Today is just not my day. It’s one of those days when every earnest attempt at productivity is slowed by unforeseen circumstances. Like, my dog ate my lunch. My sidebar doesn’t look right. And I need to hurry to the post office so I can mail my life savings to Uncle Sam. So it goes.

If these scones look familiar, it’s because they are a riff on last fall’s pumpkin pecan scones. Those scones have quite a few fans and the banana version turned out so well that I couldn’t keep it to myself. Frankly, I don’t think banana scones get better than this.

Feel free to play with this recipe. I made my scones with solid coconut oil instead of butter, which means that these scones are vegan/dairy free. Bonus: it’s much easier to cut coconut oil into the flour than butter. You could swap in other nuts or skip the nuts altogether. I think whole spelt flour would be a fine substitution for the whole wheat flour, too.

The scones are lightly sweet before topping with the maple glaze. If you want to avoid processed sugar altogether, try topping the scones with pecan butter or another nut butter and a light drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Let me know how you like them!

Vegan Banana Nut Scones Author: Cookie and Kate

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 1 x

Category: Breakfast ★★★★★ 4.7 from 47 reviews Hearty banana pecan scones made with coconut oil and whole wheat flour. Scale 1x 2x 3x Ingredients Scones 1 cup raw pecans or walnuts

raw pecans or walnuts 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour

white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder

baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon

cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger

ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt

salt ⅓ cup solid coconut oil or 5 tablespoons cold butter

solid coconut oil or cold butter ¾ cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)

mashed ripe banana (about medium bananas) ¼ cup milk of choice (almond milk, low fat milk, etc.)

milk of choice (almond milk, low fat milk, etc.) 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

maple syrup or honey ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Maple glaze 1 cup powdered sugar*

powdered sugar* ⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

fine grain sea salt 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or butter

melted coconut oil or butter ½ teaspoon vanilla

vanilla ¼ cup maple syrup, add more if needed Instructions Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast the nuts in the oven until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Chop the nuts into very fine pieces. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, ¾ths of the chopped nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a bowl and whisk together. Use a pastry cutter to cut the coconut oil or butter into the dry ingredients. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a fork to cut the coconut oil into the flour, or use a knife to cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix it into the flour. In a liquid measuring cup, measure ¾ cup mashed banana. Add milk until you have a total of 1 cup liquid. Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and mix well. Pour the banana mixture into the dry mixture and combine with a big spoon. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquid to wet the dough, but keep mixing until you have thoroughly incorporated the wet and dry ingredients. If you must, use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough. On a flat surface (like a cutting board), form dough into a circle that’s about an inch deep all around. Use a chef’s knife to cut the circle into 8 even slices. Separate slices and place on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes to 17 or until lightly golden brown. While the scones are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. (If you’re using coconut oil and it solidifies on contact with cold syrup, gently warm the glaze in the microwave or on the stove, then mix again.) Let the scones cool for a few minutes, then drizzle the glaze generously over the scones. While the glaze is wet, sprinkle it with the remaining chopped nuts. Notes Scones adapted from my pumpkin pecan scones.

*To make your own powdered sugar: Blend sugar in a blender or food processor until it is a fine powder. I used organic cane sugar but I have read that turbinado sugar works, too.

Change it up: For a less sugary topping, spread homemade pecan butter and a light drizzle of maple syrup just before serving.

Storage suggestions: These scones keep well, covered, for a couple of days at room temperature. They also freeze well for longer term storage.

Make it gluten-free: Claire commented to say that her scones turned out great when she substituted one cup brown rice flour and one cup almond meal/flour for the two cups whole wheat flour.

Make it vegan: Be sure to stick to maple syrup instead of the honey when making the scones.

Make it nut-free: Skip the nuts! ▸ Nutrition Information The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

More banana goodness: gluten-free banana oat pancakes, honey-sweetened banana bread, banana coconut muffins, banana almond smoothie, banana trail mix bread and banana nut waffles!