Chocolate Shortbread Scones With Caramelized Bananas Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (if using buttermilk, see note for adding baking soda). Add the butter. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the butter to the flour mixture until crumbly and the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Alternately, you can grate the butter into the flour with the large holes of a box grater and toss to combine with the flour (don't cut the butter into chunks, leave it whole as a stick).
• In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cream (or buttermilk), mashed banana and vanilla extract.
• Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork or rubber spatula until it starts to come together and forms large clumps. Add the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.
• Using your hands, knead the dough until it forms an cohesive mass and most of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and pat into a long, skinny rectangle, about 15-inches long by 2 1/2-inches wide. (You can alter the dimensions if you want larger or smaller scones.) Using a sharp knife or bench knife, cut the rectangle into 12 wedges or triangles.
• Place evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate for an hour to firm up the dough (or up to 24 hours) or bake right away. If baking right away, the scones might lose a bit of their shape, but they'll still taste great.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and baked through. Let cool completely or until just warm before glazing.
• For the glaze, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth, thinning with extra water or milk, if needed. It should be thick but pourable. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the scones. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 days.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or your fingers. Alternatively, you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor. Mix until mixture resembles coarse meal (uneven pieces of butter in the mixture is good!). Add 3/4 cup heavy cream and vanilla extract and stir with a spatula or a fork until dough begins to form. If dough is too crumbly, add more heavy cream - up to 1/4 cup. Don't overmix. Gently fold in bananas and chocolate chips. The dough will be slightly sticky.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead dough gently, about 5-6 times, until a ball forms. Pat the dough into a 9-inch (22 cm) circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Cut the circle into 8 even wedges.
• Place the scones on prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with a bit of heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake scones for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. While scones are still hot, sprinkle again with coarse sugar for extra crunchiness.
• These scones are delicious either warm or at room temperature.
• Scones are best eaten the same day they are made, but they can be frozen for up to 1 month.

MINI CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Cool. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Sift in flour; mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate mixture., Spoon batter into 8 buttered 4-oz. ramekins dusted with cocoa. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 12-15 minutes. Run a small knife around sides of ramekins. Invert onto cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes. Remove ramekins; place cakes on individual plates., For bananas, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss banana slices with sugar until well coated; arrange in a single layer in skillet. Do not stir bananas until bottoms are golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Turn; cook until second side is golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Place bananas on plates with cakes., For sauce, heat wine and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Whisk in chocolate. Pour over cakes.

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet and set aside.
• Beat the butter, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low until just incorporated. Beat in the flour in 2 batches to make a smooth dough.
• Lightly flour your hands and press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake the shortbread until the edges are firm and the top is dry, 28 to 30 minutes. Top the shortbread with the caramels in an even layer. Return to the oven along with the baking sheet of coconut and cook, tossing the coconut once, until the caramels are melted and the coconut is golden, about 10 minutes.
• Spray the back of a spoon with cooking spray and use it to spread the caramel all over the shortbread. Sprinkle with the chocolate and let sit until the chips are melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Using the foil overhang as handles, lift the shortbread out of the pan and cut into 12 pieces.