By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

HALF a pound of tuppenny rice, Half a pound of treacle, That's the way money goes, Pop! goes the weasel.

Treacle brings back lots of happy, sweet memories for me and this week's treacle scone recipe is a wonderful old-fashioned family favourite.

Traditionally made around the north of England at this time of year, Yorkshire folk also make them for bonfire night ­– when they are served warm, liberally buttered, with a drizzle of treacle if you're lucky.

I can remember eating them as part of a cosy winter Sunday tea tray in front of a roaring coal fire, with an old enamel pie plate put on the hearth to keep then warm. We would help ourselves to them throughout the evening, buttering them as we ate.

Treacle is a hidden gem in the world of baking, with this kitchen cupboard staple tending to bring depth and character.

Scones are thought to have originated from Scotland, where they were originally made with oats and baked on a griddle.

The word scone may have been derived from the Gaelic 'sognn', meaning a shapeless mass or mouthful.

Another theory is that the name is taken from the Stone of Destiny, where Scottish kings were once crowned.

Treacle has a sticky situation around its origins; a syrup by-product of refined sugar, it has been a staple in British baking for centuries.

Black treacle – similar to molasses, as our American friends refer to it – often features in the darker richer recipes like our very own Yorkshire Parkin, while pale treacle is a lot lighter and is used in recipes like Parkin pigs and Yorkshire moggy cake. Its inclusion in scones has been used as a way to add sweetness and moisture.

Traditional scones are quite plain and often bread-like, and have evolved out of Scottish bannocks, which are a type of flat bread.

If you've not experienced a treacle scone before, then you are in for a wee surprise – not too sweet, but soft and rich with the flavour of combined treacle and gingerbread. Enjoy it warm from the oven, slavered in butter, for an extra special treat before you tackle the washing up!

RECIPE

TREACLE SCONES

Makes 8

Ingredients:

200g/7oz self-raising flour

50g/2oz butter, room temperature

25g/1oz brown or caster sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

60g/2oz black treacle

125ml/4oz milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas Mark 6 and grease a baking tray.

2. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice and baking powder and rub in the butter to fine breadcrumbs.

3. Mix together the black treacle and milk in a measuring jug, then pour most of it into the dry mix and the rest if needed till you have a nice soft dough.

3. Flour a work surface and rolling pin and roll out the dough to a thickness of 2-3cm/1inch and cut out using a fluted round scone cutter, reworking the scrap dough.

4. Place the scones onto the baking tray, egg wash and bake for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and a dark brown colour.

5. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Best served slightly warm, spread with butter, or cold with thick clotted cream and a drizzle of black treacle.