Banana Bread Scones | Freezer to Table

What do you do with the last-of-the-bunch, single banana which is past its prime? Make some quick banana bread scones. Once you make the batter, you can shape the individual scones, or store them in the freezer and bake from frozen to the table on demand in about 20 minutes. This scone-making process is efficient as well as delicious. Furthermore, banana pairs incredibly well with chocolate and walnut. I can’t think of anything more impressive than the aroma and taste of freshly baked scones in the kitchen.

Perfecting the scone-making process, the most streamlined method is to mix the batter by hand using just two bowls. One for the wet ingredients, one for the dry ingredients. The mashed banana, egg, cream and vanilla extract go into the small bowl for the wet ingredients. The flour, sugar, salt, baking powder are mixed together in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender and cut the cold butter pieces in the flour mixture. Next, toss in the chopped chocolate and nuts. Finally, drizzle the wet ingredients in the dry-ingredients bowl. Stir with a fork until the mixture is moistened and crumbly. The key is to stop before the mixture comes together in a coherent mass. Don’t overmix — it’s critical to the airy and light texture of the scones. In other words, the hand mixing method works best here.

Tip the batter from the bowl onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roughly pat the batter to form a craggy 6-inch circle. (If the batter seems too sticky to handle in your hands, you could put it in a medium plastic ziploc bag. Zip the bag and proceed to form a circle with your palms.) Then cut the round into eight equal triangles like you’d cut a pie. For a cleaner cut, I’d freeze the batter for about an hour before I cut them into triangles. Now you have the option to bake the batch of scones or save some for a later bake.

Bake for 18-22 minutes in a 425°F oven. Egg wash (brush the scones with cream also works) or not, it’s purely cosmetic. I’ll skip the step and won’t worry about it when I’m baking just a small batch.

Print Recipe

Banana Bread Scones

Serves: 8 scones

Ingredients

• 1 extra-large, extra-ripe banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup (75ml) heavy cream, plus more for egg wash
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups/ 240g all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup /70g packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup /113g or 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 1/4 ounces /60g semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 1/4 ounces/ 35g toasted walnuts, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• Sanding sugar for sprinkling (or turbinado or granulated)

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 425°F.

2

In a small bowl, whisk together the banana, cream, egg, and vanilla.

3

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger pieces. Toss in the chopped chocolate and walnuts.

4

Drizzle in the banana mixture and stir with a fork until the mixture is crumbly and moistened, but stop before you’ve mixed it into a uniform batter.

5

Tip out the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat it into a craggy, 6-inch circle. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the circle into 8 equal triangles. (At this point, you could freeze the triangles well-wrapped on their sheet for another day. Bake them from frozen.) Spread the triangles a good couple inches apart and brush the tops with the cream. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

6

Bake until the scones are golden brown and set, about 18 to 22 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a scone should come out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Notes

Adapted from https://food52.com/recipes/82986-banana-bread-scones-recipe