Vanilla Nut & Pear Scones

This past week, my husband and I had our friends come stay with us from San Diego. I love hosting friends and family in our home. There's nothing sweeter than spending time with good friends after a long absence. I love lingering over a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night, talking about the details of our lives. In addition to that, I love planning the meals and treats we'll enjoy together during that time... simply because I love food and how it brings us together.

I decided to make scones to go with our coffee, as I know this is a favorite of our friends. As I scoured scone recipes, I turned to one of my favorite websites, Eating Well, to see if I could find a healthier version. Scones are usually a bit of a treat for me since they call for so much butter. I found a Maple Nut & Pear scone recipe and was curious how they would turn out since it called for ingredients unfamiliar to me in regards to scones. The recipe decreased the white flour by incorporating whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats and decreased the butter by replacing some of it with reduced-fat cream cheese. I used a Bosc pear that was perfectly ripe and used some of my divine vanilla extract from Mexico since I did not have maple extract.

We couldn't have been more pleased with the results and even stated that these were some of the best scones we have tasted! I was so pleased with them that I made them again at the end of the week to take to a family get-together. Scones are still a bit of an indulgence to me, but I always feel satisfied when I can take a recipe, make it a little bit healthier and have it taste wonderful!