Date Scones | Cooking with Nana Ling

The rich, buttery goodness of scones combined with the sweet, caramel-like flavor of dates results in one of the most popular variations on the classic scone: date scones.

The recipe for date scones

Australians have loved date scones for decades, and while they’re definitely a nostalgic treat, you can still sometimes find them in country bakeries.

The earliest Australian date scones recipe I could find was in a Melbourne newspaper in 1922.

I found a couple of date scone recipes in Nana Ling’s collection and one really caught my eye.

I discovered it in this collection of recipes from a ‘cooking contest’ run by the Australian Women’s Weekly in the late 1940’s.

Not only is this recipe packed with dates, but it also includes some fresh orange juice and zest.

The tangy and citric aroma of the orange enhances the natural richness and earthy note of the dates.

There’s a lot more flavor in a little scone!

Ingredients for date scones

To prepare these scones you will need:

• Events (dried, pitted) – without them they wouldn’t be date scones!
• butter
• powdered sugar
• Orange peel
• fresh orange juice
• egg
• SR Flour (or plain flour/all-purpose flour + baking powder)
• Cinammon
• Salt
• milk.

You can find the quantities of the ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this article.

How to make date scones

Prepare

First, Soak the chopped dates in warm water for about 10 minutes. If you chop the dates, measure them and cover them with water first, it will take about 10 minutes before you can use them in the recipe.

Just add enough water to completely cover the dates.

You also want to prepare preheat the oven up to 210 degrees Celsius/410 degrees Fahrenheit and Grease the form You bake the scones in it. A pie dish or other rimmed casserole dish works best instead of a flat baking sheet

Let’s make scones

Cream together the butter, sugar and zest until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the beaten eggs and the drained, chopped dates.

Add the sifted flour, cinnamon and salt one third at a time, alternating with the milk and juice – all stirring with a butter knife.

Don’t mix too much. Just stir enough to mix the ingredients.

What’s your mix like? The mixture should be sticky and soft but hold its shape.

If it’s too sticky and soft, add a little more flour. If it’s too dry, add a little more milk.

Place the dough on a floured surface and shape into a rectangle about 2.5 cm thick.

Cut out the scones

Cut out circles with a scone cutter (5-6 cm).

Place circles about 1/2 – 1 cm apart on the greased baking sheet. Brush the tops of each circle with milk.

Bake

Bake 12 minutes or until top is pale golden in color.

Allow to cool in the tray for a minute or two before inverting into a clean tea towel and placing on a cooling rack. Wrap in the tea towel and serve warm with butter.

Recipe FAQs

Q. How long do date scones keep?

All scones are best eaten as fresh as possible – preferably straight from the oven! Or at least on the day they are made.

You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, although they might be a bit drier than fresh scones.

Q. Can I freeze scones?

Scones freeze well in an airtight container or zip lock bag. However, be sure to let them cool first and then consume them within three months.

Q. What type of date is best for this recipe?

Use the dried, pitted dates available on the grocery store’s dried fruit aisle.

Q. Do you have other scone recipes?

I will definitely do it! Check out my recipes for Pumpkin Scones, Lemonade Scones, Buttermilk Scones, Cream Scones, Cheese Scones, and Butterscotch Pinwheel Scones.