Lemon and Ginger Scones: A Perfect Pairing for Your Spring Tea Party
Looking for a delightful addition to your Spring Tea Party menu? Why not try your hand at baking some lemon and ginger scones? They are a favorite for any tea party.
The zesty flavor of organic lemon and spicy kick of ginger will add a bright and refreshing twist to your party treats. And don’t forget, scones can be customized to your liking with the addition of fruits, nuts, or even cheese.
Read on for our easy-to-follow recipe and impress your guests with these delicious scones.
When spring arrives, some ladies find it is a wonderful time for a tea party. Our Ladies Group of St. Andrew Parish hosts an annual May Tea.
Some members sponsor a table that they are fully responsible for providing a unique tablescape and some edibles. Others just bring some tasty finger foods to enjoy.
Hosting a tea party is something that I would consider fun to do, especially in spring. Whether at your home or as part of a larger group event like what I experienced in Alaska, you would need to start planning out the details.
For this month’s CreativeHOP, I decided to try my hand at baking scones.
They are definitely a favorite for any tea party, whether sweet or savory. I had a hankering for something citrus in flavor, so I set out looking for ideas to make a lemon scone.
The recipe below pulls from 3 different recipes (basic scone recipe with ideas for customizing in the (affiliate link) How to Cook Everything Cookbook, Amazing Lemon Scones, and Lemon Ginger Scones with Brown Rice Flour and Agave Nectar to bring my own twist in these Lemon and Ginger Scones.
As I am continually trying to make things a little more healthy, I used freshly ground soft wheat berries (which gives you whole wheat pastry flour.) This makes the scones have a bit more of a ‘chew’ or ‘crunch’ factor when you take a bite without adding any nuts.
My second attempt at a healthier recipe was substituting agave nectar for granulated sugar.
Finally, I used an organic lemon for the fresh zest so that I didn’t have to worry so much about pesticides in the rind.
Something I might try in the future is substituting the rind and juice with a few drops of lemon essential oil. I just haven’t gotten super brave about making those substitutions yet.
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FAQ on Making Scones
Absolutely! You can use all-purpose flour instead of pastry flour. Just keep in mind that the texture and flavor of the scones may be slightly different.
Make sure to keep your butter and other ingredients cold and handle the dough as little as possible. Also, try refrigerating the shaped scones for 15-30 minutes before baking.
es, you can make scones ahead of time. Simply bake the scones, let them cool completely, and store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the baked scones for up to 1 month.
Yes, you can add fruit or nuts to your scones. Simply fold them in gently after mixing the dry and wet ingredients together.
Yes, you can substitute sugar with a healthier sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Just keep in mind that the flavor and texture of the scones may be slightly different.
Lemon and Ginger Scones
Lemon and ginger combine for a lovely springtime scone.
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- approximately 1/3 tsp. salt (I use Himalayan pink)
- 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 9 Tbsp. whole milk or cream
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 egg
For Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- water as needed to get desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.)
- Using a pastry blender, cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture until a crumbly consistency is achieved.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and egg.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just long enough to incorporate everything.
- The resulting 'dough' will most likely be sticky. Running your hands under very cold water can help avoid too much sticking while you press the dough into a round approximately 3/4 of an inch in height.
- Cut the dough into wedges (approximately 10.)
- On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or well greased, place the wedges with about 1 inch between each. Bake 11 to 15 minutes (time varies on size of the scone.)
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before glazing.
- Preparing the Icing
- In a small bowl, blend together the icing ingredients. Add water 1 tsp. at a time until you get the desired consistency for drizzling on top of the cooled scones.
Having walked through this process once, I am feeling more confident in trying out different flavor combinations.
In many ways, scones are a slightly more decadent biscuit and either baked item can be customized through the addition of fruits, nuts, or even meat and cheese.
Do you enjoy a nice tea party?
Are Lemon and Ginger Scones something that appeals to you?
What is your favorite flavor of scone you’ve either made or eaten?
For more amazing Easter and Springtime ideas, check out some blog posts from a few of my favorite bloggers:
- Easy Easter Craft: Washcloth Bunny by Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Easy DIY Garden Markers by A Mom’s Take
- Bunny Cupcakes by This Mama Loves
- Simple Spring Wreath by Simply Southern Mom
- Carrot (Cake) Cupcakes by Mom Does It All
- Ultimate Easter Egg Dye Guide by The Guavalicious Life
- DIY Homemade Bird Feeder by My So Called Balanced Life
- Edible Easter Placemats by Two Boys One Girl and a Crazy Mom
- DIY Colorful Spring Wreath by Home and Garden Cafe
- Monogrammed Earrings by How Was Your Day
- Nest Necklace by Style on Maine
- Fun and Healthy Easter Recipe for Kids: Crepe Cookies by Our Family World
- Make an Easy Painted Eggs Easter Craft with Dollar Store Supplies by My Kids Guide
- Spring Button Canvas by Better in Bulk
- Carrot Cake Cookie Cups by About a Mom
- Spring Tulle Wreath by Upstate Ramblings
- Easy DIY Spring Tote Bag for Girls by Philzendia
This post was originally published on March 19, 2015 and has since been updated.
I love your tea party decor and ideas! I’ve never tried to make scones before, but yours look delicious so I may need to give them a try!
Your tea party is beautiful! I love scones but haven’t ever made them myself but I am going to try your recipe.
I love the flavors of lemon and ginger together. I’ve never made scones before.
These look fantastic. Until recently I was scared to makes scones because i thought they would turn out like hockey pucks (I have troubles with high-altitude baking) but I made orange ones and they were great. Now I need to try these lemon ginger ones!
These scones look absolutely decadent! I need to try making them.
These look tasty! I’ve never tried making anything like this before.
I love that you used whole wheat for your scones. They look delicious and your table set up is gorgeous
Thanks for the compliment on the set up. At least one of the boys said they would have liked them better without the whole wheat pastry flour. And, here I was thinking of going ALL whole wheat pastry flour if I can get it to work.
Those scones look absolutely delicious. I love Lemon anything. And I do not think I have ever actually had a scone.
I have never tried making my own scones before! Lemon and ginger sounds amazing!
This was my first time doing it and I was a bit nervous merging ideas from 3 recipes for it. But, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and my family had them gone in the blink of an eye.
The ginger (ground) was a bit mellow, so it just enhanced the flavor a bit. I definitely think candied ginger would add more ‘bite’ to the scone, though.
I love tea parties! Scones go perfectly with hot tea!
That is so pretty, Laura! I am definitely ready for spring and tea!
I love the idea of using ground wheat berries. That might be something for me to try! I know this sounds stupid, but I never realized you could use essential oils in cooking. I thought they were for aromatherapy only.
Dede,
There are some who only use essential oils for aromatherapy. I do a mixture of aromatherapy, application (diluted) to skin, and for certain ones I will add to food as a flavor enhancer. You do need to be careful of the source as some EOs are NOT made for ingestion. I buy mine from Young Living as they have many labeled safe for ingestion. I just use a lot of common sense when doing it.
These look super good. We just went to a tea room yesterday for lunch. So much fun!
I’ve never had a tea party! Your tea party table dรฉcor is just lovely. I have eaten blueberry scones which I bought at Trader Joe’s, and they were delicious!
Thanks for the compliment. Hubby bought me the flowers just to say he loves me and I enjoy the splash of color.
I have had several varieties of scones and now want to try making more of them at home so I can keep them a bit healthier. Trader Joe’s has awesome products and I wish they’d open a store here in Alaska.
I have my mom over for tea regularly. I need to turn our next visit into a tea party. Yum!