Walnut, Date & Chocolate Scones

I love scones.

Lizzard Loves chocolate, dates & walnuts

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you already knew this about me. Scones are a perfect pastry that can be made 1,000 different ways. Sweet? Savory? Crunchy? Soft? Indulgent? Quasi healthy? A scone can wear all those hats. Who doesn't love something so versatile? Did I mention it is a pastry? I am a sucker for a delicious pastry. 

Since I am thoroughly obsessed with scones, it would make sense that I am constantly on the lookout for new scone recipes. A couple of weeks ago I tried the new bacon date scone at Blue Sky Bakery. Not shockingly, it was delectable. The mix of sweet and salty will get me every single time. Side note- Blue Sky Bakery is one of those places that deserves to be visited by every northsider. It has awesome food, offers catering, has a cute cafe for enjoying their baked goodness or for private events and has a larger mission to offer job training to homeless teens in Chicago. Honestly - what could be better than a delicious bakery? A delicious bakery that is doing its thing to support teens who truly need it. Check it out, you will not be sorry!

There I go again, getting sidetracked. Blue Sky Bakery's bacon & date scone was still on my mind last week, so I wanted to take a stab at it. I didn't have bacon though.........and I didn't have buttermilk, which I need for my "go to" scone recipe. The world wide webs to the rescue again.

I adapted the recipe I found at Vegan Baking Mama's blog to my tastes and to what I had in my kitchen. Check out her original recipe & other delicious offerings at her blog. These are far sweeter than most scones I make, including the ones linked above. The combination of  dates and milk chocolate make for a great combination, but it is also very sweet! If you would like to try these but don't love sweet pastries, swap in dark chocolate, reduce the dates to 1/3 cup and increase the walnuts to 1 cup. I am so happy with the crisp edges and chunky texture these scones have. They have an awesome chew to them as well. Sigh. I do really love scones.

Walnut Date & Chocolate Scones
Makes about a dozen scones

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
3/4 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
7oz milk chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mats.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, flax, salt & baking powder.
3. Cut in the butter using a knife in each hand, a pastry cutter, or your fingers. If you use your fingers- work fast do you don't melt the butter! You should have a crumbly mixture with small pieces of butter remaining.
4. Mix in the dates, walnuts and chocolate.
5. Add the soy milk and vanilla and gently mix until incorporated.
6. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop out the dough and place it on the prepared baking sheets.
7. Put the baking sheets into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
8. While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and wash some dishes if you're feeling particularly motivated! 
9. Bake the scones for 20-22 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through cooking time. The scones will brown at the edges and on top when they're done!
10. Slide the scones onto a wire rack to cool, then enjoy.  

Lizzard Loves Walnut Date & Chocolate Scones