Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones

Isn't he adorable? I love gingerbread, I love chocolate chip cookies, and I love scones ... it only made sense to combine them, then, for my entry into the Hodgson Mill "Have a Grain Holiday" recipe contest!

My challenge was to "create an original, sweet or savory holiday treat using Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat flour and/or Hodgson Mill 'Best for Bread' bread flour (products provided). All entries will be judged by Hodgson Mill based on overall appeal, originality and appropriateness to the Hodgson Mill brand – we’re looking for a treat that’s delicious AND nutritious!"

In order to make my treats nutritious, I used primarily whole wheat flour. I also added a bit of wheat germ and flax seed, as well as using yogurt rather than butter. The delicious part comes from the nutty flavor of the whole grains, and also from spices, candied ginger, dark chocolate, and just the tiny touch of sweetness in the optional decoration.

These scones were ridiculously easy to make - stir together the ingredients, roll out the dough, cut them, bake them, then let them cool before decorating. The house smells amazing while these festive treats bake! And scones, of course, are a perfect accompaniment to cocoa, coffee, tea, mulled cider ... anything warm and cozy for a cold winter day.

There's enough junk food surrounding us during the holidays. Enjoy something that tastes good and is also good for you!

Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones

1-1/2 cups Hodgson Mill 100% stone ground whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup Hodgson Mill white flour - unbleached
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon Hodgson Mill whole grain flax seed
2 tablespoons Hodgson Mill wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon minced candied ginger
1/3 cup ginger ale
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vanilla all-natural yogurt
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon skim milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, cinnamon, ginger, turbinado sugar, flax seed, wheat germ, baking powder and candied ginger. In a large measuring cup, combine egg, oil and yogurt; pour over dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Sprinkle a bit of white flour onto the countertop and knead dough just until smooth. Roll out to 1" in height, and use a 5" gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut scones. Re-roll and cut until dough is used up.

Place the scones onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until just lightly golden and set when their bellies are lightly pushed. Remove to a rack and cool completely.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and milk; stir until smooth. Place into a small baggie, snip a tiny corner off, and use the icing to decorate the scones. Let the icing set, then serve.

Makes 6 scones.

Hodgson Mill Giveaway!!!

You'll have to go on a bit of an adventure if you want to find my recipe for Asian-Style Lettuce Wraps, which is a great way to use up turkey leftovers after the Thanksgiving feast: it's on AnnArbor.com's Food & Grocery page.

I write for AnnArbor.com Monday-Friday, and have been crossposting from ye olde blog in recent months due to a lack of time. But I'm trying to vary the routine a bit, so that you have reasons to check out both offerings! So one site has a recipe today (and lots of other fabulous goodies, too!), while the other - this one! - has a giveaway.



I'm participating in a food bloggers' baking contest, and one of the rules states that contestants should host a giveaway. And it's a giveaway for a fabulous prize from a great company! I'm proud to offer this opportunity today to U.S. residents (the company's restriction - sorry foreign friends!).

Hodgson Mill - "a family owned company with more than 125 years' experience producing delicious stone ground, whole grain and organic foods ... with no artificial preservatives, additives or colorings" - is offering a $25 gift certificate to its online store for the lucky winner!!! You can choose anything from flours to pastas to gluten-free items to mixes ... it's up to you.

Entry into the fray is easy, trust me. You don't need to "like" me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, though of course you're always happily welcomed there ... :) I'd like it if you followed me here but, truth be told, I don't have time to check up on that.

So here 'tis: all you have to do is leave a comment below saying that you'd like to win, and make sure I can reach you by email to let you know if you've won. That's all! Oh, and only one entry per person even if you leave more than one comment; the first one will be the one that counts. It's easier and more fair that way.

I'd have the grandpuppy pick a number from all the valid entries, but he'd probably eat it. So I'll use Random.org to pick the winner. I'm too cheap, though, to pay $4.95 or whatever the fee was to earn entitlement to the winner widget. (I glanced over the seemingly endless terms, so I'm not 100% sure of it all.) You'll just have to trust me when I announce who wins, rather than my being able to post the box that shows the winning number. I hope you all know me well enough to know I'll play nice! And I work at a religious institution, so have no fear - God knows where to find me if I don't do this fairly.

The deadline is Sunday, November 27 at 8:00 a.m. EST. If I notify you of winning, you'll have 24 hours from when I send my email to acknowledge it; if you ignore me, I'll move on down the road to the next in line.

When you leave your comment, you could also tell me whether you're serving "stuffing" or "dressing" at your Thanksgiving feast, as well as how loaded it is or whether you like simpler versions, but that's not at all required for admission to the party. I just like to talk about food and to learn what people's preferences are! And I'm always fascinated by regional language quirks, so I'm intrigued by the terminology.

I'll start the conversation: I make a simple stuffing that's half-cornbread, with pecans and dried cranberries stirred in. It's baked in the turkey, which is why it's "stuffing" at my house - stuffed into the beast - rather than "dressing." My recipe won a prize several years ago in a Rachael Ray contest; if you're interested, it can be found here. (It's my recipe, by the way, even though my name doesn't appear to be found anywhere.)

Good luck to everyone!!! And have a lovely holiday!




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