Gingerbread Scones

Gingerbread Scones

One of my favorite cookbooks is the Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet and Sur la Table (find it on Amazon or your library) and they have a great basic scone recipes with lots of variations. I saw that Tracey's Culinary Adventures made the Gingerbread Scones and topped it with a maple glaze. Sign me up!

It's really easy to make. I used a food processor, but you can totally do this by hand too. See the little bits of butter? That's really necessary for good scones. If I remember all the stuff I learned in my baking class...when the dough hits the oven, water contained in the butter steams up and causes the flakey goodness of scones and yummy stuff like pies and croissants.

I made the scone dough the night before my work meeting. I cut them into squares and placed them onto a baking tray, covered with plastic wrap and then popped in the freezer.

In the morning, I pulled them out of the freezer and placed on the countertop. I preheated the oven and then popped them into the oven. If you are going to glaze them, be sure to give yourself time to let them cool off before glazing them.

I followed Tracey's lead and topped the scones with a maple syrup and powdered sugar glaze.

These were enjoyed at the meeting. It's a lovely taste of the holidays.
Gingerbread Scones. Make them today!

Gingerbread Scones
Adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Scones:
2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (2 1/2 oz) packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 oz) cold buttermilk
2 tablespoons molasses

1 egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash)

Glaze:
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

Place flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Scatter the butter pieces on top of the flour and pulse 5 times until the butter pieces are the size of peas. Whisk the buttermilk and molasses together in a measuring cup. Pour into the food processor (all at once) and pulse until the dough comes together (it took me about 20 pulses, but don't overmix the batter).

On a lightly floured work surface, turn the dough out. Quickly, but gently, bring the dough together into a square that is 1" thick. Of course, you can also shape into rounds to make triangle scones. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones. Transfer to a baking sheet.

At this point, you can freeze the scones and bake at a later time. When you bake them, allow them to sit on the counter while the oven is preheating.

Brush the tops of the scones with the lightly beaten egg wash. Bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until they are golden brown and firm to the touch. Move onto a cooling rack and allow scones to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze: Whisk the maple syrup and powdered sugar in a small bowl until combined. If you need to, add more maple syrup or milk to thin. Drizzle over the scones. Let icing set for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!