“An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread.”
– Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost.

To me, ginger is one of those substances that seems almost magical. Cure for nausea? Check. Anti-inflammatory? Check. Fragrant and delicious? Check. From its zingy presence in savory dishes to its aromatic spiciness in cookies and bread, what’s not to love?

Like so many of my favorite foodstuffs, ginger has a long and venerable history. First cultivated in ancient China for its medicinal purposes, ginger eventually spread west along the Silk Road trade route, making its way into Persia, Arabia, and Europe.

Early Gingerbread

Gingerbread originally had nothing to do with bread at all, but just referred to preserved ginger. It wasn’t until the 15th century that it meant something closer to the cakey spice loaf or spicy cookie we think of today. But even the gingerbread of the late Middle Ages – a hard, often gilded and ornately decorated cookie, sweetened with honey – might or might not include ginger among its spices.

Catch Me If You Can

It is Queen Elizabeth I that we probably have to thank for the first gingerbread men, as she allegedly instructed her royal gingerbread maker (love that job title) to make little cookie men representing visiting dignitaries to her court. Early selfies in cookie form, if you will.

Modern Gingerbread

By the end of the 16th century, honey was being replaced with sugar in many gingerbread recipes. Molasses was introduced by the mid-17th century, and finally cream and butter in the 18th, giving us pretty much the gingerbread we know and love today. Want to know more? Read Tori Avey’s excellent article from The History Kitchen here.

Gingerbread Scones

Given my love for ginger, I can sometimes be heavy-handed with it, much as I am with anything lemon (see Luscious Lemon Bars – I apparently like zing-forward flavors). That being said, ginger seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it foods, so if you’re in the former group, try these gingerbread scones! Serve them with whipped cream for afternoon tea, or enjoy with your morning coffee.

Reality Bakes

A recipe from my mom was the starting point for these, but I found the molasses flavor to be unpleasantly overpowering. I could also barely detect the ginger, which wasn’t a surprise since there was no fresh or candied ginger called for in the recipe, and hardly any ground. I did, however, love the scone-y texture so I went to work changing up the ingredients without sacrificing the texture and the end result was not only edible but delicious.

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Gingerbread Scones

Marrying the finer crumb of a scone with the zing of ginger, these delicious gingerbread scones are a snap to make. Serve them with whipped cream for afternoon tea, or enjoy with your morning coffee. 

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup milk, plus more if necessary
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, leveled with a knife
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, leveled with a knife
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup cold butter, unsalted, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg, separated
• Coarse sugar (recommended), or powdered sugar
• Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Combine milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl, whisk briefly, then let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sift flours together. In a large bowl, combine sifted flours, brown sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and whisk briskly. Stir in candied ginger and lemon zest until mixed throughout.
• Cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles mealy, coarse crumbs. Set aside. 
• Combine the molasses with the lemon juice-and-milk mixture. Add the egg yolk and whisk until smooth; stir into the flour mixture just until moistened. If dough is too crumbly to hold together, add a little more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently 8 or 10 times. Pat the dough into a circle of roughly 8 inches and cut into 8 equal wedges. Transfer to a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, spaced at least 1 inch apart. 
• Beat the egg white with one tsp of water until frothy and brush over the scones. If using coarse sugar (recommended), sprinkle before baking. 
• Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar if not baked with coarse sugar. Whipped cream is optional but it's sure tasty with these.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword ginger