These Gingerbread Scones have everything you love about classic gingerbread cookies with molasses, a blend of spices and sweet glaze. All those festive flavours come together in a tender and buttery scone.
What are Gingerbread Scones?
Gingerbread scones are a festive twist on the classic English scone. They combine the tender, buttery texture of a scone with the deep, spiced flavours of classic gingerbread.
Made with molasses, brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, these holiday scones have a rich, warm taste that feels perfectly suited for winter mornings and Christmas baking ideas. They are topped with a sweet and spiced vanilla glaze, too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Holiday Scones: The perfect mix of spices and molasses for the festive season.
- Perfect for Tea Time: Pair with black teas like Assam, English Breakfast or Chai.
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and 30 minutes.
- Great for Sharing: Serve at holiday gatherings or they even make for a great edible gift idea.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make the best gingerbread scones:
- All-purpose flour – It’s important to measure flour correctly for best texture.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a hint of caramel depth.
- Baking powder – Helps the scones rise and stay fluffy.
- Spices – Ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves create that classic gingerbread flavour.
- Salt
- Butter – Cold butter is key!
- Molasses – For the best results, unsulphured molasses is recommended. It gives the scones the signature gingerbread taste and colour.
- Milk
- Glaze – Made with icing sugar, milk, vanilla and spices for a touch of sweetness on top.
How to Make Gingerbread Scones
Find the full ingredient measurements and directions in the printable recipe card towards the end of this post.
To Make the Gingerbread Scones:
Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
Cut in Butter: Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work in cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in molasses and milk. Mix until the dough just comes together.
Shape & Cut: Transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape into a disc and cut into 8 wedges.
Bake: Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown on top and cooked through (about 15-18 minutes).
To Make the Glaze:
Combine ingredients: In a small mixing bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar. Add ground ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk everything together until silky smooth.
The consistency should be slightly thick and slow pouring. If it’s too runny, add a bit more confectioners’ sugar. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Spread the glaze on the cooled scones. Let them sit for 15 minutes to allow the glaze to harden before enjoying.
Storage and Serving Suggestions
To Store: Store any leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 6 days.
To Serve: These are best enjoyed warm with a cup of tea. Serve with masala chai to complement the spices or a bold black tea like English Breakfast to balance the sweetness. You can also serve these scones with a Gingerbread Tea Latte to double up on the cozy gingerbread flavours!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these scones ahead of time?
Yes, you can prepare and cut the dough, then freeze before baking. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes of baking time.
What kind of molasses should I use?
Use unsulphured molasses for the best flavour. Do not use blackstrap molasses as it is too bitter. You can learn more about the different types of molasses at this Taste of Home article.
Do I need to glaze them?
If you would like to avoid the extra sugar, you don’t have to glaze the scones. However, the glaze adds a touch of sweetness and makes them look extra festive.
More Gingerbread Recipes You’ll Enjoy
If you’re as obsessed with gingerbread as I am, don’t miss these other festive favourites:
- Homemade Gingerbread Syrup – Perfect for flavouring lattes, tea or drizzling over dessert.
- Gingerbread Tea Latte – A cozy, spiced drink to enjoy all season long.
Gingerbread Scones
Ingredients
FOR THE SCONES:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons butter cold
- ¼ cup molasses unsulphured
- ¼ cup milk
FOR THE GLAZE:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To Make the Gingerbread Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
- Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work in cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in molasses and milk. Mix until the dough just comes together.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface, shape into a disc and cut into 8 wedges.
- Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown on top and cooked through (about 15-18 minutes).
To Make the Glaze:
- In a small mixing bowl, sift confectioners’ sugar. Add ground ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk everything together until silky smooth. The consistency should be slightly thick and slow pouring. If it’s too runny, add a bit more confectioners' sugar. If it is too thick, add a bit more milk.
- Spread the glaze on the cooled scones. Let them sit for 15 minutes to allow the glaze to harden before enjoying.
These were tasty! Full of great gingerbread spice. Thank you for the easy recipe.
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts, Mia. Happy you enjoyed these gingerbread scones!