So, who wants to take me on a date?
*listens to the sound of some very lonely crickets*
Hmph! Fine then!
Being very much single at the moment, I’m afraid that there hasn’t been any action on the romantic front, which means many long, lonely nights curled up in bed with a book and my dog, sighing wistfully as I imagine a dashing gent who’ll come along and sweep me off my…
HAH!
Sorry, couldn’t help myself 
I’m not much of a writer at the best of times, and when it comes to writing pseudo-romance chick lit, I’m about as useless as knees on a fish. However, I am ridiculously single at the moment which does mean that the only sort of dates I get are the dried fruit variety!
What’s the old saying? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…well, in my case, I just used my dates in another homely, beautiful lot of scones!
My last documented dash into scone-land was with Belinda Jeffery’s buttermilk scones, and one of my readers who left a comment also highly praised Ms. Jeffery’s pumpkin scones as surpassing all overs! Well then! I had to see whether I agreed, so I added pumpkin to my shopping list (though butternut instead of jap) and made note to give them a try at the next available opportunity.
I have to say that while I like these just as much as the buttermilk scones (the latter being better for jam and cream combinations while the pumpkin really shouldn’t be paired with anything other than salted butter), the pumpkin scones have been FAR more popular with the family members. My mother and kid sister have been absolutely wolfing these down, and on every occasion, a batch of 12 scones has been reduced to nothing but crumbs in just a few days!
The pumpkin really is the key here - it provides lots of moisture to the mix and while it makes it quite difficult to knead and roll out your scones (all I do is mix with a wooden spoon till combined, then pat my dough together then dump it onto a well-floured bench and pat it it flat and into shape instead of even attempting to knead the dough), it also means that these scones stay soft and moist for days and are so full of flavour that there’s no jam or cream required. In fact, having tried them a few different ways, I can safely say that all these golden nuggests require is a little pat of salted butter and a mug of tea to help wash them down 
Pumpkin & Date Scones
(from Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffery)
3 cups (450g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarb/baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
120g cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
200g chopped pitted dates (not medjool, they’re far too moist and sticky for this)
1 cup cold cooked mashed pumpkin (I used butternut)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper, then very lightly dust it with flour and set aside.
2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking/bicab soda and salt into a large bowl and use a balloon whisk to whisk it together. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips till the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir together the buttermilk and cooked cold mashed pumpkin and set aside for now.
3. Add the dates to the bowl and toss them through to coat them in the flour mixture, then make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour in the pumpkin/buttermilk mix. Stir it together till barely combined, then tip it onto a well-floured chopping board and lightly knead till the mixture comes together (not till the batter is smooth - just till it holds together and doesn’t have any unmixed bits).
4. Pat the dough into a round about 4cm thick, then dip a scone cutter (or glass tumbler) into some flour and stamp out your scone shapes. Alternately, you can cut the round into triangular wedges or pat it into a cylinder and just cut off rounds.
5. Carefully sit the scones closely together on the baking tray, using up all your dough (press the scraps together rather than kneading them). Either dust the tops with flour or give them a milk or egg wash, then bake for 20 minutes or till cooked through and golden. Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.
6. Serve whilst warm with some salted butter, or store in an airtight container for up to three days. Cold scones can be reheated in a microwave or toaster oven to make them warm and soft again.
Technorati Tags: pumpkins, dates, butternut, Belinda Jeffery, scones, biscuits, baking, recipe
People who have tried this recipe:
- Pammie from Tomato Preserve
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Comments
Johanna I confess to a weakness for pumpkin scones - I love the orange colour and the pumpkin does transform them into moist sweet morsels that make romantic dates look a pale second best if it is a choice between staying home with these dates or going on out on a date!
katy those look amazing! i can never resist a pumpkin-flavored baked good. and that middle picture of the whole tray of scones is just wonderful!
chiffonade Your scones look TDF!! I love pumpkin and to raise that subject at this time of year when we’re bracing for THE WET in Florida…Well it put a smile on my face to say the least.
Oh, and don’t worry about being single. Those of us that cooks always gets gotten. (Yes, that was the worst obliteration of the English language I’ve ever perpetrated…)
<3 Chiffonade
Indigo These are the closest to a date I’m likely to get too, but they look so good I can’t say I really mind =P
Priyanka These scones look amazing! Do you think tinned pumpkin would be an okay substitute?
Patricia Scarpin If you didn’t live across the planet I would sooo hook you up with my brother. :)<br>
Judith Well if you weren’t straight and in Australia, I would volunteer :-)Instead, I will say that those look delicious and fluffy! I tried to make scones once and ended up with flat, rubbery, cookie-like things. I’ve been sort of scared off by that experience, but one of these days I will gather the courage to try again.
Ed Tep Ellie, Oh wow your scones look absolutely delectable. Next time I am in your corner of the globe, I’d be honored to accompany you on a date. I don’t think Dean would mind terribly.
brilynn I just checked my cupboard to see if I could make these and it seems I can’t get any kind of date to show up at my house… sigh.. maybe I can find both at the supermarket…
Lore I haven’t made scones in a while although I miss them terribly. Your Simply Stunning Scones remained in my memory and these look great too. I’m not familiar with pitted dates, how are they different compared to simple dates? Are we talking about a specific kind of dates?
toontz I love scones. I could eat them every day (especially if someone made them for me)! Since I am the cook and baker in the house, I don’t think it is going to happen any time soon. These look delicious.
pammiedoodle I made these today with mashed sweet potatoes and dried blueberries and they were wonderful. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe. I will be posting a picture of mine and a link back here if that is alright.
Sophie I recently developed a love for dates, though I’ve always been a fan of pumpkin :). Dates are actually included in my favorite dessert, sticky toffee pudding, it’s amazing and delicious! Ever tried it?
Sid Khullar Lovely photographs! Wish I could take some like that. Just picked up a new camera and I can’t seem to get used to it to safe my life!Sid
Sid Khullar Lovely photographs! Wish I could take some like that. Just picked up a
new camera and I can’t seem to get used to it to safe my life!
Sid
neil Bide your time Ellie, for when you do find Mr Right, he aint ever gunna leave you with fabulous baking like this. You know the old saying, "A way to a man’s heart…"
Maggie These look great! I know you’ve probably already gotten this but I think your blog is Excellent and passed on the word. If you’d like the badge and are interested in nominating someone else you can get the details on my post.
Chris As a very single girl myself, I giggled. You’d think the way we all "threw down" in the kitchen…hmph…
These scones look fab-u-lous! Would love one right now.
Bruno Hi Ellie,
These look very yummy! They would make a great entry for A Taste of Yellow at winosandfoodie.com There’s still 9 days to send Barbara a post.
Claire My Far North Queenslansd-dwelling relatives insist on jam & cream with pumpkin scones, and always rosella jam. I have never seen rosellas or rosella jam outside of Queensland but if you can track some down, it goes beautifully with pumpkin scones.
By the way, Ellie, Elyse Sewell (formerly of America’s Next Top Model) has been in Korea for the last few weeks and she’s been posting lots of descriptions & pictures of the food she has been enjoying. I highly recommend reading her journal:
Ellie Barbara - Thank you
Peabody - You’d think so!
Johanna - This recipe was my first experience with them, and to be honest I don’t think I can go back!
Katy - Thanks hon
Chiffonade - Aww shucks, flattery will get you everywhere 
Indigo - You and me both, hon! On both counts!
Priyanka - I should think so…I’ve never used tinned pumpkin before but if it’s just cooked and pureed pumpkin you should be fine
Patricia - LOL! And I’d so accept as a way of getting closer to your kitchen
Judith - Darlin, it’s the thought that counts 
And go for a basic scone recipe to begin with, a light touch will go a long way
Ed - Heck, bring Dean along, I’ve got enough scones for all
Brilynn - Did you have any luck?
Lore - Not really specific, just dried dates which have had the seeds/pits removed
Toontz - I know how you feel! Just once I’d like to have someone bake for me, for a change
Toro - Thank you.
Pammiedoodle - They look marvellous! I like the substitution - I wish I could try dried blueberries for myself but alas, I’ve never seen them here 
Sophie - Aren’t dates wonderful? I make a marvellous sticky date cake, though I’m still a bit perplexed as to the difference between a sticky date cake and pudding as they look the same to me!
Sid Khullar - Thank you Best of luck with the camera - as with any piece of equipment, read the user manual, brush up on your digital photography basics and practice practice practice
Neil - So they say! Well, I shall just have to keep my fingers crossed and keep waiting
Maggie - Thanks for the award hon I’ve got a few other posts lined up but I’ll get around to it at some stage
Chris - You’d reckon! Our nimble kitchen fingers and all that
Bruno - Thanks but I’m hoping that I’ll have time to do something special and more specific for that
Claire - Never heard of rosella jam but will google it afterwards. As for Elyse Sewell, I checked her blog and her photography and commentary on the food is…mediocre at best, to be completely honest. Zenkimchi does a far, FAR better job.
pea and pear What i love about the world of food blogs is that every day I discover a new one.. and today I discovered you and your beautiful scones. And it really couldn’t be better timing!!! They look delicious.. the smell should lead a trail of suitors to your door.
Julie You know, recent studies have shown that pumpkin pie is the smell that most strongly triggers male arousal. I bet these scones would smell the same. Maybe your pumpkin date scones can get you a date?
Johanna Just re one of your comments - I am starting to see dried blueberries about - I think I saw them in David Jones recently and also in the nice green grocer near the corner of lygon st and cardigan st - but no promises! And they taste fantastic
farida Ellie, hi, I just came to your web site through another blog. You have a lovely space here! Nice food, writing and photos! And I love the scones - they look yummy!
Ellie Pea & Pear - Thank you Yet to have that trail of suitors, but here’s hoping!
Julie - Really? So next time I should spray a little pumpkin juice on me rather than my usual perfume?
Johanna - Ooer, I haven’t been into the DJ basement for awhile, I should check it out!
Farida - Thank you
Ellie All I can say is heed the warnings about the wet dough - keep hands and bench well floured and do not overwork. Let me know how you go!
Scott Well Ellie I am probably as ridiculously single as you are at the moment!!! But at least you get the dried fruit variety of dates!!
Julia These look beautiful. I’ve been looking for a good scone recipe, too! Like you I’m a single cook, but I have to say since I started blogging about it I’ve gotten a few dates! I bet you will soon too
Ellie Scott - Heh, just pop into your local grocery store, then you’ll have them too!
Julia - Fingers crossed
They look great Ellie.