Date & Walnut Scones

I decided to have a sort out of my baking cupboard this morning and found several half opened packets of bits and pieces including dates and walnuts. The obvious thing to make would have been a date and walnut loaf, but since I only made that very tempting peanut butter cake yesterday we so don’t need anymore cake in the house!
I’ve always had a fondness for dates. I tend to buy lots of them over Christmas time because they remind me of my grandad. He loved them and when we went shopping he would always buy a couple of boxes of sweet, sticky dates from the greengrocers for us to share.Happy times 🙂
So I decided to try some scones and here is the result. They turned out pretty good – the dates add a lovely toffee like chew against the crunch of the walnuts.
Date & Walnut Scones
Makes around eight, depending on the size of your cutter
150g self raising flour
75g wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp salt (only if using unsalted butter)
1/2-1 tsp mixed spice
50g butter
50g light brown sugar
50g dates, chopped
25g walnuts, chopped fairly finely
150ml milk
Sieve the flour and salt (if using) into a bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, dates and walnuts. Pour in the milk and mix to a soft dough. I’m always cautious of overmixing when making scones so I use my hands and stop mixing as soon as the mixture comes together. Then I tip the mixture out on to a floured work surface and lightly fold the dough over on itself a few times until smooth. Pat out into a round, about 1 inch thick. Using your cutter, cut into rounds. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. By that time they should be well risen, golden and smelling lovely!