The combination of treacle for sweetness and walnuts for crunchiness works so well in these gorgeous scones. They’re ideal for tea time, but also any time during the day, maybe with a nice cuppa.

Makes: 8 or 9

Time: Hands on/prep: 20 – 25 mins. Baking: 12 – 15 mins. Cooling/washing up and clearing away: 15 – 20 mins. (So you could have a batch made and have one with a cuppa in about an hour.)

Level: Nice and easy

Need: No special electrical equipment, just basics including 2 baking trays and a 6cm cutter.

INGREDIENTS

500g/1lb 2oz Self Raising Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
60g/2oz Soft Light Brown Sugar
50g/1¾oz Cold Butter, cut into cubes
2 – 3 Tbsp Treacle (Molasses)
75g/2½oz small walnut pieces plus 8 or 9 halves to decorate (A 100g bag should be enough)
250ml/9fl oz milk or buttermilk
½ egg for egg washing (or just use the yolk for a deeper finish)
1 tsp caster sugar for second egg wash (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / Fan 180°C / 400°F / Gas 6. Grease and line the baking trays.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using your fingers, rub in the diced butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Add 200ml/7fl oz Milk/buttermilk, the treacle and the small walnut pieces then gently mix to a soft dough. If the dough seems dry or crumbly, add a little more of the milk/buttermilk. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not wet.

NB I found it a little difficult to ensure that the treacle was well dispersed in the dough. Next time, I think I’ll warm together the milk/buttermilk and the treacle a little, then add in. By the way, M&S sell treacle in squeezy bottles, which makes measuring it out a heck of a lot easier.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead or fold very briefly just to bring it together, then either roll or gently pat the dough out into a circle, about 2cm/1” thick. Cut out rounds of dough and place on the baking trays.

NB Dip the cutter into flour before each cut.

5. Brush with beaten egg then bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones have risen well and are golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and leave to cool slightly before eating.

NB I usually turn my baking trays and change their shelves halfway through. Even though many bakers prefer not to lower the oven temperature, I still do this to give an even bake. It’s your choice. On this occasion I used the turning time to press on the half walnuts and re-brush the scones with the remaining egg wash to which I’d added the caster sugar.

Gallery

I hope you enjoy baking and eating these scones. For more scone recipes click here. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page, or have a look at the rest of my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes.

Here are some more of my scones that you might like to try:

Honey and Almond