2 c Flour
1/2 c Light brown sugar
2 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 c Sweet butter; chilled
3/4 c Creamy peanut butter
1/4 c Milk
2 Egg
2 ts Vanilla extract
1/2 c Unsalted peanuts; chopped
1 1/2 oz Bittersweet chocolate;
-broken
Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour,
brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2"
cubes and distribute them over the flour mixture. With a pastry
blender or two knives used scissors fashion, cut in the butter
until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, stir
together the peanut butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the peanut
butter mixture to the flour mixture and knead until combined. Knead
in the peanuts. Pat the dough out into a 1/2" thickness on a
cutting board. Using a floured 2-1/2 to 3" diameter crinkled round
biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from the dough. Gather the scraps
together and repeat until all the dough is used and there are
16 rounds. Place 8 of the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Top
each round with a piece of the chocolate and one of the remaining
circles of dough. Press the edges gently to seal. Bake for 17 to 19
minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the baking sheet to a
wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the
scones to the wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cool completely and
store in an airtight container.
Variation: Make the dough as above, omitting bittersweet chocolate,
substituting 1/2 cup unsalted whole peanuts for the chopped peanuts and
kneading in 3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips at the same time. Pat
the dough into a 9" diameter circle on a baking sheet. With a
serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until
a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out
clean. Cool as above and recut into wedges, if necessary.
Recipe by Simply Scones by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright
