Banana Bread Scones

Every now and then you just need something comfy, cozy, and satisfying in baked good form. This recipe definitely provided just that! These are tender, buttery scones with a lovely hint of cinnamon. Infused with moisture and flavor from the ripe bananas. These are a tasty way to start the day - perfect with some tea or coffee! You really don't need to add anything to them - but  you can certainly add a little extra butter or some jam on a warm scone for an extra yummy treat.

Kick back with one of these and your morning cup of tea or coffee, breathe in some fresh air, soak up a touch of sunshine - and get the day started right! 

I have been trying to bake less lately - but every now and then I just "need" to! I had a very sad and overripe lonely banana in the fruit basket and decided it needed a purpose. Scones sounded like a nice treat, so I decided to give a banana bread version of a scone a try. These are definitely a little denser and chewier than a traditional light fluffy, non fruit laden scone - but they are definitely a hybrid between scone and banana bread and a wonderful treat!

Banana Bread Scones

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 TBS baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (~1 cup)

¾ cup buttermilk

½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
3. Toss in the cold butter and cut it into the dry mixture with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine the mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Blend together.
5. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until mixture comes together. If it's a little too wet to form into a disc, add just a little bit more flour at a time. 
6. Handle as lightly as possible, arranging the dough onto a disc on the silpat. Gently cut into wedges, or just score the disc.
7. Bake 22-28 minutes, until golden brown and baked all the way through.
8. Cool on the baking sheet a few minutes before moving gently to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Recipe adapted from The Crumb Blog