Gingerbread Scones are soft and fluffy inside and crisp and flaky outside with the perfect amount of warm spices and brown sugar sweetness.
My high school chemistry teacher used to say that the only magic he believes in is chemistry.
In baking (which involves a lot of chemistry) you can definitely see magic!
The way ingredients come together and react with each other to form something delicious is incredible. And there’s something truly special about holiday baking in particular!
The smell of warm spices and brown sugar fills the house with its cozy aroma. It really puts you in a festive mood.
If you want to do some holiday baking that’s just a little different than a typical cookie recipe, Gingerbread Scones are perfect. They’re aromatic with warm Christmasy spices, rich, buttery and flaky, and have the perfect level of brown sugar sweetness.
I love making scones for breakfast or brunch on the morning of a holiday. I make the dough the day before and then bake the scones fresh in the morning. It’s a wonderful aroma to fill the house with.
The Best Gingerbread Scones Recipe
Gingerbread Scones Ingredients
Scones:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Baking soda
- White pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Half and half
- Vanilla extract
Glaze:
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
How to Make Gingerbread Scones
- Make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse meal. Stir in the half and half and vanilla. (The dough should come together, but not be too wet.)
- Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a ball, and then flatten it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes in the freezer (or up to 3 days in the fridge).
- Shape the scones. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Cut the circle of dough into 8 equal wedges.
- Bake. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little half and half, and bake at 450F until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely.
- Glaze. Once cooled, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze. Dip the tops of the scones into the glaze, letting it run down the sides. Place the scones onto a wire rack and let the glaze set completely before serving.
Variations on This Recipe
- Customize the spice blend. You can use more or less of the spices listed, or add whatever you like! I sometimes add a little bit of ground allspice and/or ground cardamom to the mix.
- Make the glaze maple. Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and reduce the milk to 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- Add nuts for crunch and flavor. You can add up to 1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the scone dough.
Tips for Making Gingerbread Scones
- Don’t skimp out and use milk instead of half and half. We need the thicker viscosity of half and half here. This recipe will work with milk, but your scones will be a little flatter and less flavorful.
- Use cold butter and half and half. Like when making pie crust, the butter to make scone dough should be cold. This is so that when it goes into the oven, the butter releases steam as the scones cook. The steam helps to create flaky layers and light texture.
- Make sure your leavening agent isn’t expired. Here our leavening agents are baking powder and baking soda. Check the expiration dates on both!
- Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing can result in dense or rubbery scones.
Gingerbread Scones FAQs
What is the Secret to a Good Scone?
A really great scone should be light and fluffy, not dense and hard. Also, a good scone shouldn’t be overly dry.
How Do I Make Light and Fluffy Scones?
In the post above, make sure to follow the tips listed for making Gingerbread Scones. They will help you yield light and fluffy scones.
How Long do Homemade Scones Stay Fresh?
Like most homemade scone recipe, I recommend eating Gingerbread Scones on the same day you bake them. Once they’re baked, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but they tend to dry out a bit after the first day.
But the good news is that you can make scone dough up to 3 days in advance. Store the dough in the fridge and bake the scones straight from the fridge when you want to serve them. Because of this, these scones are a great choice for a holiday morning!
More Festive Scone Recipes to Make
- Christmas Morning Scones (Vanilla Bean, Nutmeg, and Rosemary-Scented Scones)
- Festive Christmas Eve Scones (Orange, Clove, and Rosemary-Scented Scones)
- Maple Walnut Scones
- Pumpkin Scones
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xoxo, Faith
Gingerbread Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Scones:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and diced
- 1 cup half and half or milk or cream, plus 2 tablespoons more for brushing on top
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat liner for easy cleanup; otherwise, lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and white pepper in a large bowl.
- Cut in the butter with a fork or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse meal. Stir in the half and half and vanilla. (The dough should come together, but not be too wet.)
- Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes in the freezer.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Cut the circle of dough into 8 equal wedges.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little half and half, and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely.
- Once cooled, whisk together all ingredients for the glaze. Dip the tops of the scones into the glaze, letting it run down the sides. Place the scones onto a wire rack and let the glaze set completely before serving.
Faith’s Tips
- Recipe Inspiration: This recipe was inspired by and adapted from my recipe for Christmas Morning Scones.
- Make Ahead: You can make the dough the night before; instead of chilling it in the freezer for 10 minutes, wrap it up and refrigerate it overnight (or up to 3 days in advance). Bake the scones straight from the fridge the morning you want to serve them.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 12, 2010. I updated it with more information on December 21, 2021.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
These are definitely more like the type of scone I’d actually want to make. The spices along with molasses must bring joy in every bite. Well, maybe, I could accompany it with some jams ;o)
Very interesting recipe…it might just convince me to make them after the busy holidays are through ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
can we get a national petition going to state that ginger (and cloves, nutmeg, etc) aren’t just for Christmas anymore?
Best to you and yours this holiday. Cheers!
These look so delicious! I’ve been trying to find a good reciipe for gingerbread cookie bars, but these might hold my craving over for a while :)
Mmm sounds great and it must have an amazing taste!
Oh what I would do for these scones & a cuppa joe right now. Delish miss Faith :) XO
This one is totally up my alley! I love the combination of sweet with a bit of spice.
*kisses* HH
Mmmm, those look yummy. I love gingerbread but never seem to get enough of it.
~ingrid
These lovely, spicy scones are a delight! It must smell so good while baking in the oven.
Hmmm, delicious…a great take on gingerbread :)
I love ginger and if my family loved it as well I would make these even today.
Bring on the gingerbread! And Ryan was just asking for scones…perfect! Thank you for sharing this with me. I hope you have a joyful week, my friend!
These scones are perfect for those of us who love gingerbread. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
Gingerbread in scone form is a taste of heaven in my book. But then, I love ALL things ginger. Can’t wait to try these.
oh- it’s good to have internet again. I love ginger everything even just fresh ginger with sushi. I will love these. Linking over to the recipe now. Thanks.
Mmmm! They look spongy and moist…is it so?! I love scones but some can be too dry for me…I end up drinking a ton of milk with them :)
Faith, these scone must taste delicious…they sure are perfect for this time of the year…lovely!
Loved reading your guest post. Gingerbread is perfect any time, but especially this time of year!
These are so cute and festive!
Ummm I heart scones & gingerbread. I must make these. They scream Christmas morning!
Love these scones! They look so fresh and good.
I love gingersnap cookies, so I’m sure I’d love these scones as well. :)
Faith these Scones look so good! I’m sure your house smelled Christmasy when you were baking them! :)
Scones are one of my favorite holiday (or anytime, really) treats, and I agree that a cup of tea is the perfect accompaniment! Nothing says holiday like gingerbread, so gingerbread scones are the perfect holiday breakfast or snack :) Great recipe, as always!
Yum! I am on the hunt for a few additional additions to my Christmas week menu. These are going on the list. They look perfect!
these are so good for the holidays… thanks for the recipe faith… makes a cold morning warmer!
You did a beautiful job,Faith!These look delicious!
I have not yet baked anything with gingerbread yet. Ever. Not even gingerbread cookies. But I am in full on baking mode, so I should definitely try it out, it sounds so good and I bet it smells SO good while baking!
Is that creme fraiche with those scones? What a perfect combo! YUMMMMM.
Valerie
Two of my favorite things..gingerbread and scones. Sounds like a winning combination. They look delicious:)
Yum! Yum! Yum! I eat scones at least once a week when I go and visit my Gran. She absolutely loves ginger and scones – I will have to make this for her!
Ooo these scones look delicious! Oh so festive and it looks like they’ve got a perfect texture!
These have combined two of my favourite ‘With Tea’ foods!! Yummers!
Gingerbread scones are such a great idea. All the different spices in the recipe would go great with a nice hot cup of tea. A perfect snack for this time of year. Looks delicious, Faith :-P
These look absolutely fabulous, ginger and scones…. very comforting with a little touch of celebration thrown in for good cheer.
Faith, you and I were on the same page today. I made gingerbread doughnuts but seriously considered scones! These look FAB, and the photos are beautiful! Love the china as well.
These are like two amazing things combined together! I am a gingerbread girl through and through.
These look great Faith! I’ve never had gingerbread scones, but I’ve also never met a scone I didn’t like.
Love the plate you’re using too, it’s very cute.
These scones are definitely perfect for the holidays! I love the addition of molasses and all the wonderful spices you use, a very tasty snack with tea for sure!
Faith,
I am in love with this scones. love the spice combo in them.wonderful festive look.
Gingerbread and scones, looks perfect together!
Gingerbread is one of the best things of the season and those scones look so good!
Faith these look delicious and gingerbread is such a lovely item to get one in the Christmas mood! :D
These look really delicious!
great flavor! I love gingerbread and scone! :D
I really love the ginger bread spices and this sounds so delicious!
Love a spicy sweet treat, perfect in a scone with jam and creme fraiche! Lovely dish too for the English afternoon tea
They brought me a candle that has gingerbread smell. Ever since I’ve been dying to make gingerbread anything. These scones sound like a great idea.
What an awesome scone flavor! Those are very tempting.
Cheers,
Rosa
Per Ameena – these look absolutely fabulous!! And I also wish I was back in NYC. :)
Per Maya – these look yummy and I am dying to go back to NYC and have scones at Alice’s Tea Cup.