peppermint eggnog scones - BSI!!!

I've been trying to find a way to use up the eggnog in my fridge.  I've had two 1/2-cup size mugs this season and am pretty much at my limit.  Eggnog is one of those special holiday treats that I crave as soon as the weather turns cooler and the Christmas decorations come out, but once I've had a mug or two I am DONE.  I hate to waste, especially expensive items, so I've been racking my brain to come up with a use for it before it spoils.  Last weekend I remembered my favorite scone recipe given to me by a friend years ago.  It uses buttermilk, and I thought that eggnog would make an excellent substitution because they have such similar consistencies.  Problem solved! I'd add some dry cranberries, a few bits of chocolate and Poof!  Holiday Scones.

Then, on Monday, I read the lovely Ashley's blog over at Sweet + Natural and discovered that she had picked PEPPERMINT as this week's BSI!!!  Brilliant.  Out go the cranberries and chocolate, in comes the peppermint.  I now give you...

Peppermint Eggnog Scones!!!



Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup eggnog plus a little extra


• 1 large egg


• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract


• 1-1/2 cups unbleached bread flour


• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour


• 4 tsp baking powder


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes


• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar


• 40 starlight peppermints, pounded to bits to equal about 1 cup

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375*


2. Mix eggnog with egg and extract, beat until smooth with a fork


3. Put flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir to mix well.  Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs


4. Add sugar and peppermint bits, toss to distribute evenly.


5. Add egg mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough forms.  Add a splash of eggnog if needed to bind dough.


6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and give 5 to 6 kneads, just until well mixed.


7. Flatten dough to 3/4" thick circle and cut circle into 8 wedges.


8. Place wedges on an ungreased, parchment paper covered (VERY IMPORTANT!) cookie sheet.


9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until medium brown.

This is why the parchment paper part of the process is SO IMORTANT.  When the scones first came out of the oven they looked like this...



The hubb and I thought we'd leave them on the sheet for a few minutes until the peppermint hardened and then we would just pop them off the sheet.  WRONG.  The peppermint is like glue...those scones weren't going anywhere after being out of the oven for just one minute.  So, back in the oven they went to soften the peppermint.



Once the peppermint softened after a few minutes we brought each scone out of the oven individually and put them on parchment paper on the drying rack.  I'm dreading scraping off the cookie sheet...we may just be buying a new one because I don't know how we're going to get the hardened peppermint off of it...



Theses scones are soooooo good.  I love the texture of them, they are a little softer than scones you get in bakeries.  They have more of a biscuit-y texture than the dry, crumbly texture typical of the classic scone.



The peppermint is perfect.  The eggnog doesn't come through as much as I had hoped, which might be a good thing since the peppermint is pretty strong.



They are so festive visually and in flavor, they'd make a great addition to a Christmas baked goods gift.