A popular choice for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea, date scones are a sweet twist on tradition.

Date scones on a wooden board with butter in a small spice container.

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

Date scones.

The recipe for date scones

Austrians 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 recipe I could find for date scones was in a Melbourne Gazette in 1922.

I found several recipes for date scones in Nana Ling’s collection, and one really stood out.

I discovered it in this collection of recipes from a “cooking competition” held by the Australian Women’s Weekly in the late 1940s.

Front cover of a recipe book for a date scones recipe.

This recipe is not only packed with dates, but also contains some fresh orange juice and zest.

The warmth and citrusy aroma of the orange enhance the natural and earthy richness of the dates.

That’s a lot more flavor in one little scone!

Ingredients for date scones

To make these scones, you will need:

  • Dates (dried, pitted) – they wouldn’t be date scones without them!
  • butter
  • fine sugar
  • Orange zest
  • fresh Orange Juice
  • egg
  • SR flour (or regular/all purpose flour + baking powder)
  • cinnamon
  • Salt
  • milk.

The ingredient amounts can be found on the recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients for date scones

How to make date scones

preparation

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

Just add enough water to cover the dates completely.

To prepare, you want too Preheat the oven Up to 210 degrees Celsius/410 degrees Fahrenheit and oil the tin You will cook the scones in it. A cake pan or other baking pan with sides works best instead of a flat pan

Let’s make scones

Beat the butter, sugar and peel until light and fluffy.

Add the scrambled eggs and filtered and chopped dates.

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

Do not overmix. Just mix enough to combine the ingredients.

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

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

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a rectangle about 1 centimeter thick.

Making date scones.

Cut out scones

Using a 5-6 cm scone cutter, cut out circles.

Place circles about 1/2-1 cm apart on the greased tray. Brush the top of each circle with milk.

to bake

Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden on top.

Allow to cool for a minute or two on the tray before turning into a clean tea towel placed on a cooling rack. Wrap the towel and serve while still warm with butter.

Stacked date scones with butter on the side.

Frequently asked questions about recipes

That. How long will date scones keep?

All scones are best eaten as fresh as possible – ideally straight from the oven! Or at least the day they were created.

You can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days, however they may be slightly drier than fresh scones.

That. 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.

That. What type of dates are suitable for this recipe?

Use the dried and pitted dates in the dried fruit aisle at the supermarket.

That. Do you have other scone recipes?

I sure do! Check out my recipes for pumpkin scones, lemonade scones, butter scones, cream scones, cheese scones and butter wheel scones.

Date scones on a wooden board with butter in a small spice container.
  • 1 Goblet Chopped dates (145 grams)
  • 60 gram butter
  • 2 spoons fine sugar (40 grams) (extra fine sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Orange zest
  • 1/4 Goblet Fresh orange juice
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 cups SR flour (or regular/all-purpose flour + 5 teaspoons baking powder)
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1/2 Goblet milk
  • added milk (for brushing scone parts)

  • Soak dates in hot water for 10 minutes and then filter well.

  • Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius/410 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Grease a cake pan.

  • Beat butter, sugar and zest until a light and puffy mixture is obtained.

  • Add scrambled eggs and filtered and chopped dates.

  • Add sifted flour, cinnamon and salt, a third at a time, alternating with milk and juice, while mixing with a butter knife. The mixture should be sticky and soft but hold its shape. If it is too sticky and soft, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a little more milk.

  • Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a rectangle about 1 centimeter thick.

  • Using a 5-6 cm scone cutter, cut out circles. Place circles about 1/2-1 cm apart on the greased tray. Brush the top of each circle with milk.

  • Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden on top.

  • Allow to cool for a minute or two on the tray before turning into a clean tea towel placed on a cooling rack. Wrap in a towel, and if possible – serve while still warm with butter.

Calories: 187KKL | Carbohydrates: 32G | protein: 4G | Fat: 5G | Saturated fat: 3G | Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3G | Unsaturated fat: 1G | trans fat: 0.2G | Cholesterol: 26mg | sodium: 45mg | potassium: 140mg | fiber: 2G | Sugar: 11G | vitamin: 173IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | calcium: 25mg | iron: 1mg

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