HERE’S NOTHING like a good scone for breakfast or a snack, lightly sweetened with fruit and with a crumbly, cake-like texture. But sometimes they can be a little dry, more crumbly than creamy.
Apples make moist, flavorful scones, especially when combined with bananas. The unpeeled apple pieces add color, texture, and just the right amount of sweetness to these baked treats, while the bananas give the “cake” a smooth texture and impart a subtle flavor.
1 c flour
1 c whole wheat flour
¼ c sugar
4 t baking powder
1½ t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
5 T butter
1 large Gravenstein or other New England apple, cored and chopped into small pieces
2 overripe bananas
¼ c milk
¼ c sour cream
1 egg
1 T milk
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift flours, sugar, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or by rubbing between fingers until it is in pea-sized lumps. Stir in apples.
Mix bananas, sour cream, and ¼ c milk in a small bowl and pour at once into dry ingredients. Stir gently until well blended, being careful not to overwork the dough.
With floured hands, pick up enough dough to press into 2-inch to 3-inch rounds on parchment paper. The scones can just touch each other.
Whisk together egg and 1 T milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until tops are golden, not dark, brown.
Transfer to cookie rack and cool for 10 minutes. Serve plain or with butter or jam. Makes about a dozen.
In the unlikely event that there still are scones the next day, they can be wrapped in aluminum foil and reheated in the oven, or cut in half and toasted.