Chocolate-stuffed peanut butter scones

 
                   CHOCOLATE-STUFFED PEANUT BUTTER SCONES
 
 Recipe By     : Lise Waring 
 Serving Size  : 16   Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Desserts
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    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             Peanut butter, creamy
      1/4  c             Milk
    2                    Egg
    2      ts            Vanilla extract
      1/2  c             Peanuts, unsalted  -- chopped
    1 1/2  oz            bittersweet chocolate  -- broken
 					
 
    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.
  
                               --- Simply Scones
                                   Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright
 
 
                    
 
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