White Chocolate Peppermint Scones

A scone like no other, this one is for both the little and big kid in all of us! White Chocolate Peppermint Scones are sweeter than regular scones. With a good splash of peppermint extract, loads of white chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and a sprinkling of coarse sugar on top, these scones are an absolute treat.

As soon as September rolls around, I begin to crave scones like they’re going out of style! I fix myself a very hot cup of coffee, slice my scone down the middle, and liberally smear on some butter. I take my coffee and scone to our backyard deck and enjoy the peacefulness while indulging in an afternoon treat. That’s if it’s still warm enough outside!

It’s a bit too cold for that now that it’s November. But, I can still enjoy an afternoon coffee and a scone from the comfort of my living room couch! Even though I have a lot of scone recipes posted already, my heart tells me that there’s always room for more. Another scone recipe won’t hurt anyone at all!

A SCONE RECIPE WITH VERSATILITY

For this scone I used my Basic Scone Recipe. I wanted to make a few versions of that recipe so that I could show you how easy it is. My Basic Scone Recipe is perfect just the way it is, especially if you are looking for a simple scone that can be slathered with butter and jam.

Actually, I put butter on all of my scones before I eat them! It’s the way I was raised. Butter goes on bread, scones, and also cinnamon rolls! (But, not the cinnamon rolls with icing!) If I’m being completely honest, I think jam belongs on almost every scone as well. Maybe not so much when it comes to a White Chocolate Peppermint Scone!

Normally, I love to slice the scone in half and smear on a bit of salted butter. Next, I add a good layer of my homemade jam, and fetch that hot coffee. Depending on the time of day, I might have a little bit of sharp cheddar cheese with it. I think all of that makes for a great lunch or an afternoon snack. With is candy cane-infused scone, however, I did forego the butter and cheese!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my third holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Candy Cane Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Flour – Any all-purpose flour will do just fine. I have not tested this recipe with any other types of flour.
• Butter – I used salted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to your flour and whisk it through.
• Sugar 
• Baking Powder – Quite a lot, like in most scones, to get that rise.
• Egg – Just one egg is all you need. Eggs should always be at room temperature first before baking.
• Milk – This is the liquid that binds it all together.
• Peppermint Extract and Vanilla Extract
• White Chocolate Chips – I used mini white chocolate chips. I find that regular sized chips are too big. You want a small bite of sweetness in the scone rather than larger chunks white chocolate – which can be overly sweet.
• Crushed Candy Canes
• Sanding Sugar – Optional.

HOW TO MAKE WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT SCONES

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and butter to a mixing bowl. Beat the butter into the dry ingredients until the combined ingredients resemble course sand. Set aside. Add 1/2 cup of the mini white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes. Stir into the mixture with a spatula. Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. Pour in the milk and egg mixture into the butter and flour mixture. Use a spatula to fold ingredients together. Don’t overmix – the dough will form quite quickly and shouldn’t be one complete, perfectly round ball of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to push the dough together, gathering up the bits into a mound. Next, sprinkle the top lightly with a little flour and push the dough down into a round shape about 1 inch thick. Use a large knife to cut the dough into 8 wedges and transfer the wedges to the baking sheet with about an inch of space in between each wedge. Use a pastry brush to lightly dust off any excess flour. Bake for 12 minutes or until the top is just slightly golden in colour. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack immediately.

Once the scones are completely cooled, transfer the remaininug mini white chocolate chips and vegetable oil to a microwave-safe bowl. At half power, microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring well after each increment until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer the melted white chocolate to a resealable sandwich bag. Cut a small hole in one lower corner. Drizzle the chocolate over the scones. Immidiately top the scones with crushed candy canes and sanding sugar, if using. Allow the chocolate to firm and harden. Package the scones for gift-giving or pile them into a covered food-safe container and leave them at room temperature.

MAKING YOUR OWN CRUSHED CANDY CANES

If you don’t want to use the red and white crushed candy canes that you can find just about anywhere this time of year, you can crush your own candy canes by placing unwrapped, broken candy canes into a sturdy bag and firmly rolling over them with a wooden rolling pin.

Either way you look at it, the candy canes should not be crushed too finely. Many times, you’ll find they have too much powder, meaning that they have been crushed too much. You want chunky pieces in order to get the red and white speckled pattern.

I’ve tried crushing them myself and have crushed them a little too much. Even the type you buy in the store can sometimes have too much candy cane dust. You can easily fix it by filtering out the dust. Working in small amounts, place a heaping spoonful of the crushed candy canes into a colander. Sift out the dust so that you are left with nice little pieces.

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not.

If you can only find granulated sugar, you can either skip the sprinkling with coarse sugar step, or you can use turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden brown though, so it will throw off the colour of your finished scone. I used turbinado sugar in my Mixed Nut Sugar Cookies.

STORING AND FREEZING

If you plan to eat all eight scones in the next two or three days, you can leave them sitting in a covered container on your countertop. Otherwise, you can freeze them. Once the scones are fully cooled, pack them into a food-safe, freezer-friendly container and set them in your freezer. They will stay fresh for about four to six weeks. To thaw, remove from freezer and place in a single layer onto a wire cooling rack. Once thawed, they will taste just as good as the day you took them out of the oven!

Personally, I think life with a freshly baked scone and a cup of tea or coffee cannot possibly get any better!  When the weather gets a little cooler, there’s nothing more satisfying and relaxing than a scone smeared with butter. The question remains though, will you retreat to your spot on the couch? Or will you brave the elements and sit outside and soak up the beauty of fall?

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!