Bacon and Date (...or fig!) Scones

It is such a treat for both my boyfriend and I when I have the time to make these. An added bonus when we get to sleep in and enjoy them on our day off. For me, this is such a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Even more so than the chocolate/bacon combination. The consistency and texture of the finished scone is practically perfect. Not too moist, not too dry and just the right amount of crumble. And, yes, I know some of you think I may overuse bacon in my recipes but, I don’t care! I love it and it loves me…

(The original recipe calls for dates, which I used the first time I made this. Both taste good but each has a different degree of sweetness and adds a different texture. For this particular batch I used figs, which made it much much sweeter than using dates. If you’re going to go with the figs I suggest chopping it very fine and maybe not use as much as the recipe calls for. )

Ingredients (recipe taken from March 2011 Bon Apetit):

• 10 ounces thick-cut bacon slices
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted dates (or 1/2 cup finely chopped figs)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter (I suggest sticking it in the freezer for about five minutes and then taking it out when you are going to use it)
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• Raw sugar

Directions:

1 - Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until cooked through but still tender and not crisp, turning occasionally. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool. Pour bacon drippings from skillet into small heatproof bowl and reserve.

2 - Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Coarsely chop cooled bacon. Add bacon and dates (or figs) to flour mixture; toss to coat. Coarsely grate butter into flour mixture. Using fork, stir in butter. Add buttermilk; stir until large moist clumps form. Using hands, knead briefly in bowl until dough forms.

3 - Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Pat into 8-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer scones to baking sheets. Cover and chill scones 2 hours.

4 - Heat oven to 400*. Remove scones from refrigerator. Brush with reserved bacon drippings. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake scones until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean. About 16 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.