For years I made the Ginger Cream Scones from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone; it was a very popular recipe among my family and friends. After a while, I began making little changes to the recipe, adding whole-wheat pastry flour to the mix, replacing the cream with half-and-half, alternating between lemon and orange zest, skipping the wash of cream and sprinkle of sugar over the top . . . you get the picture. Here’s the modified recipe, which still gets rave reviews. My kids love them split and slathered with Lemon Curd or Orange Curd.

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, toss the candied ginger with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Grate in the zest of the lemon or the orange using a microplane, then toss the zest with the flour and ginger. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining white flour with the whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. With your fingers, add the butter to the flour and break it into smaller bits, until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Combine the egg, half-and-half, and vanilla in a 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl. Stir the wet mixture into the dry, along with the ginger and lemon, and stir just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it lightly eight to 10 times.
5. Shape the dough into one or two ¾-inch-thick circles (one circle for big scones, two circles for smaller scones). With a floured knife, cut the dough into eight wedges, then place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 12 to 17 minutes (less time for smaller scones, longer for larger), until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. (If in doubt, check by breaking open a scone; a crumbly interior means they’re done, while a gooey interior needs more time.) Serve warm.