banana scones with orange glaze

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I made these scones on Sunday for breakfast. Usually scones have eggs (added richness), but I was out so I Googled "eggless scones", which essentially is a biscuit, and found a version by Bobby Flay that I liked. I changed the recipe a bit, subbing chopped banana for the fruit in the original recipe and making a glaze with sugar and fresh orange juice instead of the icing topping. And besides grating the butter, I cut in cubes of cream cheese.

The funny part is that this wasn't the eggless scone recipe I found. But as this was linked to the other actual eggless recipe, and I liked the sound of it better, I went ahead with this version and simply omitted the egg.

Though I only used 2 ounces of cream cheese, they gave the scones extra tenderness and a softer, fluffier flavor. You'll want to cut in the cream cheese first since the grated butter won't take very long to mix into the flour.

For the glaze, I brought freshly squeezed orange juice to a boil with sugar. This idea came from a muffin recipe I've made before, and I liked the way the muffins tasted and looked with the sheen and the orangey and slightly sticky coating. I don't know if I'd use this again because it made the tops soft the next day. An alternative would be to thin apricot preserves with a bit of water (heat until hot) or just use the glaze the recipe suggests.

The scones were nice and light, and just sweet enough to make a good breakfast treat. The bananas add their own sweetness tasted good with the orange flavors. Since these are drop scones, you don't have to worry about shaping them with all the added mess that imparts. To me, that's what makes these perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.

Recipe after the jump

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banana scones with orange glaze
Recipe from here, adapted by me

Makes 12 scones

ingredients ~

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of two oranges
1/4 cup frozen unsalted butter, grated
2 ounces chilled cream cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup cream (I used 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/4 cup water)
1 cup chopped bananas
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat an oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange rind. Sprinkle with chilled cream cheese cubes and toss to coat. Cut into flour mixture until it resembles the texture of cornmeal. Stir in grated butter to mix.


2. Toss chopped bananas into flour-butter mixture. Pour the cream on top and mix with a spatula just until combined. Scoop twelve portions out onto the prepared baking sheet (I used a spoon, but you could use an ice cream scoop), dividing evenly. Bake until tops and bottom are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.


3. Meanwhile, bring orange juice and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and cool. When scones have finished baking, brush the tops with the orange glaze. Let scones cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.