Quick and Easy Scones: Date & Lemon
It takes one bowl and just five minutes to prepare this Easy Scone recipe. Once baked you’ll have superb, soft, crumbly and flavoursome scones that melt in your mouth. These scones have a slight zing with the addition of lemon zest, which is balanced beautifully with sweet dried dates. Serve these beauties warm and slathered with rich cream and jam. Pure heaven and perfect for an afternoon tea with your favourite people.
It takes one bowl and just five minutes to prepare this Easy Scone recipe. Once baked you’ll have superb, soft, crumbly and flavoursome scones that melt in your mouth. These scones have a slight zing with the addition of lemon zest, which is balanced beautifully with sweet dried dates. Serve these beauties warm and slathered with rich cream and jam. Pure heaven and perfect for an afternoon tea with your favourite people.
QUICK AND EASY SCONES: DATE AND LEMON
Makes: 12 scones Difficulty: Easy
EQUIPMENT:
Large Baking tray
Whisk
Round Cookie cutter, or glass rim
Pastry brush
INGREDIENTS:
150ml Full Cream Milk
150ml Pure Cream (45% fat)
1 large Egg
400g Self Raising Flour
2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup of dried Dates, pitted and chopped
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 fan-forced; 390F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Set the kitchen timer for 12 minutes.
In a medium bowl add the milk, cream and egg. Hand whisk until well combined. Add the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Gently stir together with a spoon. Do not overmix.
Empty the mixture onto a clean lightly floured surface. Knead together gently until a soft dough forms.
Hand press the dough until it’s 2cm thick. Use a round cookie cutter or glass, cut rounds of scone form the dough. Place each onto a baking tray. Leave 1-2cm between each one. Add the scraps back into the dough and roll more scones until the dough is finished.
Use a pastry brush to brush the tops with some extra milk. Sprinkle with some caster sugar.
Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Bake the tray in the middle of the oven. Bake until they rise and become golden brown. If not ready, monitor the scones closely for another 3 minutes until done.
Remove from the oven. Serve warm. Great with jam and cream.
BAKING TIPS:
- Another test for doneness is the tap the bottom of the scone. You’ll hear a hollow sound if they’re ready.
- Scones go bad if the dough is overmixed. Go gentle and mix everything until the ingredients are only just combined.
Recipe adapted from Gary Mehigan, as seen on Masterchef Australia
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 12scones | 5mins | 10mins | 15mins |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12scones | 5mins |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 10mins | 15mins |
- 150 ml Full Cream Milk
- 150 ml Pure Cream 45% fat
- 1 Egg
- 400 g Self Raising Flour
- 2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
- 1 Lemon keep the lemon zest
- 175 g dried Dates pitted, chopped
|
Ingredients
Servings: scones
Units:
|
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 fan-forced; 390F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- In a medium bowl add the milk, cream and egg. Hand whisk until well combined. Add the flour, sugar and lemon zest. Gently stir together with a spoon. Do not overmix.
- Empty the mixture onto a clean lightly floured surface. Knead together gently until soft dough forms.
- Hand press the dough until it’s 2cm thick. Use a round cookie cutter or glass, cut rounds of scone form the dough. Place each onto a baking tray. Leave 1-2cm between each one. Add the scraps back into the dough and roll more scones until the dough is finished.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the tops with some extra milk. Sprinkle with some caster sugar.
- Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Bake the tray in the middle of the oven for about 12 minutes. They should rise and become golden brown.
- Remove from the oven. Serve warm. Great with jam and cream.
- Another test for doneness is the tap the bottom of the scone. You’ll hear a hollow sound if they’re ready.
- Scones go bad if the dough is overmixed. Go gentle and mix everything until the ingredients are only just combined.
We’ve got lots of other baking ideas for afternoon tea, and easy one bowl baking recipes to explore. Check out our sweet treats to make, or other baking recipes with dates or lemons.
Lovely scones, and served with such a good brand of jam too :)
I missed the MasterChef episode but after hearing the hype had to watch it online. How could they suck so bad? Multiple times?
Nothing beats a good scone, and it really isn’t that hard! I was shocked to see how clueless some of the Masterchef contestants were, kneading the life out of that poor scone dough! Tsk tsk…
Thanks for sharing this recipe link – they look deeelish! :D
Five minutes? I’ve got to try these one day! is aw that task although I did think they were cooking under some strange and v challenging conditions :P
Your blog is going to give me a heart attack. But I’ll die happy :)
Yum, yum, yum!! I love scones.
These look delicious and I love the combination of date and lemon.
Ooooh, your scones look lovely. Never tried doing these before. Sounds perfect for a lovely afternoon snack with tea! Not too fond of dates though. But looks great with strawberry jam. Ohh yum!
Will need to keep this, I need a good easy scone recipe.
You had me at lemon- my very favorite flavor!
Thank you soooo much!!! We lost the recipe and couldn’t find it on the masterchef website anymore (couldn’t be bothered going through every single episode) so this is a lifesaver! I love scones but hate rubbing butter into flour so these are great!