Morning's Pleasures

Saturday mornings are for eating.  They are for kissing and eating.  They are for sleeping, kissing and eating.  I can't wait to spend tomorrow's morning with Bo.
As everyone is probably tired of hearing, Bo and I rarely get to wake up together.  And as he is about to start a month of nights, it is going to be a long time until I get to snuggle with my bunny again.  I am going to take full advantage of tomorrow and sleep, kiss and eat as much as I can.  Last weekend I tried a new scone recipe and thought it turned out rather well.  It was a merging of a couple recipes I found, one from Bon Appetit and one from Ina Garten.  I loved the idea of a salty and sweet pastry from the original recipe, but didn't have the two hours that it called for.  So, this is what I came up with.

QUICK BACON AND DATE SCONES
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 cup small-diced dates
1/2 cup small-diced bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In the meantime, fry bacon on a griddle or skillet until still tender and not crisp.  Once cooked, place bacon on papertowels to drain excess grease.  Reserve bacon grease in a heatproof container.  You will use it later in the recipe.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 4 cups of flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour and butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss the dates and bacon with 1 tablespoon of flour, add them to the dough, and mix quickly. The dough may be a bit sticky.
Dump the dough out onto a well-floured surface and be sure it is well combined. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut into squares with a 4-inch plain or fluted cutter, and then cut them in half diagonally to make triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the tops with reserved bacon grease. Sprinkle with demetra sugar (or any sugar) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outsides are crisp and the insides are fully baked.