Healthy-ish Banana Nut Scones

Happy Sunday, everyone! I think I’ve finally hashed out my post plan, which I know is a bit willy-nilly at the moment. I’ve decided that for the forseeable future, I will be posting Sundays and Wednesdays. Sundays will either consist of a Weekly Collection, the series I introduced last weekend, or it will resemble the kind of posts Wednesdays will entail, which is really whatever I decide to post about. Hopefully, this will run smoothly! I know that some days I may be too busy, so a post may be delayed a day or two, but it should stay rather consistent. Thank you for bearing with me in my first couple weeks as a new blogger!

Now, onto the scones. I saw this recipe quite a while back, on the blog Kate’s blog, Cookie and Kate, and immediately saved it in my “to-bake” list. I just got around to it this morning, and let me tell you. They. Are. Amazing. Dense and soft, and the banana flavor is oh-so-divine. I altered her recipe to fit my needs at home (original recipe here). I would definitely recommend checking her blog out. This recipe is perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea, and the Sunday paper. And they are pretty healthy too! (except for the glaze 😉 )

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Healthy-ish Banana Nut Scones

(serves 8)

Ingredients

Scones

• 1 cup almonds, pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup solid coconut oil (add more if needed)
• 2-3 overripe bananas (you can use any you wish, but I find that overripe works best)
• ¼ cup milk (almond, coconut, etc.)
• ½ – 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

Maple glaze

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ tablespoon melted coconut oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup warm maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line with parchment or spray a baking sheet. If using nuts, place them in a single layer along the baking sheet, and toast until golden or fragrant. Chop into very fine pieces.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, xanthan gum and ¾ ths of the nuts.
3. Using a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the coconut oil in the flour mixture.
4. In a measuring cup, mix the mashed banana, milk, maple syrup and vanilla, until well combined.
5. Pour the banana mixture into the dry mixture, and stir until you form a thick dough. It will seem dry at first, but keep mixing until well incorporated. You may use your hands to knead out the last of the flour into the dough.
6. On a flat surface, form your dough into a circle that is about an inch deep all around, and cut the circle into 8 equal slices.
7. Separate the slices, and place them on the baking sheet used to roast the nuts. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
8. While the scones cool, whisk together the ingredients for the maple glaze until smooth and glossy. Allow the scones to cool for 10 minutes, and then drizzle the glaze over them until well distributed. While still wet, sprinkle with the remaining toasted nuts.

*Notes: I adapted this from Cookie and Kate’s recipe, making them gluten free and with more banana. Feel free to substitute the sweeteners in the scone for cane sugar, coconut sugar, or any sweetener of your choice. The flour can be easily substituted for whole wheat flour.

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