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!
Jump to:
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
The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.
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.
However, if you’d like to freeze these scones, I’d recommend freezing the prepared and shaped dough. It can be frozen up to three months but will have better results once baked (baking time may increase by five to ten minutes) than the already baked scones.
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.
Third, you can add an additional flavor to the scone dough. For this, you don’t want any substantial dry ingredients like pecans, or super rich wet ingredients like eggs as this would change the consistency and bake time in a way that’s very difficult to predict. Instead, consider whisking in a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or orange zest, or a pinch of cinnamon.
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).
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for all the latest. Or just sign up to be a part of my mailing list to have updates delivered straight to your inbox!
PrintDate Scones
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12–16 scones 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A sweet and simple treat! Date scones are great for brunch, as snacks, or as a dessert. This recipe is perfect to share with a group!
Ingredients
- 18 ounces bread flour (2 ¼ cups)
- 4 ¼ ounces sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 13 ½ fluid ounces / 400ml heavy cream, cold (1 ⅔ cups)
- 7 ounces / 200g dates, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons milk, for topping
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for topping
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the chopped dates with 3-4 tablespoons of flour to coat. In a stand mixer bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, baking powder, flour-coated dates, and salt, mixing well.
- Pour the cold heavy cream into the mixer bowl, and stir the mixture using the paddle attachment until the dough barely comes together.
- On a clean, lightly-floured surface, press the dough into a circle (about ¾-inches thick). Use a round cookie or pastry cutter to cut into even circles.
- Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring to leave a little room between each scone. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with cold milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure that your heavy cream and milk are both cold in order to create flaky scones.
- To maintain tender scones, don’t overwork your dough.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Comments
No Comments