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Freshly baked Scottish treacle scones cooling on a metal rack against a light background.

Treacle Scones

Treacle Scones are a traditional Scottish bake, flavoured with rich black treacle and warming spices for a deep, comforting flavour. Soft, fluffy, and quick to make, they're perfect served warm with plenty of butter and a cup of tea. A classic teatime treat that brings a taste of old-fashioned Scottish baking to your kitchen.
5 from 9 votes
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Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Scottish
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g Treacle (Molasses)
  • 220 ml Milk (cold)
  • 60 g Soft Light Brown Sugar (Light Brown Sugar)
  • 450 g Self-raising Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder (Baking Soda)
  • 1 tsp Mixed Spice (Pumpkin Spice)
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 80 g Butter or Block Margarine (cold)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Pre-heat your oven to 220°c (200°c for fan assisted oven, Gas Mark 7 or 425°F). Grease two baking sheets with a little butter and set aside.
  • Measure your milk into a jug, before adding the sugar and treacle. Mix together with a fork/whisk, until the sugar has dissolved and the ingredients have combined - this may take a few minutes of mixing. Set aside.
  • Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, mixed spice and ground ginger into a large bowl, holding the sift up to allow some air into them.
  • Using the tips of your fingers, rub in the margarine/butter to the dry ingredients, again lifting as you do to allow air in. Continue until you have a sandy consistency.
  • Create a well in the middle. Pour in the milk/treacle mixture. Using a wooden spoon, gently bring the ingredients together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
  • Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead together, before stretching the dough to about 2-3cm (1 inch) thickness.
  • Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut your scones out and place them onto your pre-greased baking sheets. The smaller your cutter the more scones you will get. Reform and stretch the dough as required to use all of the dough.
  • Leave your scones to rest on the tray for about 10 minutes before brushing the tops with some extra milk.
  • Bake in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. If you are making smaller scones, keep a close eye on them as you may need to reduce the baking time to suit. If bigger you may need to give them slightly longer.
  • Once cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoy whilst still warm.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.

NOTES:

Storage:

Treacle Scones are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm slightly before serving to soften them again.
 

Freezing:

Treacle Scones freeze well. Allow them to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
 

Substitutions:

  • Treacle: If you cannot find black treacle, dark molasses can be used as a substitute. The flavour will be slightly different, but it still works well in the recipe.
  • Spices: Mixed spice is commonly used in treacle scones, but you can adjust the spices to suit your taste. A little extra cinnamon or ginger works particularly well with the treacle flavour.
 

If you are baking Treacle Scones in the US:

  • Molasses is a close substitute for treacle.
  • Pumpkin spice mix is a close substitution for mixed spice.
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