Cozy Gingerbread Scones: Perfect for Holiday Mornings
on Apr 01, 2025
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Indulge in holiday magic with these homemade Gingerbread Scones that blend warm spices, rich molasses, and tender crumb in every bite. Perfect for cozy winter mornings, these bakery-worthy gingerbread scones feature that classic seasonal flavor your family will request year after year.
There’s something magical about the aroma of gingerbread filling your home on a chilly morning. I’ll eat gingerbread-flavored goodies all year round, but it really just tastes different (more magical?) in the winter months around the holidays.
Serve them warm from the oven with a simple sprinkle of sugar for a quick breakfast, or dress them up with a drizzle of maple glaze when friends drop by for coffee. They capture the essence of holiday baking without the fuss of rolling and cutting traditional gingerbread cookies.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Scones Recipe
- Truly Stress-Free: The dough comes together in one bowl with just a wooden spoon – no mixer required!
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Prepare the dough the night before and bake fresh in the morning.
- Perfectly Spiced: The balance of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses creates that classic gingerbread flavor without overwhelming young palates.
- Freezer-Friendly: Bake a double batch and freeze for last-minute holiday visitors or busy weekday breakfasts!
☕️ Homemade gingerbread treats are the perfect winter addition to an afternoon coffee or tea break — and they make fabulous gifts, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Ground spices — cinnamon, ginger, and cloves
- Baking powder
- Salted butter
- Molasses
- Milk — I use full-fat whole milk.
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Gingerbread Scones
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Step 2: Cut the butter into cubes and then use a large fork or pastry masher to combine the butter and dry ingredients. The butter should be roughly pea sized.
Step 3: Add the molasses and milk. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until homogenous.
Step 4: Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a disc about ½ inch thick. Cut your disc into 8 slices and place the slices on a large baking sheet.
Step 5: Bake your scones for 25 minutes and then let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack until you’re ready to serve them.
Step 6: Make your glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Drizzle the glaze over your scones right before serving them.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You have two options: prepare the dough, shape it, and refrigerate overnight (just add 2-3 minutes to the baking time), or bake them completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They also freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.
The key to tall, flaky scones is keeping everything cold. If your butter started to melt while handling the dough, pop the shaped scones in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Also, make sure your baking powder is fresh!
While molasses provides that distinctive gingerbread flavor, you can substitute dark honey or maple syrup in a pinch. The flavor profile will be slightly different but still delicious.
Expert Tips
- Grate Your Butter: Instead of cutting cold butter into chunks, try grating frozen butter with a box grater for the flakiest texture.
- Don’t Overwork: Mix just until the ingredients come together – a few flour streaks are actually preferable to overmixing.
- Perfect Your Glaze: If you’re adding a maple or vanilla glaze, wait until the scones have cooled for 10 minutes, then drizzle while still slightly warm for the perfect absorption-to-shine ratio.
- Storage Tips: Store your scones in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I like to store my scones without any glaze on them and then drizzle it on after reheating my scone. Reheat 1-2 scones in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
Other Festive Gingerbread Favorites
Here are some of our favorite festive baked goods to fill your home with the warm, spicy aroma of gingerbread during the holiday season!
- Easy Gingerbread Loaf: Feels a special occasion treat, even though it’s simple enough for everyday baking!
- Perfect Iced Gingerbread Cookies: With a warm, decadent, chewy center, these cookies are guaranteed to be a hit.
- Spicy Gingerbread Muffins: All the warm, spicy goodness of traditional gingerbread in a convenient, grab-and-go breakfast treat.
More Amazing Gingerbread Recipes
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Easy Gingerbread Loaf – Better Than Starbucks!
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Perfect Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
The Perfect Icing for Gingerbread Cookies
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
The Best Gingerbread Recipes: Your Kitchen’s Holiday Magic
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Gingerbread Scones
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and baking powder in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Cut the butter into cubes and then use a large fork or pastry masher to combine the butter and dry ingredients. The butter should be roughly pea sized.
- Add the molasses and milk. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until homogenous.
- Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a disc about ½ inch thick. Cut your disc into 8 slices and place the slices on a large baking sheet.
- Bake your scones for 25 minutes and then let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack until you’re ready to serve them.
- Make your glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and maple syrup. Drizzle the glaze over your scones right before serving them. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have any premade pumpkin pie spice then you can use that instead of cinnamon and ginger. Your scones will have a slightly different flavor, but most pumpkin pie spices have both cinnamon and ginger.
- If your glaze is too thick then you can add a teaspoon or two of milk to thin it out. If it is too thin then you can add about ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
- You will want to use cold butter in this recipe.
- If using a fork is giving you too much grief when combining the butter and dry ingredients then you can use your hands to break up the butter. If you do that then you’ll want to let the dough chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes before rolling it out.
