Last week, right before I pulled out my camera to photograph these muffins, my guy walked into the room and mentioned he had a craving for frozen yogurt, and I just about had a heart attack. If you’ve been here for a while, you know my guy’s dessert cravings happen practically once a year. He almost never eats baked goodies, and I virtually have to drag him on our ice cream dates. (Well, I suppose they’re my ice cream dates… Seeing as he doesn’t order any.)
So the second after I snapped the shutter for the last shot, I grabbed my purse and we headed out for froyo.
Inside the self-serve shop, I stood back and let him pick the flavors. He always gravitates towards the fruity ones, especially anything with berries. After paying at the register, I snagged two spoons, and we sat outside in the late afternoon sunshine to eat.
When we finished, I managed to convince him to walk across the parking lot to Target before we drove home by explaining that I wanted to cook him Tiffany’s baked sesame chicken for dinner and needed ketchup for the sauce. Since he adores Chinese food, he begrudgingly agreed.
Once we arrived at the grocery aisles, I remembered I had finished off my ground ginger testing last week’s apple crumble, so I picked up a new bottle so I could make these Gingerbread Scones with Maple Drizzle for breakfast!
Although many people think of scones as dry, bland, and crumbly, these are anything but. The insides are as soft as a cloud, with a thin crisp crust to complement on the outside—all with a mere 2 tablespoons of butter!
My secret to soft and tender scones? Greek yogurt! It adds all of the moisture of butter for a fraction of the fat and calories. Plus it gives the scones a little protein boost! I use it as my secret weapon in lots of healthy recipes, from cupcakes and frosting to brownies and whipped cream. I always stock a big tub or two in the fridge because I plow through it so quickly.
To create the characteristic gingerbread taste, I turned to the two classic ingredients: ginger and molasses. All good gingerbread recipes contain these, which create the warm spicy flavor and rich brown hue. A complete necessity! You can easily adjust the ginger to suit your tastes. I prefer my gingerbread spicy (especially with that sweet glaze on top!), but feel free to use less.
And now for the drizzle! Greek yogurt makes another appearance here, mixed with a bit of maple syrup. That’s all there is to it! I like my glaze a little thicker so it holds its shape as I haphazardly drizzle it across the tops. (There’s a reason I don’t include step-by-step pictures… My countertops are covered in it too!) For a thinner glaze, add an extra ¼ to ½ teaspoon of syrup.
As our mornings finally turn crisp and the leaves change to golden, these Gingerbread Scones with Maple Drizzle are the perfect cozy breakfast. Plus they’re ready in just 30 minutes, so you can make them any day of the week! Although that might be slightly dangerous…
These cozy scones are a delicious breakfast treat! Full of warm spices and topped with a sweet drizzle, they’re absolutely irresistible. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil. If using foil, lightly coat it with in nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the scones, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Stir in the yogurt, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of milk, molasses, and vanilla.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Working with one at a time, roll into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Whisk together the remaining 2 teaspoons of milk and ¼ teaspoon of maple syrup, and brush over the tops of the scones. Bake at 425°F for 12-15 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To prepare the drizzle, stir together the yogurt and maple syrup in a small bowl. Spoon into a small zip-topped bag, cut off one corner, and drizzle over the scones.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, I used as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (35g) brown rice flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum.
For a thinner drizzle, mix in an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon of syrup.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
YUM! My go-to swap for sweets is greek yogurt I use it all. the. time. And um, I need these scones. Okay? Okay. done. 🙂
Come on over girl — I have PLENTY sitting on the counter! And goodness knows I shouldn’t eat them all by myself… 😉
I always use greek yogurt when I want to lighten up a baked good. I am loving the gingerbread flavor of these scones, Amy. They sound heavenly.
These look delicious and perfect for a fall Sunday! I have one question, when using the whole wheat flour, does it make the dessert taste wheaty? I would like to keep it healthy but I don’t want to taste the whole wheat flour…This goes for many of your recipes are well–can you tell if you use whole wheat? That may sound silly, but some recipes you can’t taste the wheat…Thanks!!
Thanks Annabeth! Some recipes you can taste the wheat, while others you can’t. My whole wheat cookies, especially the oatmeal ones, are very good at masking its flavor! I think most baked goods with lots of spices mask it as well. For other recipes, or if you’re just generally sensitive, I’ve found that whole wheat pastry flour, and often white whole wheat flour, generally don’t taste as “wheaty” as regular whole wheat flour. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jen! 🙂 Greek yogurt really is the best, isn’t it?
I adore a good scone. They are hard to come by for me, but when I find them it’s like pure heaven.
Me too!! I hate the disappointment from dry crumbly ones. Just not worth the calories!
Bahaha – your guy sounds like mine! I have to FORCE dessert upon him. You KNOW it’s good when he wants to eat it:)
I am LOVING your greek yogurt drizzle! Genius.
Thanks Sarah! 🙂 What is it with our guys? It seems like just about ANY guy married/dating/whatever a food blogger who loves baking hates sweets. Not exactly fair!!
I am, without a doubt, making these for my next tea party (if not before!).
I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Is the nutrition info for the whole wheat or gluten free flour?? Love your recipes; Made the sweet potatoe maple squares for thanksgiving and they were a huge hit! Can’t wait to try more recipes!
Thank you Jen! I’m so glad you enjoyed the sweet potato casserole, and I’m touched that you made them for Thanksgiving! 🙂 The nutrition info for these scones was calculated with whole wheat flour. The gluten-free flour blend included in the notes section beneath the recipe yields about the same number of calories but less fiber.
Can I replace the maple syrup with honey since the syrup is so expensive?
Yes! I hope you enjoy the scones Julie!
Hi Amy!
Was feeling kind of down today. Decided to do a little baking as therapy. Just made these ginger scones and my husband and I both loved it!!! Delicious and not to mention .. Fairly healthy! (Oh the many benefits of ginger ?).
My only concert was.. The yogurt and maple drizzle kept on running, and ended up pooling on the table. Any tips?
Oops, concern not concert!
I knew what you meant Diana! 🙂 I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the scones! Baking always puts me in a better mood, too. If the drizzle was that runny, you can try adding a little less maple syrup or switching to a solid sweetener like coconut sugar. Also, some brands of Greek yogurt are thicker than others, so that may have been the culprit, too!
Thank you so much for the advice! And as always, thank you for making this world a sweeter place with your amazing recipes!
Of course! It’s my pleasure Diana! ♥