Banana Bread Scones & a New Venture

Today is one of those days that I just want to be done.  Or maybe the week. . . can we have a do over?  Oh well.  I am sorry it has been so long in blog updates, I just can't figure out where my days have gone (oh wait. . . last week was filled with pumpkin patch visits!).  

I have also taken a leap of faith.  For at least a year, I have been trying to find away to make a little bit of income just to help our little family.  Jon is amazing and lets me stay at home with the kids and do my crafts and baking!  He's just amazing!  Saturday I was invited to a Pampered Chef Party (I love them!) and I was really intrigued about consulting.  I love Pampered Chef products and I do think there is a demand out there. . . we all need to eat.  Plus, I already have a lot of their products (they are great!!!!!).  But, I need to have about 4 parties before the end of the month and am having a hard time finding people who actually have an interest in booking a party.  The incentives for having one are great, because you can get a lot of free products!  So, if you are in the market to update your kitchen gadgets. . . give me a call.  They are also great for a fun girls night out.  If you know anyone who is interested, send them my way.  I could use some business to get started.  

Okay, enough about that. I tried this yummy recipe.  You all know how much I love banana bread and how much I love scones.  (I keep ripe bananas in my freezer. . . which really hurt if they fall out and land on your toe. . . just sayin!) and one day when perusing the land of Pinterest, I found this recipe. . . and oh, man. . . they were amazing!  The combination of 2 of my favorite things to make just makes my day!   I think the glaze over the top of them made them 10 times better.  So moist and delicious!  

Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze
adapted from the kitchen,

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas (about 8 oz or 1 cup once mashed)
2-4 tablespoons milk, whole or 2%
1/2 cup  Greek plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the glaze:
1 tablespoons  salted butter
2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions:

Mash the bananas and then add enough milk to make one total cup (if necessary). Stir in the yogurt and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut the butter into several pieces. Work it into the dry ingredients using a fork, pastry cutter, or your finger tips until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea.

Pour the banana-yogurt mixture into the bowl with the flour and stir just enough to incorporate all of the flour. This will make a fairly wet dough, a little bit more wet then typical scone dough. 

Line a dinner plate with a piece of wax paper and turn the dough out on top. Pat it into a disk about 1-inch thick and cover with another piece of wax paper. Freeze the scone dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Peel off the top layer of wax paper and invert the scones onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peel off the second layer of wax paper. Slice the scones into eight wedges and pull them apart a little to give them some room to expand. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are firm to the touch and turning golden-brown on the edges. Cool completely and cut apart any scones that baked together with a sharp knife.

To make the glaze, melt the butter and the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and vanilla, and stir until the sugar has melted (heat for an additional 30 seconds in the microwave if necessary). Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, starting with 1/4 cup. Add more confectioner's sugar if desired to make a thicker glaze.

Just before serving, drizzle the glaze over the scones. The glaze will harden after setting for a minute or two, and can be served right away or packed for a later snack. The glaze can make the scones a bit sticky if kept for longer than a few hours, so store any scones to be eaten later un-glazed. Extra un-glazed scones can also be frozen and re-heated in a microwave or toaster oven.