Easy Gingerbread Scones For Cozy Days

Gingerbread Scones bring instant holiday coziness to your home with these flavorful, delicious scones—tender with cream and molasses and warmly spiced with the season’s best flavors. Pour yourself a warm cup of tea, and enjoy this Christmas treat!

These treats are much like your favorite shaped Christmas cookies, only baked into scones. The gingerbread flavors usher in the holidays with every bite!

While I adore tea scones, these Gingerbread Scones are more rustic and larger than I typically serve for teatime. However, Christmas is a season of delicious indulgence, and these scones perfectly fit this wonderful time of the year.

When to Serve Gingerbread Scones

Afternoon Tea: I have served these scones for a Christmas Afternoon Tea, in mini form, by cutting the dough into 16 petite scones instead of 8 larger scones, adjusting the baking time to about 12 to 15 minutes. I was immediately asked if there were more!

Holiday Brunches: The season is filled with opportunities to gather over a morning meal, whether for breakfast or a holiday brunch. These flavorful, rich scones with seasonal spices and molasses set the perfect tone!

Hostess Gifts: I sent a package of these gingerbread scones to my husband’s office party. Packaged in a white box and red ribbon, they were a delightful (I’m told) gift for the hostess that evening.

With Coffee or Tea: When the season’s preparations overwhelm (and they always do), brew yourself a Christmas latte or cup of chai tea, put your feet up, and treat yourself to a warmed scone and remember all the reasons you love this season!

Gingerbread Scones and Holiday Baking

There is something therapeutic about holiday baking, especially when you combine some of the most delicious flavors of the season. The act of bringing dough together and filling the kitchen with familiar aromas is a treat in and of itself.

I often find myself relaxing into the day (or evening) while baking these simple gingerbread scones. The Christmas wrapping will wait, the packages on the doorstep will be unboxed, the calendar will be what it is… but this baking makes everything seem manageable.

And the family? Oh my… the delight on their faces is worth everything. The friends you gift these scones to? Priceless!

What to Love About Gingerbread Scones

Much like cream scones, the combination of cold butter and heavy cream results in a tender, delicious, and buttery scone. Molasses is a beautiful complement to the gingerbread flavors and seasonings.

These scones are easy to make ahead for gifts or entertaining and can be served warm or at room temperature.

Gingerbread Scones Ingredients

You will find the complete ingredient list in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here are some helpful ingredient notes.

• Butter and heavy cream: Combining these ingredients produces a tender and rich scone. Be sure both ingredients are cold when adding to the dough.
• Molasses: Unsulphured molasses is best for baking. While blackstrap molasses is healthy, it’s a bit bitter for scones. I’m using Grandma’s brand molasses in this recipe.
• Spices: This combination of gingerbread spices is absolutely delicious. Don’t skip the black pepper, as it adds a beautiful depth of flavor!
• Brown sugar: I used dark brown sugar in this recipe, but light brown sugar also works.

How to Make Gingerbread Scones

If you’re craving gingerbread and are not in the mood to make Gingerbread people, or you’re baking for gifts, these Christmasy scones are perfect. They are easy to make with a simple dough that comes together in minutes!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, line a baking sheet with parchment and set your oven rack in the top third of the oven.

Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients and cut in the butter.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, black pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then cut cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers until coarse crumbs form.

In Irish scones, the preferred method of cutting butter into flour is to use your fingers, breaking large clumps of butter to laminate the flour. In any case, use your preferred method– this could even be done quickly in a food processor; just be careful not to overwork the flour.

Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients and make the dough.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and molasses. Pour it over the flour mixture and stir gently until the dough begins to come together. Add a splash of milk or cream if the dough is crumbly and does not come together.

Step 3: Shape the scone dough

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and fold it onto itself a few times to incorporate any dry bits of the flour mixture.

Pat the dough into a circle about one inch thick. At this point, you can cut the dough into eight wedges with a sharp knife or chill the dough until set for easier cutting.

Step 4: Bake the gingerbread scones

Arrange scone wedges on the prepared baking sheet and brush with additional cream or an egg wash (one beaten egg). Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to the touch.

Glaze the scones with a simple vanilla icing or sprinkle sparkling sugar over the top before baking!

How to Store Gingerbread Scones

Store well-wrapped baked scones at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or freeze for up to a month.

Love Gingerbread Scones? Here are more recipes to try:

• Giant and Soft Ginger Spice Cookies
• Easy Gingerbread Loaf Cake
• 2 Minute Gingerbread Mug Cake
• Gingerbread Latte
• Gingerbread Cookies: German Inspired
• Spicy Gingerbread Bundt Cake

More Holiday Scone Recipes to Try!

Scones are incredibly easy to make, and perfect for teatime, snacking, or gifting!

• Sweet Potato Scones with Maple Glaze
• Earl Grey Scones
• Apple Cinnamon Scones Recipe
• Ginger Pecan Cranberry Scones: Holiday Treats to Share
• Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Icing
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones