Date Scones

For scone lovers, date scones are a perfect sweet treat that are easy to make. These sweet scones, full of chopped dates, are perfect alongside a little cream, your favorite jam, or butter!

This recipe for date scones results in bakery-style scones: buttery, flaky scones, sweetened with chopped dates, with soft centers and crunchy tops. This easy scone recipe can be made in as little as 45 minutes, and produces enough to feed a group!

What are date scones

Scones are traditionally a British treat. They are a baked good that are usually lightly sweetened and served at tea time. Scones can be made in several different shapes and sizes, and modern scones come in a number of flavors such as Lemon Blueberry Scones, or White Chocolate Raspberry Scones.

As you’d then expect, date scones are scones sweetened primarily with dates.

In North America, where afternoon tea is less common, scones are often eaten as a sweet breakfast or brunch, or as a sweet afternoon snack.

Ingredients

• Bread flour
• Sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Heavy cream, cold
• Dates, roughly chopped 
• Milk, for brushing
• Coarse sugar, for topping

How to make date scones

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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the chopped dates with three to four tablespoons of flour until they are coated. In a separate stand mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, baking powder, flour-coated dates, and salt, mixing well to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour the heavy cream (make sure it’s cold) into the stand mixer bowl, and stir using the paddle attachment until the dough barely comes together. Be careful not to over-mix the dough!

Place the dough on a clean workspace (you can also using a baking mat, or lightly floured surface), and press the dough into a circle (about ¾-inches thick). Use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into even circles. (You can also use a knife and cut the dough into triangles as you would with a pizza.)

Place the prepared dough on the baking sheet you prepared earlier, ensuring to leave a little room between each one as they will expand once baked. Brush the tops of the scones with cold milk, and sprinkle over some coarse sugar to add a little crunch and sweetness to your final scones.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden and cooked through. Transfer the baked date scones to a wire rack to cool. Serve fresh with a smile (and maybe some whipped cream and jam, yum!).

Tips

What kind of dates to use

You can use any kind of pitted date for this recipe. Medjool dates are easy to get ahold of, and are fairly ideal as they’ve some sweetness to them are will be easy to chop. My personal recommendation would be Ajwa dates as they have a firm texture (making them easy to chop) but also a deeper flavor (though usually a little less sweet).

The right temperature

Make sure that your heavy cream and milk are both cold as this will help produce flaky scones. 

Don’t overwork the dough

To maintain tender scones, don’t overwork your dough. Overworking your dough is very easy to do. It can happen while mixing the dough, and it can happen while handling and shaping the dough. 

Serving suggestions

Scones are a versatile item that pair well with a few different items as well as being great to eat by themselves. Here are a few pairing suggestions for date scones: 

• Whipped cream and some maple syrup
• Warm scones with clotted cream/Cornish cream and jam (I suggest raspberry for this recipe).
• Served with butter and honey for a sweet treat
• Alongside tea and/or coffee as a perfect afternoon snack (or even a light breakfast)

Storage

You can store these scones in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to four days. The baked scones can be frozen for up to three months. To thaw, reheat at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. 

Variation ideas

The easiest variation to play with is changing up what you serve the date scones with – you’d be surprised how much a difference switching from whipped cream to clotted cream, or butter can make! 

The second easiest change is to swap out different types of dates and see which you prefer.

Final thoughts

Date scones are a fun Middle Eastern twist on the popular British treat. I think they’re perfect all year round, but work especially well during Ramadan as part of iftar (the fast-breaking meal).