A while ago I mentioned that I’d bought cookie stamps for Mum and myself, basically because we both wanted to make Spiced Date and Walnut Scones, as featured in Silk Road Cooking. Back then, Mum already had a copy of the book (which I’d given her for Christmas), and I was waiting for the copy that I’d ordered for myself to arrive. The book arrived a little while ago, and it was definitely worth the wait. It really is an excellent cookbook, although I wouldn’t call it’s recipes “quick and easy” – which is to say, it’s something that I’d cook from on the weekend rather than during the week. That said, everything that I’ve taken the time to make from this book has been delicious – well worth the effort.

Because Mum had the cookbook before I did, and because I refuse to pay for faster shipping on Amazon.com (this is something that Barnes & Noble definitely has over Amazon.com – it’s free shipping orders definitely arrive in a more timely fashion – but, I’m cheap. If the book’s for me, I usually decide I can wait if Amazon.com is selling for less than Barnes and Noble), so I really had to wait for my copy to arrive, she had her scones all made up before I’d even received my book – despite the fact that she had to wait for the cookie stamp to make it from Boston to Perth (this is how slow Amazon.com’s free shipping is: slower than international mail). In any case, I’ve made my scones now, and they were delicious!

A few notes:

1.My scones and Mum’s scones look practically identical. This is because we are related. Really.
2.I didn’t have any candied orange peel, so I just used orange zest. It was fine. I’m sure it would have been better with candied orange peel, but orange zest works just fine as a substitute.
3.I forgot to brush my scones with oil before cooking them. This didn’t seem to have an adverse effect.
4.The scones weren’t really scones (as I know them) at all. But they were delicious. From Mum’s pictures you can kind of get an idea of what they really are. The filling was mainly made from dates, walnuts, and pistachios. And orange zest.
5.They kept really well, and were super-filling.

Cross-posted on Grevillea

Stamped Cookies