Roasted Pear and Ginger Scones #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Roasted pear and ginger scones are perfect with a wintery afternoon cup of tea. They also make an elegant addition to breakfast or brunch. Roasting the pears brings out their flavor. The ginger is a warm, spicy complement to the sweet, earthy pears.

Tip for those living alone or in a smaller household—unbaked scones freeze beautifully. You can put them straight from the freezer into the oven and they take only a few extra minutes to bake. 

 

Roasted Pear and Ginger Scones

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

 

Ingredients

2 or 3 pears, slightly firm (about 1 pound), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (not shown in picture above)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup crystalized ginger, chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

 

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pear chunks in a single layer on the parchment. Roast, without stirring, until they feel dry to the touch and are a little browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Leaving the oven on, take the baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment, with the pears, onto a cooling rack. Cool to lukewarm. Line the sheet with another piece of parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt together. Add the butter cubes and cut in with a pastry blender until the cubes are the size of baby green peas.

Stir the cooled pear chunks into the flour mixture. Give the mixture 3 or 4 quick mashes with the pastry blender to break a few of the pear chunks but leaving most intact. Stir in the crystalized ginger.

In a small bowl, beat the heavy cream and egg. Stir into the flour mixture with a fork just until you can bring the dough together in a ball. Avoid overmixing. On a well-floured board, pat the dough into a 6-inch circle. 

Cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes if you’re making 6, about 22 minutes if you’re making 8. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

 

💗  click here for a free, printable pdf of this recipe  💗

 

 Now available for pre-order – All Shell Breaks Loose

book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . . 

 

Happy reading! 

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.