Whiteley Creek Homestead

              

It all began with a guest's request for a gluten-free breakfast which led me to a box of gluten-free Simply Organic Chai Spice Scone Mix sitting right there on our local food co-op's store shelf.

 

 

Let me just say that all gluten-free products are not created equal. This one, however, is a definite keeper. A boxed mix, however, is dependent upon the store's restocking the product. This leads me to my discovery of a recipe that tastes very similar to this mix version, although it is not gluten-free. A Google search turned up an amazing Chai Spice Scone With Candied Ginger recipe from a bakingbites.com submission. The spices… cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, coriander, and nutmeg. The autumn color. Light and tender. Half the fat of traditional scones. Perfect.

 

Chai Spice Scones with Candied Ginger

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour.)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp coriander

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup cold butter cut into pieces (I used ¼ cup… perfect.)

½ cup milk

½ tsp almond extract

1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with natural parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, mix butter into dry ingredients until it is pea-size. Mix together milk and almond extract, then add to flour mixture. Stir until dough just starts to come together. Stir in candied ginger. Dough should be thick and slightly sticky, not dry. On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a large circle about ¾ to 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on baking sheet, allowing room to spread. Bake for about 15 minutes until scones are lightly browned. (Don’t be tempted to bake longer than a couple more minutes, if you think it’s needed, as they will be too dry.) Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before glazing. (Following is a cream cheese glaze that was included with this scone recipe. However, I just made a quick glaze of powdered sugar, a couple drops of almond extract, and a little drizzle of milk… just enough so it’s thick but runs off the end of a spoon. I topped each scone with a few sliced almonds.)

 Cream Cheese Glaze

2 oz cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

Beat together all ingredients until very smooth. Drizzle over scones.