How To Make Traditional Scottish Treacle Scones - Larder Love (2024)

It’s a fact universally acknowledged that scones are amazing. Be they simple or fancy they bring joy to the tea-table wherever they appear. These treacle scones are full of flavour just so perfect to cozy up with alongside your favourite cuppa.

Traditional Scottish Treacle Scones

This is Halloween and apart from pumpkins (originally turnips for lanterns here in Scotland) and witches etc treacle scones are part of the Halloween traditions in Scotland.

As kids we would have to try to bite the treacle scones (they were covered in the stuff) that were hung up in the kitchen as a Halloween party game.

Those were sticky times. These treacle scones are scones with treacle (molasses) backed within them. There’s a big difference here. You don’t end up wearing the sticky stuff and mine taste just great.

What is treacle?

Yes, I know, seems like a daft question to us in the UK. But to folks over in the US treacle is called molasses. There is a bit of confusion here. As the word Treacle is defined as any syrup made in the refining of cane sugar.

This includes molasses. Golden syrup is a lighter version of treacle. Real treacle is the rich dark almost black sugar syrup we buy here in the UK in lovely old fashioned tins.

I’m using treacle here, not golden syrup.

Can you substitute molasses for treacle?

Yes, if you can’t get our traditional black treacle where you live feel free to use molasses instead.

Ingredients for treacle scones

Flour – I have used self raising flour here and if you add 1/2 tsp of baking powder to your scone mix you’ll get an even better rise and lovely tall treacle scones.

Butter – as usual I use unsalted butter in my scone mix and just add a pinch of salt.

Sugar – caster sugar/superfine sugar here.

Egg – free-ranch please!

Milk – you can use whole milk or semi skimmed milk to make these easy treacle scones.

Spices – Treacle scones are all about spices. I’ve used ginger and mixed spice mix. But feel free to use any spices you like. Just ginger and cinnamon work a treat in treacle scones.

Treacle – well, they wouldn’t be treacle scones without that all-impoprtant treacle!

How to make treacle scones

Unlike ‘normal’ scones where you are rubbing in the butter. With treacle scones the butter is melted into a sweet gooey mess with the treacle and sugar.

Mix the flour, salt and spices in a nice big bowl and pour the slightly cooled melted butter combo into a well in the centre.

Whisk egg and milk (save a wee bit of milk to glaze the scones) and add this.

Bring everything together to a soft dough and roll out on a floured surface.

Cut into 8 circles to make your treacle scones.

Bake for a mere 12 minutes then let those beautiful golden treacle scones cool on a wire rack.

Pro tips for making perfect scones

Handle the dough as little as possible. A light hand is needed with scones. You don’t have to knead them like bread, just bring the dough together, tip it out and roll it.

Don’t twist the cookie cutters to remove them from the dough. This will make your scones rise with a weird kink to them.

Make sure your scones are even in height (not one side thicker than the other) so they bake evenly.

Raising agents – whatever you are using make sure they are in date. It’s so easy to have these little jars hanging about for years. They do go off and then don’t work anymore.

Types of flour for scone making

If you are using self raising flour as I have here you shouldn’t really need an extra raising agent. However, if you really want to go for all out scone puffiness then add 1/2 tsp baking powder to the flour.

Can you use plain flour?

Yes but make sure to add bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar to the mix to get them to rise. For the 250g of flour I’ve used here you would use 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1/4 tsp cream of tarter.

How long will scones last?

About five minutes in this house!

Like any scones, treacle scones are always better on the day they are made. However, they will keep for a couple of days well wrapped or in a sealed tin. Just warm them in the oven to liven them up a bit.

Can you freeze treacle scones?

Yes, like all scones they freeze really well. Just wrap well in clingfilm then pop into a labeled freezer bag and they will freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly of course.

Warm them in the oven.

How do you serve treacle scones

Serve with butter and marmalade or just plain butter while they are still warm. Aah perfect with a nice big cuppa on a chilly day.

Better still, serve your treacle scones with my Blackberry Jam with Bay and Vanilla, it’s a winning combination!

Simply scones

Treacle scones are so easy to make and part of our famed baking tradition in Scotland. This recipe is from my book where you will find a plethora of baked goodies that all hale from this part of the world.

Afternoon tea

Scones are part and parcel of the traditional afternoon tea or the old word for such an event in Scotland was a cookie shine. Isn’t that lovely, cookie shine sounds so much more special than afternoon tea I think.

Fancy some more scones for your tea table. Then check these out;

Simple Scones

Drop scones (aka Scotch pancakes)

Cheese Scones

3 ingredient Prosecco scones

Spiced Apple Scones

Minted pea and potato scones

Potato Scones

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