Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones

 
In my college town, there was a small bakery located on the edge of downtown, right next to the train tracks. Situated inside of a tiny building, practically the size of a shack, they only had room for two brick ovens, one glass display case, and a few shelves displaying other baked goods behind the register.  

Despite its size, the bakery almost always had a line that stretched out the door (although no more than five patrons at a time fit comfortably inside). In addition to the countless loaves of freshly baked bread that they offered, ranging from sourdough and French to foccacia and baguettes, the bakery also sold pizza by the slice and by the full-sized pie, both of which were incredibly popular with the students.
 

 
Every night, a few small groups of college kids sat on the park benches out front, their paper plates of gigantic pizza slices in front of them. The display case for single slices always held three varieties of pizza: plain cheese, pepperoni, and a third “fun” flavor such as veggie, Mediterranean, Hawaiian, or meat lover’s. The slices cost about $3 on average, but with their humongous size—an eighth of an extra-large pizza!—one was always more than enough for a meal.

Whenever grabbing dinner, I always ordered last out of my group of friends to give myself more time to stare into their pastry display case. (No surprises there!) Tiarmisu, éclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, chocolate mousse, and chocolate chip cookies stared back at me, tempting me even more than those thin crust pizza slices!
 

 
On one of our trips during my senior year, I noticed a small sign posted on the corner of the menu blackboard. In small lettering, it announced that all breakfast pastries would cost $1.25 after 5 pm. My eyes lit up—I loved breakfast at any time of day! While everyone else ordered their pizza slices, I opted for a small side salad along with a blueberry scone the size of my face instead.

I sped straight through the greens in order to slowly savor my pastry prize. The outside was crusty and dusted with coarse sugar, just how I liked it, but… The insides were more crumbly and dry than I remembered scones to be. They were still buttery and rich, just not as tender as I envisioned. I blamed that on the scones sitting in the display case all day, but I still polished off every last crumb.
 

 
So whenever I bake scones at home, I always make sure that their insides turn out as moist as possible. These Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones are the perfect example! With a slight crisp crust on the outside and the most tender dough inside, these cozy breakfast treats never last long.
 

 
These healthy gingerbread scones start with whole wheat flour. Yup, just regular ol’ whole wheat flour. Some people think that whole wheat flour makes baked goods turn out dry, but these are the exact opposite! You’ll see why when we get to the wet ingredients…

Then you’ll add ground ginger and cinnamon. You can’t have gingerbread without ginger! You’ll need 1 full tablespoon for these scones, which gives them a warm spicy taste. It’s one of my favorite flavors in the winter, especially on chilly mornings alongside a big steaming mug of coffee!
 

 
Now into that, you’ll cut 2 tablespoons of butter. Yes, that’s it! Other scone recipes call for a full stick of butter, plus lots of heavy cream, but our lightened-up scones use just 2 tablespoons. The rest of their tender texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking: Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your scones a big protein boost too.

These scones are sweetened with two important ingredients: pure maple syrup and molasses. Be sure to use the real kind when it comes to maple syrup! Stay away from pancake syrup or the sugar-free stuff; those include corn syrup or artificial ingredients and will give the scones different taste and texture. The only ingredient on the bottle should be “pure maple syrup.”

As for molasses, you can’t have gingerbread without that either! Do not substitute anything for it. You can find it on the baking aisle near the other liquid sweeteners like honey and maple syrup, and it’s relatively inexpensive. I use molasses in all of my bran muffin recipes and gingerbread-flavored recipes, as well as many of my granola recipes, so it’s worth keeping a bottle in your pantry!
 

 
And of course, don’t forget the chocolate chips! We’re using mini chocolate chips in these scones because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains a morsel of chocolate. You’ll also press a few into the tops of the scones just before baking to give them a pretty look.
 

 
And in just 30 minutes, your breakfast is on the table! ♡ When you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chocolate chip gingerbread scones!
 

Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 8 scones

These tender scones are perfect for chilly winter mornings! With their warm cozy spices and lots of melty chocolate, they always disappear quickly. If you have any leftovers, they’ll stay fresh for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 ½ cups (180g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp (4g) ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40mL) nonfat milk, divided
• 1 tbsp (15mL) molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips (divided)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (highly recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Make a well in the center. Stir in the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of milk, molasses, and vanilla extract. Fold in 1 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
• Shape the dough into a ¾” tall circle on the prepared baking sheet, and brush with the remaining milk. Slice the circle into 8 triangular segments with a sharp knife. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 425°F for 16-19 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will dry out your scones and make the dough crumbly.

 

IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not separate the 8 dough wedges before baking in Step 3. Instead, leave them touching on the baking sheet! This helps make the insides really moist, soft, and fluffy.

 

IMPORTANT TASTE NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: As written, these scones aren’t overly sweet. If you prefer sweeter scones, substitute an additional 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk in the dough. (For example, use 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk in the dough to 1 tablespoon.)

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: It’s very important that your butter is cold, straight from the fridge. (Freezing it isn’t necessary for this recipe!) With very cold butter, it won’t heat up until you put the scones in the extremely hot oven, and it will create little air pockets and a very tender crumb when it melts.

 

For this reason, I don’t recommend substituting coconut oil. It melts at a lower temperature, which affects the texture of your scones. If you do decide to substitute coconut oil, just keep that in mind!

 

For a dairy free or vegan version, use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the unsalted butter for the best results.

 

MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I don’t recommend substituting sugar free maple syrup. It's often water-based, which affects the scones’ texture. They usually turn out denser and collapse some while cooling.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

MOLASSES NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Use regular unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap! The latter is more bitter. I use Grandma’s molasses the most.

 

If at all possible, I do not recommend substituting anything for the molasses. It’s what creates that deep, rich, comforting, almost earthy undertone in gingerbread cookies. Without it, your scones won’t taste quite like gingerbread.

 

However, I understand not everyone has access to molasses! In a pinch, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted to achieve the same scone texture.

 

EGG FREE OPTION: No modifications necessary!

 

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, I recommend the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten free flour blends (I really like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if they’re measured like this.

 

DAIRY FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Use stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) in place of the butter, your preferred non-dairy yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt (ie soy- or almond-based), and non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store your scones in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least four or five days, if not longer.

 

I highly recommend reheating leftover scones in the microwave before eating. It really improves their texture and makes them soft and fluffy again! I heat them on 30% power until they’re warmed all the way through.

 

These scones also freeze really well!

 

VIDEO: See here for my video on how to make the perfect scones. The scones' flavor is different in that video, but the process and techniques are still the same!

 

{gluten free, egg free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, dairy free option, vegan option}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

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