Sunday, January 13, 2008

Banana Bonanza

I am not a banana eater, never have been. I used to keep them in the house all the time when the kids were around. I would smash them up when they were babies, chunk them as they got older, and then whole bananas were the thing to have for son who played soccer. Whenever there were brown/black bananas I would make banana bread, always a favorite around my house. But lately we don't see too many bananas. Last time I baked banana bread for the butchers, my son asked if I could do it more often. I told him if he brought me home the rotten bananas from the store that I would be happy to do so. Well, he took me at my word and on Monday he brought home about 20 pounds of bananas. Really, no kidding. The kitchen reeked of bananas.

Since there were plenty of bananas, I decided to branch out and try something new first. So I chose a banana/oatmeal scone. The butchers really liked the pumpkin scones I made in October, so I figured I could get away with something similar. I whipped up a double batch but the scones looked a bit boring in color and texture, so I scoured the cupboards to see what I could add. I had dried cranberries, five kinds of nuts, little caramel balls, but ultimately decided half should be chocolate chip and half should be with crystallized ginger. Chocolate makes anything better, and chocolate-covered bananas are really tasty. I love the tang of ginger, and used chopped crystallized ginger in the pumpkin scones to great satisfaction. In both cases, biting into them would yield a little mouth surprise, either sweet or refreshingly tart.

The recipe took very little time and yielded quite a lot, given the fact that I cut each batch in half and made smaller scones. Better for my waistline and easier for the butchers to grab and eat.

Banana/Oatmeal Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (I used 1-minute oats)
1/2 cup margarine, melted (you could use butter)
1/3 cup soy milk, plain or vanilla (regular milk will also work)
1 ripe mashed banana (I added 1 ½ mashed banana)
Optional additions: chocolate chips, chopped crystallized ginger, walnuts, pecans….

Combine dry ingredients; set aside. Blend mashed banana, melted margarine, and soy milk until fairly smooth. Add in dry ingredients and optional item and mix just until moistened. Pour out onto floured board. Incorporate more flour if dough is too sticky. Cut dough in half and roll or pat each half into a circle, about 7-8 inches around. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on silpat or oiled baking sheet. Bake 425 for about 10 minutes, until light golden brown.



Two days later, I made three loaves of my favorite banana bread. I added walnuts to two of the loaves and chocolate chips to the third. Needless to say, the basket came back empty from the butcher boys.

15 comments:

eatingplum said...

I'm going to have to try those scones! But where are the pictures of them? =)

Mrs. B said...

I honestly forgot! I normally keep my camera in the kitchen for just this purpose, but it was MIA, meaning not within my peripheral vision at the time, and my tired old brain just plain forgot.

la fourchette said...

aha! So this is the famous mrs. b of the Meyer lemon care package. (You rock, by the way!)

I giggled when I read your post on bananas. I *only* eat bananas in banana bread! I buy them and let them turn black on the counter...only then are they ready to go into Bodhi's Banana Bread (named after my dog...for alliteration purposes and because he actually smells like banana bread...no, really!) What's more, it's made with yogurt so I'm convinced it's healthy!

I'll try your recipe...it's good to have something that leaves a trace of butter on my fingers now and again!

Mrs. B said...

Yes, you got me. I am the secret supplier of Meyers, of which Tea is very deserving.

Love to have your recipe for Bodhi Banana Bread - always good to try something new, and I have access to bananas often thanks to Butcher Son.

la fourchette said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
la fourchette said...

As requested, a little something to try with your next load of bananas! (Recipe is at the end of this post...to save space in your comments.)
http://lafourchette.blogspot.com/
2007/02/new-associations.html

bon appétit!

Mrs. B said...

Many thanks. Will try this recipe when the next banana bonanza arrives.

Ellen said...

Banana brownies! I found this online a few years ago and it's become a favorite. http://www.cheapcooking.com/Recipes/bananabrownies.htm

Also, Mark Bittman's Banana Bread with Coconut is fantastic.

Rigatoni said...

Mmm, banana scones? I've only used overripe bananas for bread and pancakes, but these sound delicious, especially with the oatmeal!

Mrs. B said...

MMM. Just bought coconut, so I will have to test that recipe out, as I am due for another banana delivery soon. Thanks for the suggestion.

Anonymous said...

bananas...how i love them. i usually let my bananas go black so i can use them for baking, but it's always a challenge since my husband is a banana fiend. he loves scones though, so maybe the promise of scones will keep him away from them.

eatingplum said...

Thanks Mrs. B =) I know I can always count on you for good cooking advice! I'll keep that in mind.

Anonymous said...

i made these today, they were so easy and came out perfect! thanks!

Dazy said...

This is a new one for me! Looks really yummy too..gearing up with recipes for the cold winter days
hopefully ahead!

Theresa Michelle said...

I just made the banana scones, but added an egg to the batter, as well as chopped almonds and chocolate chips. I drizzled a bit of glaze on top (powdered sugar, vanilla, milk) for my daughter's sweet tooth and they're a hit!