These easy date scones are light, buttery and perfectly tender with sweet pockets of chopped dates in every bite. Fresh from the oven, they’re golden on the outside, soft in the middle and everything a good scone should be.
They’re incredibly easy to make using simple pantry ingredients and come together in no time. Delicious served warm, with butter, or dressed up with cream and jam, these date scones are perfect for morning tea, brunch or a cosy afternoon bake.
You’ll love these cherry scones too.
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❤️ Why you’ll love it
- Soft, light and buttery with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Packed with tender pieces of dates.
- Quick and easy to make – no mixer required.
- Simple, everyday ingredients.
- Perfect served with butter or cream and jam.
Ingredients & substitutions
With just very basic ingredients, this date scones recipe is a true quick-treat winner!
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
- Medjool dates are plump, sweet and fully of caramelly flavour. Stick to these if you can.
- Flour: Just regular plain flour / all purpose flour.
- Cinnamon: There is only a small amount for a little background flavour. You can add more if you’d like it stronger.
- Unsalted butter is best.
- Baking powder helps give the scones lots of lift.
- Whole milk: Adds richness and brings all the dry ingredients together.
How to make date scones
Making scones is a simple process of combining dry ingredients with butter and wet ingredients in a bowl until you have a slightly sticky dough.
Jump to the recipe card for full quantities and instructions.
2. Add butter and dates
Add cold grated butter, cutting it in with a knife or fork to cut the pieces a little smaller. Mix through the dates.
3. The wet ingredients
Combine the milk and egg white in a small bowl then add to the flour mixture and stir until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, adding a little flour only if you need it, and shape it into a smooth rectangle. Try not to handle it too much.
4. Cut
Use a 6cm cookie cutter to cut rounds from the dough (or you can just cut it into wedges or squares) and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 12-14 minutes until starting to turn pale golden brown on top.
Tips and tricks
- Weigh your flour. It’s so important, especially with scones. While I provide cup measures, if you scoop a little too much into your, you could end up with dry scones.
- Use cold ingredients – egg, milk and butter – this will help you get a better rise and lighter scones.
- Make sure to leave small pieces of butter, don’t work it into the flour.
- Try not to overwork the dough. You want the butter to stay as cold as possible and not melt into the flour. As the date scones bake, the butter melts and releases steam that gives lift and creates a lighter texture.
Storage
Room temperature or fridge
Scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days. They will stale quickly but you can refresh them by wrapping them in wet baking paper and baking for 5-6 minutes.
Freezer
Date scones are perfect for freezing. Freeze them in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.
Variations
These easy date scones are easy to add variations to as well.
- Other fruit: Swap the dates for other dried fruits like cherries, sultanas or raisins. Even apricots can be chopped up and added.
- Crispy top: You can add a crispy topping to your scones while adding more sweetness too (they aren’t super sweet on their own) by adding good sprinkle of demerara sugar (turbinado sugar) to the top before baking.
- Icing: Add a lemon or cinnamon icing to the top to make them more dessert like.
However you serve them, these date scones are a simple pleasure that’s hard to beat. Fresh, buttery and full of flavour, they’re a lovely reminder that the best bakes are often the best.
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Ingredients
- 360 g plain flour (all purp flour) (2 ¾ cups / ~12 ½oz)
- 50 g caster sugar (¼ cup/~1 ¾oz)
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 60 g unsalted butter cold and grated (2oz / ½ stick)
- 1 cup medjool dates pitted and chopped (150g / ~5 ¼ oz)
- ¾ cup whole milk cold (180ml)
- 1 large egg separated
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the grated butter and mix well with a fork, breaking the pieces of butter up slightly.
- Add the chopped dates and mix.
- In a jug, whisk together the milk and egg white (leaving the yolk for the egg wash).
- Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a fork to a soft dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pull it together until it’s about 4cm / 1 ½ inches thick.
- Cut out 6cm rounds, gently reshaping the dough as required to cut out more. You should be able to get 8 with just a little offcut leftover.
- Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Mix the egg yolk with a dash milk (extra) and brush over the tops of the scones (not the sides).
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until turning pale golden brown on top.
- Best eaten as fresh as possible with butter or jam and cream.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Weigh your flour – it’s so important so you don’t end up with dry bakes.
- All ovens vary – check your scones 1-2 minutes before the recipe suggests.
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