Peanut Butter Honey Scones

Peanut Butter Honey Scone spread with jam

When I was in elementary school, I used to bring peanut butter in my lunch bag every day. Apple slices dipped in peanut butter, peanut butter spread on rice cakes, peanut butter and jelly, I would eat peanut butter in just about any form. Although I no longer eat peanut butter with such frequency, it is still one of my favorite foods so I was intrigued by a recipe for Peanut Butter Scones that I saw recently. The recipe, like most scone recipes, was full of fat and sugar with little nutritional value. I decided to develop a slightly healthier recipe for peanut butter scones that included some oats and whole wheat for fiber and was sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar. The recipe below is the result of my experiments and, while it is still not exactly healthy, I think it falls in the category of a less unhealthy treat. These scones have a sweet, peanut buttery taste that kids will love and are great for a children’s tea party or just an afternoon snack. They are delicious split in half and spread with jam, for a unique kind of peanut butter sandwich, but I like to eat them plain, fresh from the oven!

Ball of dough ready to be rolled out

Peanut Butter Honey Scones

If you don’t have any unsweetened peanut butter on hand, just use the regular kind and leave out the Tablespoon of sugar when mixing up the dry ingredients.

Makes about 1 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup 2 percent milk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup all-natural smooth peanut butter (unsweetened)

jam (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut the pieces of butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the milk, eggs, honey and peanut butter until smooth. Add the milk mixture to the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon just until the flour is well moistened.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times until it forms a cohesive ball. Using a lightly floured rolling pin or floured hands, roll or press the dough into a 1/2 inch thick circle. Cut with a 2-inch round biscuit cutter or other cookie cutter into 12 scones. It’s okay to reform the dough scraps into a second ball and cut them into scones, although this second round of scones will be less tender.

4. Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to brown. Cool on wire racks. Split in half and serve spread with jam, if desired.