Banana Nut Scones with Maple Glaze
from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/

These banana nut scones are deliciously moist, flaky, and crumbly. Combining the flavor of banana bread and the texture of scones, this banana scone recipe is everything you crave for breakfast. Don’t skip the maple icing because it’s one of the best parts!

This banana scone recipe yields about 12 palm-sized scones. Expect a sticky and craggily dough. Like biscuits, avoid overworking the dough. I make these as drop scones, but if you’d prefer to make them triangle shaped like we do in many other scone recipes, press the dough into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges.

My #1 tip when making any scones is to keep the scone dough as cold as possible. If the scones are room temperature or warm going into the oven, they will overspread and the texture will be ruined. Don’t be afraid to refrigerate your wet ingredients as you’re working on the dry ingredients. And you can refrigerate the scone dough prior to baking too. Place the scones on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes before baking, to help set the shape. You can brush the scones with milk and top with coarse sugar either before or after refrigerating. The baking time varies depending on size.

Can I Use Frozen Bananas? Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below.

1 cup (230g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
1/4 cup (60g) plain Greek yogurt (or any plain yogurt or sour cream)
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts (optional)
top before baking: 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk and coarse sugar

Maple Glaze
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or medium bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the mashed bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater to grate it; a food processor also works for grating). Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, two forks, a food processor, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.

Drizzle wet ingredients over flour mixture, add the walnuts, and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Try your best to not overwork the dough at any point. Dough will be sticky and a little wet. Drop scones, 1/4 cup of dough each, at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush scones with milk, then top with a little coarse sugar if desired for extra crunch. Tastes great!

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool as you make the icing. The scones taste even better after they cool down.

The baking time depends on the size; 8 larger scones take around 25 minutes, and 16 mini scones take around 18–20 minutes.

Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle over scones.

Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3–5 days.

12 palm-sized scones (round) OR 8 larger wedges OR 16 mini wedges