Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Oatmeal Scones with Dates





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was a little girl we had a neighbor who made oat farls on St. Patrick's Day. If you're not to the shamrock born, it helps to know that a farl is a scone that's made from the same dough as plain Irish soda bread - the naked variety that's made with whole wheat flour and not much else. Oatmeal is usually added to the dough which is then cooked on a griddle until it's done. The griddle is a holdover from the days when there were no ovens in Irish kitchens and all cooking was done on the hearth. I have a morning meeting on Wednesday and I'm responsible for providing Irish treats to go with our coffee and tea. Because it's a large gathering, I want to make something that honors the spirit of the day, but, more importantly, is fast, easy and inexpensive to assemble and reheat. I've seen this recipe floating through the ether for several years now. I can't date the first occurrence of the recipe, so I 'm going to consider it one that is in the public domain. If I'm wrong, let me know and you'll be credited for the recipe. I tested the recipe last week and I'm happy to report that it makes lovely, soft scones that are dropped rather than shaped or cut. The sweetness of the scones comes from a very small amount of sugar and dates. These scones are more tender than most because cake flour is used to assemble them. They take 15 minutes to prepare and about 20 minutes to cook. It doesn't get any easier than this. Here's the recipe.

Oatmeal Scones with Dates
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter-cut into bits
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1) Move a rack to middle third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Whisk milk, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until mixture is well combined.
3) In another bowl stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4) Stir in dates and milk mixture until a sticky dough forms.
5) Drop dough by 1/3-cup measures onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden. (Alternatively scones may be dropped onto a hot greased griddle and cooked over moderate heat, turning them, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden on both sides and cooked through.) Serve hot with butter and jam. Yield: 8 servings.

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Australian Busters - One Perfect Bite
Drop Biscuits with Cheddar Cheese and Garlic Butter - One Perfect Bite
Blueberry and Lemon Tea Biscuits - One Perfect Bite

54 comments :

3 hungry tummies said...

I learn something new today! I will be very happy to have this in the morning or with my afternoon tea.

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

And they look wonderful!

Zurin said...

oo wonderful for tea and whenevr m hungry! YUMMM

MaryMoh said...

A healthy, delicious scone. I would love it now with my tea....yum

My Little Space said...

Scone always my favourite tea food! More butter & jam please!

sophia said...

I LOVe scones!! They're my favorite baked item...And you put my favorite ingredient in there...oats! Yummy!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

This is a very healthy scones ! And you are very thoughtful person.

KathyB. said...

These look like breakfast to me, and a healthy and economical one at that.

I made the Vietnamese Chicken you posted a few days ago and it was delicious, a recipe I will use again for sure. Thank-you!

Carla and Michael said...

Oh Mary, these sound amazing! I love chopped dates on my oatmeal in the morning so this sounds perfect for the warmer weather coming soon.

Hayley said...

Hi Mary
thank you very much for your kind message you left on my space...Scones looks yummy and delicious..following you..

The Kitchen Masochist said...

Do you update your blog everyday? I'm amazed!

Have an award your way. Pls. check out the rules below:

http://kitchen-masochist.blogspot.com/2010/03/hey-sunshiney-day.html

Unknown said...

thank so much for visiting The Saucy Gourmet! I love you site and cannot wait to try these scones at one of my teas. I will be back often! Shari

Allie and Pattie said...

My husband's aunt used to speak of making farls- now I know what they are! These look lovely!
xoxo Pattie

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Happu St. Paddy's Day!!!!I am sure your group will enjoy this winning recipe.

Angie's Recipes said...

These scones make me hungry! I gotta search something to eat!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Now this is a St. Pat's recipe I could really enjoy!

Martha said...

What a great teatime treat!

shahana said...

never tried scones with oatmeal.Loved the addition of dates. im bookmarking it

Barbara said...

I love scones and had no idea what a farl was! Interesting about the soda bread batter. I also have never used cake flour for my scones. And never would have thought of dates rather than raisins although I have used cranberries.
Looks like a great recipe.

Claudia said...

And I'll just boil down some strawberries with sugar, take a scone and munch happily. East, grand recipe. Love scones.

Megan said...

I love dates and these look perfect for St Patty's Day! Hope you have a good one Mary!

Andreas said...

Those look like they would go down well with some coffee (or rather tea with milk) any time of day.

annies home said...

while dates are not a favorite of mine I wonder if I could use raisins in this recipe

The Fajdich Times said...

A great breakfast scone:)

♥ Kathy said...

What a yummy way to get some dates in your diet!

Lyndas recipe box said...

These look wonderful Mary....I would not have thought of using dates in scones, but they would add a delicious sweetness.

ellie said...

I think you are going to have some very happy colleagues tomorrow!

I'm definately going to try this recipe, although i may substitute the dates for dried apricots but it's nice to make a chance form my usual sultana ones, thanks!

Pam said...

I have still never made a scone - these oatmeal date scones look amazing.

Federica Simoni said...

mmmm..uno tira l'altro!!! ciao!

Joanne said...

Mmm these scones look way better than traditional irish soda bread. I'm loving the moistness...and the cinnamon!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

new word... new recipe... I am having trouble baking here. Humid and something about close to the equator (what i am hearing). but, a glass of rum and it all works out

Dee said...

my gosh. those look SO GOOD. dates are my all time favorite dried fruit. I REALLY wish butter didnt make me so sick. I WANT TO EAT all of your yummy recipes!

Arlette said...

Mary your scones looks great, warm with a cup of tea just perfect..
I just posted almost simiar oatmeal cookies and they were amazing as well...
I like to your scones a try and see the texture , thkx for sharing and have a wonderful day

Nina said...

Hello Mary!
Thank you very much for your kind message you left on my blog;
you have the "perfect bites" anyone can ask for! Compliments! :)

DailyChef said...

This looks so great. If only I can wake up early enough to have some for breakfast.

Bob said...

I've never seen these before, they sound great. I love a good scone, I'll have to try this method out.

Erin said...

These look so good!! MMM!

noble pig said...

I adore oatmeal and dates so what a treat this would be!!

NKP said...

Yum! And I love that most of the sweetness comes from the dates.

Luisa said...

Mary,
These Scones look really wonderful, and indeed are a "Perfec Bite".
Thanks a lot for visiting my little kitchen.

Janice said...

These sound great, I love oatmeal and dates. I wonder if you could make them on a griddle? I have one that I use for pancakes (drop scones) although we call it a 'girdle' in Scotland. Might have a go at these at the weekend.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Erin, welcome to One Perfect Bite. I hope you'll visit with us often.

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

Fantastic scones...love the addition of dates ofcourse....
cheers and Happy st.Paddys day w love....

La Bella Cooks said...

I love the dates being in there. Great recipe.

Kim said...

I love oat farls, but never had them with the dates. Sounds delicious! Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Patty said...

That looks so good, I love the addition of dates. Looking forward to your next post!

The Blonde Duck said...

I love oatmeal dishes. They're so tasty!

Sarah said...

These look delicious! And I love the design of your blog. It is so clean and easy to read.

Jamie said...

I love scones and these seem particularly delicious and special. These will be so perfect to make and eat while we are watching France play Ireland in rugby!

Ms. Meanie said...

These sound so simple and good. Oatmeal, cinnamon, and dates...some of my favorite ingredients. YUM!

From the Old InkWell said...

Mary, These look delicious! I'll have to try them out. Hope you're doing well!

Katy ~ said...

After a long hiatus I am rediscovering dates. These scones are perfect!

Cindy said...

These are good. I added more cinnamon and crushed pecans-great.

Danielle said...

Made these (via tastespotting) today. My toddler and I loved them. Thanks!

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