During Sheltering in Place a lot of baking has transpired -- some successes, some not so much. As we go through the pantry and freezer stores, I have consistently found frozen banana slices, or bananas on the counter ready to be turned into banana bread. Whether these banana stores were for smoothies or a last ditch attempt to preserve what was on hand, there were lots of bananas. Instead of doing the same-old, I wanted to see if these ingredients could be stretched and simplified -- and in my language, simplified means can't fail!
I found this recipe by Samantha Seneviratne from Food52 and decided to try it since, well, I had all the ingredients on hand and the bananas desperately needed attention! my first go was a success, taste testers couldn't get enough...so I decided to make another batch and another batch, and another -- swapping out almonds or pecans if I did not have hazelnuts. Well, I guess this recipe was so simple that on my last batch, I forgot to cut the butter into the flour (I discovered this when I turned out the dough to shape and cut the scones).
Fear not, as I mentioned, I like simplified -- so I decided to freeze the butter, grate it, freeze it for a quick moment and then fold it into the scone batter. The result? I have to admit, I liked it better than the original recipe!!!
So let's make these can't fail scones, shall we?
Here's what you will need:
1 extra-large, extra-ripe banana, mashed (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, frozen, grated, then frozen again (original recipe calls for cutting the butter into roughly 1/2-inch pieces)
1 1/4 ounces hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and finely chopped (about 1/4 cup) -- you can also substitute almonds, pecans, walnuts
2 1/4ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, 1/2 cup - optional (original recipe uses chocolate, but for my recipe I left out)
Sanding sugar for sprinkling (or turbinado or granulated)
Let's get baking!
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Freeze the butter so it is easier to handle and grate using the large grater -- refreeze butter so it is nice and cold.
In a small bowl, whisk together the banana, cream, egg, and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
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. *
Add the flour and stir to combine (if you would like to try the original recipe, you can cut in the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, or 2 knives used like scissors, until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger pieces. You can use your fingers if you work fast enough that the butter stays cold.
Toss in the chopped chocolate and hazelnuts.
Add frozen, grated butter into the batter and stir to combine evenly throughout batter (skip this step if you are cutting the butter into the flour, above)
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.
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.
Serve warm or room temperature. Scones are best the day they’re made, but any leftovers can be split in half or toasted whole to bring back the crispy crust.
Notes:
These scones bake up fast and you don’t need to cool before being eaten! Some of the butter might ooze out a little while they bake, but don’t worry. That just helps get the bottom extra crunchy.
If you'd like to use frozen bananas, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under warm running water. Mash any extra banana liquid back into the bananas and be sure to measure out 1/2 cup to keep the dough from being too wet and sticky.
To peel the hazelnuts, just toast them in a 325°F oven until they smell toasty and are golden throughout (break one open to check), about 10 minutes. Let them cool wrapped in a clean kitchen towel (the trapped steam helps loosen the skins), then rub any loose skins off with the towel. Don't worry about any skins that don't come off.
If you would like to freeze the scones to bake at a later time, once you have cut your triangles, you can freeze the triangles well-wrapped on their sheet for another day. Bake them from frozen.
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