or for a slightly sweet and spicy touch a creamy honey cinnamon oat milk latte.
Let me know your favorite way to enjoy these scones! If you made this recipe please leave a rating and a comment below!
Gingerbread Scones with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
gingerbread scones
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus more for work surface
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ½ cup heavy cream or buttermilk plus extra for brushing
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
vanilla cream cheese icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese very soft
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Grate the butter. Grate the frozen butter by hand into a separate bowl or on a plate, set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands, mix the grated butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps form.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses, heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a dough.
- Form the dough. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Roll the dough into an 8-inch sized disk, about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal triangle pieces.
- Chill. Transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or storage container depending on how much space you have in your fridge. Chill for 1 hour up to overnight. Well-chilled scones will prevent spreading during baking.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the scones 2 inches apart on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Brush the scones with heavy cream and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the scones rest on the baking sheet for 2 or 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from running.
- Frost. While the scones are cooling, make the frosting. Using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and confectioners sugar starting at low speed and increasing speed until combined and smooth. Spread over the scones and enjoy!
Notes
- If you need time to get your ingredients ready after grating the butter, just pop the grated butter into the freezer.
- Don't overwork the dough! Mix just until it comes together and holds.
- If you would rather skip the frosting, try sprinkling the scones with coarse sugar just before baking.
Donna
Friday 18th of December 2020
These scones are amazing! The instructions were easy to follow and your home will smell so good while the are baking. I will definitely be making these again!