Breakfast Time: Healthier Banana Scones with Chocolate Rum Glaze

It has been a while since I have made scones. Luckily, the forces of the universe aligned, it was a gloomy slow morning, I needed something warm and sweet, and I happened to have a couple bananas sitting on my counter just begging to be used in something besides a smoothie.

These use less butter than my favorite recipe, but still bake up nice and flaky with the crunchy edges that make them so delicious. A few notes for these:

• I used the same method as these if you need more instructions.
• I used an equal mix of whole wheat and all purpose flours. You can use any type and ratio of flour you want.
• These are easily adaptable, so you can sub in Earths Balance and Rice/Soy/Almond milk (for my soy-dairy-free friends).
• The chocolate on top gives these just that hint of chocolatey awesomeness without impacting calories too much, but you can makes these healthier by skipping it, if you need to. You can also skip the rum if that isn't your thing.
• You can also make/shape these then freeze them for storage. Bake them straight out of the freezer.
• The dough is sticky. Don't be scared. Just be really generous with the flour when patting and shaping the dough.

Banana Scones with Chocolate Rum Glaze
Makes 12
145 cals / 4g fat / 22g carbs / 3g protein

3/4 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice, or just 3/4 cup buttermilk)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TB cold cold butter
2 bananas
3 TB semi sweet chocolate chips
1 TB rum

1. Heat oven to 425. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Mix milk with vinegar and set aside. Cut butter into small chunks. Peel and cut bananas into small chunks (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups).

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal (alternatively, you can do this part in a food processor). Add the milk and banana bits and stir until the dough is just barely combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and using floured hands, knead 2-3 times to bring it together. Shape and pat the dough into a rectangle, about 1-2 inches thick. Cut dough into 12 equal size pieces (circles, squares, triangles, wedges...whatever suits your fancy). Place on prepared sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

4. While scones are baking, combine rum and chocolate in a small bowl, then begin to heat for 20 second increments at half-power in the microwave, stirring in between increments, until melted and smooth. If your chocolate starts to seize, just add a tiny bit of butter to smooth it out. Drizzle over warm scones (I made a quick cone with waxed paper and piped it on for these). Serve warm.

It has been a while since I have made scones. Luckily, the forces of the universe aligned, it was a gloomy slow morning, I needed something warm and sweet, and I happened to have a couple bananas sitting on my counter just begging to be used in something besides a smoothie.

These use less butter than my favorite recipe, but still bake up nice and flaky with the crunchy edges that make them so delicious. A few notes for these:

• I used the same method as these if you need more instructions.
• I used an equal mix of whole wheat and all purpose flours. You can use any type and ratio of flour you want.
• These are easily adaptable, so you can sub in Earths Balance and Rice/Soy/Almond milk (for my soy-dairy-free friends).
• The chocolate on top gives these just that hint of chocolatey awesomeness without impacting calories too much, but you can makes these healthier by skipping it, if you need to. You can also skip the rum if that isn't your thing.
• You can also make/shape these then freeze them for storage. Bake them straight out of the freezer.
• The dough is sticky. Don't be scared. Just be really generous with the flour when patting and shaping the dough.

Banana Scones with Chocolate Rum Glaze
Makes 12
145 cals / 4g fat / 22g carbs / 3g protein

3/4 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice, or just 3/4 cup buttermilk)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TB cold cold butter
2 bananas
3 TB semi sweet chocolate chips
1 TB rum

1. Heat oven to 425. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Mix milk with vinegar and set aside. Cut butter into small chunks. Peel and cut bananas into small chunks (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups).

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Use your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal (alternatively, you can do this part in a food processor). Add the milk and banana bits and stir until the dough is just barely combined.

3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and using floured hands, knead 2-3 times to bring it together. Shape and pat the dough into a rectangle, about 1-2 inches thick. Cut dough into 12 equal size pieces (circles, squares, triangles, wedges...whatever suits your fancy). Place on prepared sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

4. While scones are baking, combine rum and chocolate in a small bowl, then begin to heat for 20 second increments at half-power in the microwave, stirring in between increments, until melted and smooth. If your chocolate starts to seize, just add a tiny bit of butter to smooth it out. Drizzle over warm scones (I made a quick cone with waxed paper and piped it on for these). Serve warm.