chocolate

Fresh baked scones anyone? Banana and chocolate together is definitely one of my favorite sweet flavor combinations. In the past, I have enjoyed the two together in banana bread, ice cream, and more recently in my farina cereal in the morning. With a cancelled conference call yesterday afternoon and much of my to-do list done before 11, I decided to search for a recipe for banana chocolate scones, and it was my luck that I came across a recipe from the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone, a place we had lunch last year.

I followed the recipe except for the hazelnut part as we did not have hazelnuts in the house. I am certain they would be amazing in this recipe.

It was very easy to follow. I started by mixing up my dry ingredients. I used whole wheat flour in lieu of all purpose flour as we are out of the all purpose. I am actually pretty surprised I went through an entire bag of flour. The newfound baker in me is on a roll!

When the dry ingredients were mixed, I added in the cold butter. I always dread this part of baking as I just can’t seem to get it right. I don’t have the special tool you can use to integrate the butter, so I got my hands in there, pinching the butter and flour mixture until it was like sand.

After adding the liquid ingredients, vanilla and buttermilk, it was just a quick mix before the dough was ready. My dough was a little bit wet, but I was able to make roughly shaped scones out of it.

Into the oven they went, and in 20 minutes they were done.

These scones are amazing! Flaky and light and dotted with rich, dark chocolate and soft, gooey banana, they are fine on their own and even better topped with a little Kerrygold unsalted butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. As I have mentioned in the past, I am not a huge breakfast fan, especially when it comes to sweet breakfasts, but I am definitely going to enjoy these scones with my morning tea. It’s nice to have a little something to look forward to in the morning!

What treats do you look forward to during the work week to help you get through?

Banana Chocolate Scones from The Culinary Institute of America

1 ripe banana (4 ounces), quartered lengthwise and diced
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed or chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate, or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk more as needed to brush the scones
Coarse sugar as needed

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Place the diced banana in the freezer until ready to use in step 2.
2. Place the dry ingredients in a 4-quart mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. Cut in the cold, cubed butter with a pastry blender, or rub in the butter with your fingers until the ingredients resemble a coarse meal. Add the chopped chocolate, chopped hazelnuts and diced banana, and toss to blend.
3. Combine the vanilla extract and buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together to form a “shaggy mass”. Gently compact the dough into a ball, but do not over-mix.
4. Transfer the ball to a clean, floured work surface and flatten it into an 8-inch disk, approximately 1-inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 equal wedges, and carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined baking pan, evenly spaced.
5. Just before baking, brush the scones lightly with buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until browned at the edges. Transfer the scones to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving