Date and Lemon Scones

Sunday 15 August 2010



I like to think of scones as the delicious, and slightly more sophisticated, ancestor of the North American Baking Powder Biscuit. After all the English have been making scones ever since the 16th century and . . . well . . . America was still pretty much a wilderness at that point.



Although they may have a somewhat similar appearance, the two are actually quite different.



Scones are much taller and lighter in texture, and somewhat sweeter. A true scone, in fact, should look a bit craggy! Kind of like an elderly Great Uncle . . .



Scones generally use less fat and the fat used is rarely chilled, meaning that the consistency of the rubbed flour is more crumbly than mealy, quite unlike their biscuit counterpart . . .



Hot from the oven, Scones are one of the most delicious breads invented by mankind. Served split and buttered and spread with cold preserves, there is no finer teatime treat on earth.



I like to think of these tasty Date and Lemon Scones as the ultimate Tea Scone . . . Rich and chock full of lovely bits of date . . . with the merest hint of lemon in their fragrance and just a whisper of it in their flavour . . .



I wanted to serve them with some lemon curd, but didn't have any to hand . . . Greengage Preserves had to do in it's place.



We were not disappointed.



*Date and Lemon Scones*
Makes about 12
Printable Recipe

Silky soft and rich, these scones are studded with dates and a delightful whisper of lemon.

100ml of double cream
2 large free range eggs
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS freshly grated lemon rind (I always use unwaxed lemons)
245g of plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
2 TBS caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
85g of finely chopped pitted dates (1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk the cream and eggs together in a small bowl. Remove and reserve 1 TBS of the mixture for later. Whisk iin the lemon juice and the lemon zest.

Sift the flour into a bowl and whisk in the baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the dates and add the liquid mixture all at once, stirring only until a soft dough forms.

Tip out onto a floured surface and knead lightly about 8 times. Pat out about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch cutter, giving the cutter a sharp tap in an up and down motion. Do not twist the cutter or you will have lopsided scones. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds. Arrange the rounds on the baking sheet leaving about 1/2 inch between them. Brush the tops with the reserved cream mixture, making sure that none drips down the sides.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter and or preserves if desired.

9 comments

  1. I totally agree, Marie. Scones are some of the most delicious inventions of mankind. Had my first ones in Devon and will never forget how delicious they tasted.
    I have Lemon curd! Bought it after you last recommended it. Sorry I don't live next door.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hayırlı pazarlar. Çok leziz görünüyor. Ellerinize sağlık.

    Saygılar.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Birthday! I would have liked to have shared a bite of your cake, yummy!
    Thanks, Marie, for the scones. I want to make these this morning. What is double cream? Are ther substitutes? I have kookroom which means cooking cream in Dutch.

    Hugs,
    Jenny

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  4. Oh, yum! Scones are just about my favorite thing on the planet...they really are! And yours, my friend, look absolutely scrumptious!

    I hope you're having a lovely Sunday so far...how's sweet Mitzie adjusting to her loving new home today?

    Lots of love sent your way, dear friend!

    Julie

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  5. Que ricos los scones, se ven deliciosos. Nunca los he cocinado, pero creo que me debería animar, vista la pinta que tienen. Saludos

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  6. Brill looking scones! My Granny used to make date scones all the time but the addition of lemon sounds wonderful and fresh.

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  7. The great thing about scones is that you can put pretty much anything in them - sweet or savoury. This recipe sounds yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. We often have scones on the table (every day when my Irish mother-in-law is visiting) These look fabulous Marie
    xoxo Pattie

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  9. This scone recipe sounds so yummy! I love lemon and I love dates. My daughter is a great scone baker, so I know she will love this post and the recipe that I am sending her with your link.

    Thanks for telling us the difference between a scone and a biscuit. I didn't know what the difference was.

    Smiles to you,
    Lee Ann

    ReplyDelete

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