Banana Strawberry Scone

This summer Luke is packing up for a month and heading to South America.  My soon to be 11yr old boy is about to take on the adventure of a lifetime and I'm ready to throw up.  When Josilin was his age she participated in the same program and spent a month in  Denmark.  Somehow we always knew she would get on a plane and head to far off places.  She was born to travel, including her first trip under the age of two when she proudly boarded a plane with Don and didn't even look back at her teary mom left behind.  But Luke?  He's my home body.  My mama's boy. The one who watched Josilin board that plane to Denmark just two short years ago and stated, "don't ever think about signing me up to do something like that!"

Then Josilin returned and showed Luke her pictures, told him the stories and opened his eyes to the possibilities of meeting friends from around the world.  Last fall we signed up for the selection process and crossed our fingers that he would be chosen.  We met the Canadian delegates who he would be travelling to Brazil with and met his amazing leader.  Each week the group meets and works on plans to represent Canada to other countries.  They have selected National Costumes (hockey jerseys); a National Meal (pancakes with maple syrup); and a National Snack (smores on a campfire).  Luke will be running a mini sticks tournament as one of their National activities.  He is super excited to go.

We hosted Luke's leader for brunch recently to spend a little time together talking about Luke's specific needs and behaviours. Over scones and quiche, I must have sounded like the worst mom ever, telling her all his bad habits.  Handing my "baby" over for a month has been hard on this mother's heart.  I'm scared he will come back fiercely independent, without a need for his mommy.  I fear I will send a little boy on that plane and he will return a little man.  As the departure day draws closer I suspect Luke will become nervous and I will need to be brave.  I'm crossing my fingers I can manage to pack those bags and send him off with a smile.

We loved these scones, but they are not your classic scone.  Closer to a muffin in texture, they taste fantastic with a hot cup of tea.  The dough is frozen for 30min, so they don't come together quickly.  I used a mix of flours but I suspect you could get away with straight whole wheat.  These are much sweeter than what I normally serve, making them high on the list of my kids' favourite.

Banana Strawberry Scone

adpated from the Kitchn

1 cup ripe mashed bananas
2-4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup Greek plain yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup rye flour
4 Tbsp granulated sugar (divided)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
For the glaze:
1 Tbsp salted butter
1-2 tsp strawberry "juice" (see below)
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup  packed brown sugar
1/4-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Place the chopped strawberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp of sugar.  Reserve.
Mash the bananas  and stir in the yogurt in a large bowl and set aside.
In a food processor, whisk together the flours, 3 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter in several pieces. Work it into the dry ingredients by pulsing the food processor until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea.
Pour the flour butter mixture into the banana-yogurt mixture in the bowl and stir just enough to incorporate all of the flour. Drain the strawberries and reserve the liquid that has formed; this is your "strawberry juice" for the glaze. Fold in the strawberries. This will make a fairly wet dough.
Line a dinner plate with a piece of parchment and turn the dough out on top. Pat it into a disk about 1-inch thick and cover with another piece of parchment or plastic wrap. Freeze the scone dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Peel off the top layer of parchment/plastic wrap and invert the scones onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peel off the second layer parchment/plastic wrap. Slice the scones into eight wedges and pull them apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are firm to the touch and turning golden-brown on the edges. Cool completely on a rack.
To make the glaze, melt the butter and the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and strawberry "juice, and stir until the sugar has melted (heat for an additional 30 seconds in the microwave if necessary). Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, starting with 1/4 cup. Add more confectioner's sugar if desired to make a thicker glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the scones. Enjoy!