This easy Date Scones recipe is for anyone who adores scones. Light and airy scones combined with delicious, sweet, caramel-like dates are a combination worthy of your attention. They make a perfect treat or snack and are definitely the perfect addition to afternoon tea.
I’m a big fan of scones, a lovely cross between a bread and a cake, light and not too sweet, quite wonderful. Date scones are a little bit different from the standard fruit scones you can find in bakeries and coffee shops up and down the country. Honestly, I’ve become a bit addicted. Try them, I think you’ll love them too.
This isn’t a difficult recipe to make; it doesn’t require any difficult-to-find ingredients or any exotic kitchen equipment. This is just you, the ingredients, a bowl, a pastry cutter (but even that isn’t essential) and a preheated oven. So simple.
Ingredients for this Scone recipe
These ingredients are all fairly ordinary, so you should be able to find them easily enough.
- self-raising flour – easily available and helps make sure that the scones are light and airy.
- baking powder – helps get a really good rise on the scones, making them light and wonderful.
- Vanilla extract – adds delicious flavour which complements the dates very well.
- eggs – help make the scones light and delicious. Scones made with eggs generally stay moist for longer.
- butter – adds delicious flavour to the mixture, although it is possible to make wonderful scones using a margarine or spread (intended for use in baking) if that’s your preference.
- milk – used with the eggs to help combine the flour mixture. Oat milk can also be used.
- dates – wonderful nuggets of dried fruit. These are the dried dates that you can easily find in supermarkets. Avoid sugar-rolled dates, as these will make the recipe too sweet.
How to make Date Scones – Step-by-step method
If you’ve ever made scones before, British scones that is, this is going to be very familiar. This date scones recipe is really straightforward.
- Pre-heat your oven and cover two baking sheets with baking parchment,
- Weigh the self-raising flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the baking powder and stir it through.
- Add in the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips. You need it to resemble bread crumbs when you’ve finished. It may take a minute or two; try to enjoy the process.
- Place a jug or bowl into a set of scales and break the eggs into the jug/bowl. Add in the milk until you have approximately 250ml of liquid in the bowl. Whisk the contents together so that you break up the eggs.
- Chop the dates up roughly.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and add about a third of the liquid. Mix it using a fork. Add another third of the liquid and mix it a little bit more. Carefully add more liquid until the mixture comes together into a soft dough. There’ll probably be some liquid left, which can be used as an egg wash later.
- Tip the mixture onto your work surface, add the chopped dates, and gently knead the soft dough, incorporating the fruit as you go. You may need to sprinkle a little extra flour onto the work surface if the dough is a little sticky and difficult to handle.
- Press the dough out either using your hand or a rolling pin. You want it to be about 2.5cm thick.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut out the scones from the dough. A 2 1/2 inch diameter fluted pastry cutter will yield about 10 to 12 scones from this mix. (It helps a lot to dip the pastry cutter in flour before cutting out the scones. It stops everything from sticking together.)
- Keep pushing the dough back together and re-rolling until all the dough is used up. I generally get left with a little runty piece which I bake anyway, and then it becomes the cook’s privilege, ‘cos you need to know what they taste like. (Am I alone in this?)
- Place them out on the baking sheets, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes, but keep an eye on them. You want them to be a nice golden brown.
How to Serve Scones
Serve these scones in your favourite way, for me, that means warm out of the oven with a little butter. If you prefer, they’re also amazing with cream or clotted cream and definitely with either a cup of coffee or tea.
Storing Date Scones
Date Scones, like all scones, are best eaten fresh on the day they are baked. If you need to keep them a little longer, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. However, to enjoy them at their best, they’ll benefit from warming through in the microwave for a few seconds. You can also toast them, which restores some of their delicious sweetness and light texture.
Freezing Scones
Scones are quite forgiving when it comes to freezing. Freeze scones for up to 2 months in a suitable container, separating them in the container using small pieces of baking parchment. This prevents the scones from sticking together in a frozen lump. You can then just take a few at a time to thaw and enjoy. Thaw them on the countertop.
As I’ve already said above, scones can be easily refreshed by either microwaving them for a few seconds or warming them through in the oven. I usually wrap them in foil if I’m heating them in the oven for approximately 5 minutes at 390F/200C/180C Fan oven. They’ll taste amazing.
Possible Variations and Substitutions to this Date Scones Recipe
I love these scones just as they are, but if you’re looking for a change, then here are a few suggestions;
- Substitute the dried fruit for sultanas, raisins, dried cranberries or dried apricots.
- You could add a few chocolate chips. If you’re tempted, then use dark chocolate to avoid them being too sweet.
- Sprinkle a little demerara sugar (turbinado sugar) on the tops of the scones before baking to give a little sweet crunch when you eat them.
- Dust with a little icing sugar before serving. This looks quite pretty and adds a little extra sweetness.
Be a successful Scone maker – Top Tips
So what’s the secret to the most amazing scones? Firstly, read this date scones recipe through before beginning. Here are a few more things to consider.
- Use cold butter; definitely don’t be tempted to warm it before using to make it easier to rub in. Use it chilled straight from the fridge.
- Use a dough cutter or a fork to begin working the butter into the flour, which reduces the time you use your fingers to rub it into the flour.
- Use cold milk straight from the fridge again to keep everything cool.
- When you cut out the scones, don’t twist the cutter. They’ll rise better if you don’t.
- For really impressive, tall scones, roll out or press out the dough to about an inch (2.5cm) thick. They’ll look amazing.
- If the dough sticks to your scone cutter, dust it with a little flour. It’ll make things easier.
- Heat the baking sheet in the oven whilst it is warming up. The scones will benefit from being placed on the warmed sheet before baking.
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Delicious Date Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 390F/200C/180C Fan
- Prepare your baking trays. Use two trays if possible. If you have only one baking tray, then bake the first batch of scones, then bake the second batch. Either line the baking trays with baking parchment or lightly grease the surface.
- Measure the flour (1 pound self-raising flour) and the butter (3.5 ounces butter) into a roomy mixing bowl.
- Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the baking powder (2 teaspoons baking powder) and the sugar (5 ounces caster sugar) and stir briefly to distribute them through the mixture..
- In a separate bowl, measure the eggs (2 eggs) into a bowl and make up the volume to 240 mls using the milk. ( 5.5 fluid ounces milk) (You may not need to use all of the milk to do this.) Whisk the mixture briefly with a fork to break up the eggs.
- Add the vanilla extract ( 4 teaspoons vanilla extract) to the egg mixture and give it another quick whisk with a fork.
- Add the roughly chopped dates (6 ounces dried dates) to the flour mixture and stir to distribute them through the flour mix.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and gently add the egg mixture a little at a time. Use as much of the egg/milk mix as it takes for the ingredients to come together.
- Sprinkle some extra flour onto a work surface and tip out the scone dough.
- Using your rolling pin (rub some flour over it to prevent sticking) roll the dough out to approximately an inch thick for nice tall scones. ( I use a 2 1/2 inch cutter to get 10 scones.) Use your cutter to mark out the scones and place them on your baking tray.
- If the dough sticks to the cutter, which can be annoying, lightly coat the cutter with a little flour. It really will help.
- If you have any of the egg milk mixture left, use this to brush over the top of the scones before baking. If you don't have any left, brush the scones lightly with some milk for a nice, slightly shiny top.
- Bake the scones for between 10 to 15 minutes. You want them to be nicely risen and golden brown.
- When they have finished baking, remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
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