Spiced Gingerbread Scones to Make Your House Smell Like Christmas

Published: Dec 21, 2021 · Modified: Jun 20, 2023 by Faith · This post may contain affiliate links · 50 Comments

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.

In This Article

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 ¾ 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 ½ tablespoons.
Add nuts for crunch and flavor. You can add up to ½ 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

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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 12, 2010. I updated it with more information on December 21, 2021.

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