Delicious Gingerbread Scones are the perfect holiday treat. The classic scone is transformed with gingerbread spices and molasses to create a taste reminiscent of the beloved cookies. The homemade scones are a festive addition to breakfast or brunch and can also be served as a tasty snack.
Gingerbread scones are a delightful baked treat that combines the flavors of traditional gingerbread with the texture of a classic scone. The scones are finished with a cinnamon-spiced vanilla glaze like the holiday cookie.
The flavor is rich and warm, with a pronounced gingerbread taste. Warm spices like ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves contribute to the distinctive gingerbread flavor profile. Molasses adds sweetness and a deep, caramel-like richness to the scone. Once baked, they have a golden-brown exterior with a tender, flaky interior and a slightly spiced aroma that evokes the holiday season.
Whether enjoyed during the holidays or any time of the year, gingerbread scones provide a delicious combination of the classic scone texture and the warm, spiced taste of gingerbread. Enjoy this recipe as well as these other scone recipes too.
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Delicious Gingerbread Scones
This recipe starts with my basic scone dough utilizing all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and heavy cream. Like most gingerbread recipes, this one uses molasses and warm spices to evoke the traditional flavor profile. With minimal mixing and a quick baking time, it's hard to resist these fluffy scones.
- Gingerbread Scone Dough: A classic scone dough is flavored with molasses and warm spices, creating the taste of a gingerbread cookie in scone form.
- Cinnamon-Spiced Vanilla Glaze: Spiced vanilla glaze replicates the sweet icing of gingerbread cookies—the sugary glaze pairs beautifully with the subtle sweetness and warm spices in the dough.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Light Brown Sugar (packed): The gently sweetened scone dough receives most of its sweet flavor from a small amount of light brown sugar. Additional molasses is in the dough, too (there is molasses in brown sugar) for the quintessential gingerbread taste.
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Spices: The gingerbread flavors come from a combination of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and finely ground black pepper (the secret ingredient).
- Unsalted Butter (cold and cut into pieces): Use cold butter. After cutting it into pieces, place it back into the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Molasses: A small amount of molasses goes a long way, but I find its distinct flavor to emphasize the taste of gingerbread.
- Heavy Whipping Cream (cold): Heavy cream keeps scones richly flavorful and moist thanks to its higher fat content. Keep the cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it to ensure it stays cold.
- Large Egg (room temperature): For the egg wash.
- Powdered Sugar (sifted)
- Milk: For the glaze.
See the recipe card for the ingredient quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until coarse crumbs form.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients (including molasses) in a small bowl. Create a well in the flour-butter mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the well in two separate parts, mixing until a dough starts to form.
5. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough a couple of times until the dough comes together — do not over-mix. Form the dough into a 7-inch circle.
6. Cut the disk of dough into eight triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Place the dough triangles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the tray in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill.
7. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown—cool scones on a wire rack.
8. Make the icing and glaze cooled scones. Let the glaze set before serving.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Light Brown Sugar: Dark Brown Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Bean Paste
- Milk: Cream, Water
Variations
- Chocolate Chip: Mix ½ cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or white chocolate chips into the dough.
- Coarse Sugar: Sprinkle egg-washed scones with turbinado sugar before baking them for added sweetness and delightful crunch.
- Eggless: Omit the egg wash and brush the scones with heavy cream before baking.
- Maple Glaze: Add ½ tablespoon of pure maple syrup to the glaze.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these festive scones with a hot cup of tea or coffee. They can be served as is or with a dollop of whipped cream for an extra touch of sweetness. Serve scones alongside your holiday brunches.
Suggested Equipment
Storage
Transfer cooled scones to an airtight container. Store the scones at room temperature for up to 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Delicious Scone Recipes
- Cinnamon Roll Scones with Cream Cheese Icing
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Scones
- Brown Sugar Pecan Scones
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Almond Cherry Scones
- Coconut Scones
Expert Tips
- Use cold butter and cold heavy cream in the scone dough. Cold butter is essential for the dough. As the scones bake in the oven, the cold butter melts, creating pockets of steam that results in flaky layers. If your butter starts warming too much as you prepare the dough, refrigerate it for about 10 minutes to firm it back up.
- Do not over-mix the dough. Once the dough starts to come together, stop mixing. Over-developed gluten will result in tough, dense scones.
- Refrigerate the portioned dough on the prepared baking sheet for 30 minutes to one hour (or overnight). Allowing the dough to firm and chill before baking prevents over-spreading and keeps the butter cold so it can melt in the oven for tender texture and flaky layers.
- Bake scones in a hot, preheated oven. Scones need a high-temperature oven to rise properly.
- Sift the powdered sugar before mixing the glaze to prevent sugar clumps in the icing.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can freeze scones one of two ways: baked and unbaked.
Freeze Before Baking - After forming the triangles of scone dough, freeze them on a baking sheet for one hour. Transfer frozen dough wedges to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container, and separate layers with wax paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen - add a few extra minutes of baking time. Or thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Freeze After Baking - Transfer cooled scones to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months—thaw scones on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Chilling the scone dough before baking hardens the fat (from the butter and cream) and relaxes the gluten in the flour, contributing to a higher rise.
The scone will be golden-brown on the outside, with a slightly crumbly and flaky texture. The exterior is somewhat crisp, while the inside is soft and moist.
If you make the recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think in the comments below! Take pictures, tag #sugarylogic, and share them with me on Instagram or Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Gingerbread Scones with Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze
Ingredients
Gingerbread Scones
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cut into pieces
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup molasses
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon water
Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar sifted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 - 3 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
- Combine the flour, light brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until coarse crumbs form.
- Whisk the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and molasses in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
- Create a well in the flour-butter mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the well in two separate parts, mixing until a dough starts to form.
- Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Turn the dough a couple of times until the dough comes together — do not over-mix. Form the dough into a 7-inch circle, about ¾-inch high.
- Cut the disk of dough into 8 triangles using a sharp knife or bench scraper. Place the dough triangles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place the tray in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown—cool the scones on a wire rack.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and milk until a glaze forms. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones. Let the glaze set before serving.
Nutrition
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