Peach Scones

I'm not sure how to describe scones accurately in a word. I don't even know if it's possible. They're like a cross between a slice of cake and a cookie. Slightly crumbly and a little bit dense. It's almost like you just need to know what I'm talking about.

The first time I made scones, I made Blueberry Scones and brought them to my office. The reception was good, but someone did comment on the dryness. My question was, "Have you ever had a scone?!"

So let's set the expectations in advance. The North American coffee-shop variety I've google eyed on more than one occasion is, as described on Wikipedia, "heavy, dry, and crumbly, usually in a triangular or irregular shape." Couldn't have said it better myself. It's like a biscuit, but better.

I like my scones sweet rather than savory, but anyone who peruses more than two posts in a row on my blog will catch on that desserts are kind of my specialty. I love making them, sharing them, and eating a little bit of each one.

Sugar is something I've begun avoiding more and more in my cooking, and if you do a bit of research on processed sugars you'll understand why. So balancing this love for sweet stuff while trying to make it (a) not overpoweringly sweet and (b) a bit better for you is my latest challenge.

Fruit is an easy way to do that. Yes, there is sugar in fruit. But, it's not processed sugar, which is a start, and it adds flavor and sweetness to a dish, often allowing for a cut back on the sugar already in a treat. I was already making scones, one way or another, but as I had already made blueberry scones and my neighbor kindly offered to share some peaches with me, peaches were our winner.

The dough is rather easy. you add all the dry ingredients together, then chop the butter into pieces and crumble it in, similar to how you would for pie crust.

With pie crust, though, I use my hands or a dough cutter to chop the butter up, and the idea is that as you chop the butter up, the smaller and smaller pieces get coated with the dry ingredients, resulting in a bunch of small butter pieces that wind up looking like damp sand at the beach.

In this case, I used my whisk attachment to chop up the butter, and once that was done I added about 2/3 cup of chopped peaches. I do want to note for my photo here that I made a double batch, so there are a lot of peaches here. Use as many as you wish! You are not going to overdo it.

In a separate bowl, I mixed the wet ingredients together (and this time used coconut milk instead of dairy milk) and then stirred it in to the mixing bowl until everything was combined.

I separated the dough into parts (two parts for a single batch recipe) and formed circles on a cookie sheet.

I let the dough rest for about 30 minutes in the fridge to firm up. I then used a pizza cutter to cut my dough circles into 8 pieces each, creating those little triangles. If the dough is too sticky, it is okay to refrigerate until it is more firm. Once sliced, separate the pieces slightly so they don't end up rising and sticking together. The idea is to let them bake as individual pieces. I sprinkled some sugar on the top to give them a little extra flavor.

Finally, I let the dough bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Peach is definitely a good scone choice. And more peach is good! I would definitely add more next time.

These little scones also got a photo shoot, in case you can't tell by their little glamour shots.

I'd made these specifically due to the fact I had an opportunity to do some creative photo work and scones popped in my head. The peaches were a fresh change to the recipe, and I really like that flavor. Next time, I'll add more peach. The texture of these is quite good, and the addition of a teeny bit of sugar on top takes these to the next level. Maybe it's time for me to start supplying coffee shops with the goods? And what's next for scones? I'm thinking a chocolate version should be next on the horizon.

Peach Scones Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter
2/3 cup chopped fresh peaches
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup whole milk
Sugar to sprinkle on top, as desired

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut butter into slices and toss into flour. Use the whisk attachment on the mixer or use hands in the butter just until the mixture is crumbly. Butter chunks may be in different sizes. Stir in peaches. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the dough is evenly moistened but not over mixed. Add additional milk if too dry. Sprinkle flour on a parchment lined baking sheet. Divide dough in half and add each to baking sheet, several inches apart. Spread dough into a circle shape roughly 5-6" in diameter. Brush a small amount of milk over the top, then place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes to rest. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. After resting, cut circles into 6 pieces, then separate wedges slightly. sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're golden brown and the center of each circle is baked throughout.