This is a recipe from Mike Armstrong (‘Baker Mike’) who writes a regular baking column in the Keighley News.  Mike writes:

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.

I have tried these myself, and they really are delicious fresh out of the oven.  There is a spicy sweetness to them, but with that familiar scone texture.  You can taste the black treacle, but not overwhelmingly so; it’s a subtle taste and definitely worth a try.

Here’s Baker Mike’s recipe for eight scones:

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   (in the USA and elsewhere, molasses would be more commonly found and could be used instead)
• 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. (I found it helped to warm the milk first, which helped to blend it with the treacle.  I added the mixture slowly to the dry ingredients until it was sticky but still workable; there was a little of the liquid mix left over)
4. 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.
5. Place the scones onto the baking tray, if a gloss finish is needed you can brush the tops with a beaten egg,  and then bake for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and a dark brown colour.
6. 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.

Source:  You can discover more of Baker Mike’s recipes at Friend in Knead