Date and Walnut Scones with Lemon Drizzle

I am not generally good with technology. I blame growing up with no remote controls, no digital anything and especially no computers.

As I was entering this recipe for the blog, the phone rang (yes, we are dinosaurs…we still have a landline). Since I was sitting out on the porch, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather, I knew there was no way I was ever going to get to it in time (because you never want to miss a solicitor or robocall), but that didn’t stop me from trying.

I jumped up like someone had fired the starting pistol at the Indy 500, vaulted over the chair, crashed through the door and dove for the phone. In my mind, I was as performing stunts so delicate and well choreographed that they would put the whole Marvel universe of actors to shame.

In reality, my computer, which had been on my laptop desk, slid precariously towards the floor, while my feet tangled in the throw I had wrapped around myself, and I almost gave myself a concussion when the door didn’t open as quickly as I had assumed it would.

Sadly, all of this was in vain since I missed the call anyway. Sigh.

Returning to my cozy, if now messy little nest on the porch, I picked up my computer only to find that the screen had dimmed to the point where it was like looking at it through sunglasses, like 50 pairs of sunglasses all at once.

Obviously, I had hit some magic button when I rescued it from total destruction on our stone porch floor. But which button? I didn’t even know that there was such a button. Grrrrr.

Now, someone more tech savvy would have, I’m sure, gone through a series of clicks and Voila! problem solved. Not me. I went through a different series.

First, there was denial: This is only temporary. If I close the top and then open it again, everything will be fine. That will reset it.

Next came anger: Stupid computer! What stupid button did I hit? Why do things like this always happen to me?

Then bargaining: Please work! I’ll take you inside and plug you in. Give you a nice shot of power. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Yeah. Then you’ll work again, right?

Depression: This is never going to work again. I’ve broken my computer. Forever. I might as well go to the CVS and get a tablet and pencil because that is all I am capable of working with.

Acceptance: Okay, fine. So I’ll have to lock myself in a dark closet to use my computer again since the screen is clearly set to some nighttime mode. Or maybe I’ll only use it from 3-4 am.

Fortunately, I decided in the end just to push every button on the thing and see what happens. Things couldn’t get any worse, right? By some miracle (maybe the bargaining worked after all), I was able to fix the problem. Still have no idea how I did it, but from now on when the phone rings, I’m letting it go straight to voicemail.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup maple sugar (NOT maple syrup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped dates (about 6 medjool dates)
1/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

For the drizzle:

4 Tablespoons powdered monk fruit (sugar)
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix. Add the butter and mash it around till it resembles wet sand (I use my hands and rub it between them briskly).
Stir in the dates, walnuts and zest. Then add the applesauce and mix till a sticky dough forms.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and put the “balls” on a baking sheet (I get 7 scones from this recipe).
Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from oven, and using the back of a spatula, gently press down on each ball to form a disk (you are not trying to make them completely flat, you are just flattening out the top so that it isn’t dome shaped).
Allow to cool on the sheet before removing to a rack to finish cooling.
When completely cool, drizzle with the lemon and monkfruit mixture.
To make the drizzle, combine the lemon juice and monkfruit in a small bowl and stir.

Enjoy!