The Fragrance of Gingerbread Scones

 Sweetie and I visited our daughter, son-in-law and grandson last weekend and had such a great time. It was rainy but that meant that baking gingerbread scones with Raine was even nicer since the warm spices of gingerbread scones gave a wonderful holiday spice fragrance to the whole downstairs.

I used a recipe off the internet and stayed pretty close to it, although I increased the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon, but everyone agreed that another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon would have made the scones even better. They did taste better the next day, so perhaps in another day they would have been just right without more cinnamon, but scones are best right after you bake them, usually, so I'm going to write up the recipe with that extra 1 teaspoon.

These are lovely scones, just a bit crumbly, enriched with molasses as well as brown sugar, plus the spices of winter. Half of them were given a drizzle of icing and even Sweetie, who had asked for a drizzle-free scone but tried one with the drizzle, agreed that the drizzle improved them, so go for the drizzle!

Gingerbread Scones

by Liren Baker of Kitchen COnfidate Blog

Ingredients

For the scones:

• ▢2 1/2 cups

  all-purpose flour


• ▢1 tablespoon baking powder
• ▢1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢1 1/2 teaspoons

  ground cinnamon


• ▢1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢1/2 cup unsalted butter very cold, cut into small pieces
• ▢2 large eggs
• ▢1/2 cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the scones
• ▢1/4 cup molasses
• ▢2 teaspoons sparking sugar 

For the glaze:

• ▢1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar or more, depending on consistency, sifted
• ▢1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢Pinch ground cloves
• ▢1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

For the Scones

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture, until you have coarse crumbs. This can also be done with two knives or a food processor.
• Whisk the eggs lightly and combine with 1/2 cup buttermilk and molasses. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just moist. The dough will be sticky.
• On a well-floured surface, turn the sticky dough out and knead very lightly until the flour is fully incorporated into the dough. If the dough feels too sticky, lightly add more flour as you shape the dough. Form the dough into a disk about 7-inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Place the scones in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Once the scones are chilled, lightly brush with remaining buttermilk. Stir together the sparkling sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the scones. Bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed. Transfer to a wire rack.

For the Glaze

• Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the maple syrup, whisking until smooth. If you find that it’s too thick, add more maple syrup or a few teaspoons of water. If you find that the glaze is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Drizzle over or dip the scones and set on the wire rack.