Warming Ginger Scone

There are few things as comforting as a homemade scone, especially a warming ginger scone laced with two layers of ginger flavor that fill the house with the scent of spicy goodness while baking.
I love these ginger scones because the first flavor delights with the taste of candied ginger chopped finely and folded through the dough, while the second brings the heady flavor of fresh ginger that lingers long after that first bite.

Making Warming Ginger Scones

The dough for these lovely scones is simple as can be, sweetened with brown sugar and fragrant with vanilla, with a generous amount of salted butter for flavor and flakiness.
You could easily make a passable ginger scone simply by stirring in dried ginger to the flour, but I decided to take these beauties to ginger heaven by adding both fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely on a microplane, and glistening candied ginger, either chopped finely or blitzed to a rough puree in a food processor.
With many flavored scones, you generally add the spices, fruit, or nuts to the dry ingredients before stirring in the wet ingredients. These ginger scones are prepared differently since the spices used are wet and would clump together in unappetizing lumps if they were added straight to the dry ingredients. Instead, I whisk the candied ginger and fresh ginger into the milk, egg, and vanilla mixture until smooth. I also like to do this before I start cutting in the butter to the flour mixture since it gives the ginger plenty of time to infuse the wet ingredients with that luscious ginger flavor.
While these ginger scones are beautiful the way they are, they also pair well with additions like half a cup of roughly chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts or larger chunks of dried fruits like apricots, sultanas, or peaches.
The dough holds up well to shaping. You can cut it into triangles, circles, or any 2- to 3-inch shape that makes you happy. Just be sure to flour the cutter well between each cut so the dough doesn’t get stuck.

Glazing and Serving Ginger Scones

These scones are already delicious, but you can give them a glossy sheen with a nice egg wash sprinkled with granulated sugar. For extra glitter and a lovely crunch, trade the granulated sugar for larger raw sugar crystals. If you prefer a nutty crust, sprinkle the egg-washed tops with slivered almonds. Just keep a close eye on them near the end of the baking time so they don’t burn.
Ginger scones are lovely still warm from the oven, especially spread with salted butter and drizzled with raw honey. They’re also good cooled, piled with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with real maple syrup.
These scones practically beg to be served with a perfect cup of tea. They pair wonderfully with hearty blends like Buttery Shortbread Herbal Tea with honeybush, cocoa peel, and blackberry leaves, Banana Bread Herbal Dessert Tea with honeybush, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, apple, calendula, and banana and chestnut essences, or Coconut A La Creme Black Tea with coconut pieces, vanilla and coconut essences, and calendula.