Date Scones

Scones that are crisp on the outside, and buttery and flaky on the inside, studded with bits of caramelized dates. Delicious and easy,with step by step photos and videos.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Diet Halal, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings people

Calories 346kcal

Author Farah Abumaizar

Ingredients

2 cups flour 250 g
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoon white sugar 40 g
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 cup frozen butter, grated on the large side of a box grater 115 grams, 1 stick
1 egg, cold
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold 120g
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pitted, chopped dates 150 grams

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon.
Add the grated frozen butter into the flour mixture, and work it in with your fingertips until it resembles wet sand, see post above for visuals. You can also use a pastry cutter, but I find hands easier!
In a separate bowl mix together heavy cream, egg and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients and the chopped dates to the flour, and mix together until combined with a spatula or fork. You can knead the dough a couple times with your hands, but don't overwork the dough, a shaggy dough is perfect.
Line an 8 inch circle cake pan with parchment paper overhanging the sides. Pat the dough in to form an 8 inch circle, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Alternately, pat the dough into an 8 inch circle. Cut the circle into 8 wedges, and place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place the sheet with the dough on it into the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
While dough is resting, heat oven to 400 F (200C). Take scones out of the fridge, and brush the top of each with a little heavy cream, and optionally sprinkle with some coarse sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges and top are a light golden brown.
Serve warm, either plain or with some cream and/or jam.

Video

Notes

Use cold ingredients: butter, egg, and cream.
Don't overwork the scone dough, both when rubbing in the butter and when adding the wet ingredients. You want to retain little lumps of butter to get a flaky texture.
Bake scones until light golden brown on the edges and top. If you lift one from the parchment, you'll see that the bottom is dry and a light golden brown as well. Don't over bake, you still want a soft inside.

Alternate mix-ins: Orange zest and dried cranberries, chocolate chips, raisins (if you must!), blueberries, chopped nuts.

Making dough in advance: You can make and shape the scones the night before, refrigerate them covered, then bake them the morning of. This is a great way to enjoy fuss-free fresh scones.

Storing leftovers: Store scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, warm briefly in oven or microwave before enjoying.

Freezing scones:

Flash freeze on a baking tray until scones harden, at which point you can put them together in a freezer bag of container without them sticking. This way you can pull out individual scones to bake. Bake for an extra 3-5 minutes directly from frozen. Scone dough can be frozen for 3-4 weeks.

You can also freeze leftover baked scones for up to 3 months. You don't need to thaw them, just reheat in an oven at 350F (180C) for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

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