Recipe: Banana-Walnut Scones

Banana-Walnut Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine or butter
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
Cooking spray
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400F.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour and the next 4 ingredients (flour through baking soda) in a bowl, and cut in the margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine buttermilk, vanilla, and egg whites in a bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture and banana to flour mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be wet and sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; with floured hands, knead lightly 4 times. Pat the dough into a 9-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the walnuts and 1 tablespoon brown sugar over dough, pressing gently into dough. Cut dough into 12 wedges, cutting into, but not through, dough. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden.

Source: Cooking Light, July/August 98, p.156