Title: Chocolate-Stuffed Peanut Butter Scones
Categories: Dessert Bread Chocolate
Yield: 16 Servings
| 2 | c | Flour |
| 1/2 | c | Sugar, brown, light |
| 2 1/2 | ts | Baking powder |
| 1/4 | ts | Salt |
| 1/4 | c | Butter, sweet; chilled |
| 3/4 | c | Peanut butter, creamy |
| 1/4 | c | Milk |
| 2 | | Egg |
| 2 | ts | Vanilla extract |
| 1/2 | c | Peanuts, unsalted; chopped |
| 1 1/2 | oz | Chocolate, bittersweet; brok |
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the flour,
brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch 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-inch thickness on a cutting board. Useing a floured 2-1/2-inch to
3-inch 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. Yield: 8 scones. 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-inch 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.