Honey Gingerbread Men Scones for the First Day of Snow

We usually have a gingerbread unit study to mark the first snow fall of the year. This year though, the snow seemed to arrive awfully early, and we were not quite in the mood for an entire week of gingerbread. But, there was the matter of tradition to consider.

We settled on a First Snow Day "Tea", with tea being in quotes, because we actually had hot chocolate - but the really good on the stove, from scratch kind.

Along with our hot chocolate, and marshmallows, we had honey gingerbread men scones. The honey kept them lighter than their rich molasses made cousins. And we served them with pumpkin butter, and whip cream to keep a bit of that fall flavor, even though as I'm writing this it looks, and feels, a good deal more like winter, than fall (the thermometer is reading 17 degrees Fahrenheit).

Honey Gingerbread Men Scones

• 2 cups flour


• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted and cold


• 2 teaspoons ground ginger


• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/3 cup honey


• 1/3 cup milk


• 1 large egg


• a few raisins, for eyes (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, and spices, and then cut in the butter, using a pastry blender, or two butter knives, as for pie dough.
In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, egg, honey and milk.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, and stir just until they are combined.
On a floured surface, roll the dough flat, and cut out gingerbread men shapes with a cookie cutter (I got the idea to cut the scones into gingerbread men from the 2009 Christmas Special Tea Time Magazine, by the way, though they use a different recipe).
Place the scones on a greased cookie sheet, press in raisin eyes if desired, and bake for around 10 minutes, until they begin to brown.

Pumpkin Butter

• 1 30 oz can pumpkin pie mix


• 2 tablespoons honey


• 1 1/2 cup apple juice or cider

Mix ingredients together in a medium sized sauce pan, stir and bring to boil over a medium heat.
Reduce heat, and let simmer until the mixture thickens - about 1 hour - stirring frequently.
Allow to cool before serving.
It's not good on it's own (believe me, I tried some), but when mixed with the scones, and whip cream, it's quite delightful - combining the best tastes of fall, and winter, together.

It's great to be a homeschooler.