2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup light molasses
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp beaten egg
1 tbsp coarse sugar
or crushed sugar cubes
4 blanched almond halves
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Stir molasses and milk together; add to dry ingredients. Mix just until dough forms.
With floured hands, gather dough into a ball and transfer to a greased 12″ x 15″ baking sheet. Pat dough into a rectangle 1/2″ thick, and 5″ x 10″ in size. With a floured knife, cut diagonal lines through the dough across the strip, making 8 triangles with 2″ bases. On alternate triangles, score with a knife to make tree trunks and branches. Brush surface with egg. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the plain triangles. Gently press a nut into the tip of each of the 4 scored trees.
Bake at 42° until lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool on rack about 5 minutes. Serve warm. Break or cut apart. Makes 8 scones.