Banana and Brandied Cranberry Scones

Scones are always easy to make and loved by all. This recipe includes over-ripe bananas and brandied dried cranberries.

Earlier in the year I made batch of the brandied cranberries and they are so delicious on ice cream and with other desserts. They are also nice to use in cake making and in this case they balance the sweetness of the bananas.

I have included the recipe for the brandied cranberries here and encourage you to make some to keep in your fridge and use. You will be pleasantly surprised and they keep forever by just topping up the jar with more.

This is a lovely and quick way to use over-ripe bananas and perfect for afternoon tea with cream and jam or just as a snack.

Banana and Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:

Brandied Dried Cranberries:

1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water
2 Tblsp Brandy
1 strip of lemon or orange rind (no pith)

Scones:

Half of an overipe banana, chopped
100ml milk
15g butter
2 Tblsp brandied cranberries, drained of liquid
11/4 cup Self Raising flour
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Brandied Dried Cranberries:

In a small saucepan add the water and sugar and bring to the boil stirring till the sugar dissolves
Add the dried cranberries and cook for five minutes stirring
A minute before finishing add the lemon rind and continue cooking
When the cooking is finished set aside the cranberries, stirring in the brandy and allow to cool

Banana Scones with brandied Cranberries:

Preheat oven to 220ºC fan forced
Chop half a medium over ripe banana
Place in a jug and cover with milk
Add vanilla
Process with an immersion stick blender till the banana has been liquified and set aside
Using a large bowl, sift the Self Raising flour and add the salt into
Using the finger tips combine the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (You can also make the scones using a food processor)
Add the drained brandied cranberries to the flour and stir through till covered
Make a well in the mixture and add the banana milk. Using a spatula push the flour from the outer edges into the milk till combined and the scone dough forms a soft ball.
Remove the dough to a floured board adding a little extra flour if needed
Handle the dough as little as is possible and flatten it out gently with your hands forming it to a thickness of 2.5 cm
Using a small, floured scone cutter, cut out the scones and place them on a tray that is lined with baking paper, with the sides of the scones touching each other. (this helps them to steady as they rise and preserves their shape)
Brush the tops of the scones with milk
Place into the preheated oven on the top shelf and bake for 8 minutes
Check the colour after this and leave another 2 minutes to brown to your liking
After the colour is perfect cover with a sheet of foil and bake for 5 minutes more
Take out of the oven and place in a basket lined with a tea towel or other cloth and cover the basket loosely to keep warm
Serve with your favourite jam and a dollop of double cream or some of the brandied cranberries over cream