Suzanne Carillo

While we were in Jasper recently enjoying some of the majestic Rockie Mountains

we stumbled across The Bear's Paw Bakery.

This place was H-E-A-V-E-N!

Warning…do not go there if you are trying to avoid carbs. This place is a carb crack house. Chocked full of butter, sugar and everything else that isn't good for you but that tastes like an orgasm.

We sat down and ate a sandwich with homemade fresh bread and then washed it down with a piece of their peanut butter chocolate cake. 

We felt deserving because we'd hiked part of Maligne Canyon that morning.

But the cake and sandwich wasn't enough for me.

They had so many more items I hadn't tasted yet!

I decided to get some pieces "to-go".  

One of these was their "Chocolate Espresso Banana Scone".

Seriously.

No… 

Seriously.

I.

Die.

Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. Each mouthful a taste-bud buffet of coffee scented banana flecked sexy chocolate not-too-sweet goodness. I was high.

As soon as we got home to Toronto it was all I could think about. Right after I ate it all it was all I could think about.

I needed another fix. 

I couldn't find the recipe online so I did what any jonesing-for-my-next-hit druggie would do…I came up with my own recipe. My own "Breaking Bad" moment.

I've made them with low fat sour cream rather than heavy whipping cream (cutting out a bit of the fat). There isn't really that much sugar thanks to the bananas but a scone isn't a scone without the butter, so it stayed. 

So here they are in all their glory…be forewarned… they will leave you craving another and another and another… 

I Die – Chocolate Espresso Banana Scones – by Suzanne Carillo
makes 10-14 scones 

Ingredients

Wet
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 egg
1 ripe mashed banana (1/2 cup)

Dry
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons ground instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (ice cold and cut into small pieces)
2/3 cup dark semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 dark chocolate bar 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking oil.

2. In small bowl whisk sour cream, egg and mashed bananas.

3. Mix all dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in food processor. 

4. Drop chilled butter  into food processor and blend until mixture resembles course meal and there are no large bits of butter. Do not over blend or your scones will be tough. 

5. This is my little baking trick…place that pastry mixture into the freezer for about 10 minutes. It assures the butter is extra cold and will puff up nice and big.

6. In large bowl add the sour cream mixture to the pastry mixture and mix with a large spoon until just combined.

7. Gently form the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. 

8. Roll out dough to about 1 inch thick and cut with round cookie cutter.

9. Bake for 20-28 minutes until puffed and darkened. You can use a toothpick to make sure they are cooked all the way through. 

10. Allow to cool completely on racks before microwaving 1/2 of dark chocolate bar with a tsp of olive oil in a zip lock baggy until just melted. 

11. Cut a very small hole in one end tip of the baggy and drizzle chocolate over the tops of the scones.

 These are so good don't say I didn't warn you!

 

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